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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s haemorrhaging of key staff is yet another sign their brand is ‘unravelling at speed’ for the couple in the US, it was claimed today.
Harry’s right-hand-man James Holt, the couple’s ‘rock’ through Megxit, the publication of Spare and beyond, has quit to return to Britain to raise his family.
And Meredith Maines, the couple’s communications chief, has left weeks after the couple suffered a backlash over deleted Instagram pictures of them partying with the Kardashians.
Ms Maines is the fifth person in their PR machine to leave in 2025. The couple have now lost 12 advisers in recent years, including one who preferred a job in insurance and others who scrubbed all mention of their Sussex-related jobs from their CVs.
Mark Borkowski, one of the UK’s leading PR gurus and crisis managers, says the loss of Holt and Maines tops off a disastrous end to 2025 for the Sussexes’ ‘celebrity-led brand’.
They are firmly in ‘survival’ mode because of scandals and their own missteps, he said. He claims that in the modern world ‘reputation doesn’t unravel slowly. It buckles at speed’ – and this very much applies to them.
On the recent PR blunders, Mr Borkowski said: ‘One viral misfire, one poorly timed quote, one tone-deaf lifestyle pivot, and suddenly the narrative outruns the strategy.
Harry and Meghan have now lost 12 aides, including their right-hand man just this week
‘In celebrity-led brands, especially ones fuelled by moral narrative, the biggest danger isn’t hostility — it’s inconsistency.
‘Too many messages, too many intermediaries, too many half-thought-through gestures. Centralisation is less about ego and more about survival’.
James Holt has been running the Sussexes’ Archewell charity since 2021.
Before then, he had been their PR chief from 2019 to 2021, a turbulent period of their life when they left the UK and stepped back as working Royals.
He followed the couple to live in California and featured prominently in the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, during which he suggested that the Brexit debate fuelled racist views that wrecked the Duchess’s ‘fairy tale’ of marrying into the Royal Family.
A source said of his move: ‘He’s frustrated that his moving back to the UK is coming at a time of transition for the Duke and Duchess, hence his staying on for a few months yet to manage things at Archewell. He’s very protective of the couple and anxious this is going to cause them grief.’
PR chief Meredith Maines has stepped down from overseeing Archewell Philanthropies’ communications.
For while some say she left under a dark cloud after the bungled handling of a celebrity birthday celebration, others claim she has gone out on a high, having achieved her goal of reuniting Harry with the King in September.
Sources indicate that James Holt now wants to return to live in London with his husband and young child and that it would be a ‘governance issue’ if he carried on as their charity boss.
A former Lib Dem spokesman who for a time worked for Nick Clegg when he was deputy PM, he started working with Prince Harry back in 2017, at the time as a PR for the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry as it then was.
Holt’s departure from team Sussex comes at a time of crisis for the Archewell charity, with three staff being let go including Kirsten Slevin, the director of programs and operations. Its most recent accounts indicate that Holt was paid $245,000 in salary by Archewell in 2024.
Its 990 filing also shows total expenses of $5.1 million – up from $3.3 million the year before. Donations to Archewell stood at $2.1 million but it made grants of only $1.25 million.
James Holt (pictured), Prince Harry and Meghan’s ‘rock’ through Megxit, the publication of Spare and beyond, has quit
Holt is pictured speaking with Harry and Meghan in the Heart of Invictus Netflix series
The decision by PR chief Meredith Maines (pictured) to step down from overseeing Archewell Philanthropies’ communications has sparked a furious spin war
Ms Maines was seen meeting the King’s press secretary, Tobyn Andreae, in July, a move which is believed to have paved the way for Harry to briefly see his father
Holt signed off on those accounts as the charity’s executive director, but was absent in a picture of the ‘Archewell team’ at a food bank in November. He was last seen with the couple at World Mental Health Day events in October.
When the Daily Mail’s Alison Boshoff asked the Sussex PR team on December 14 if Holt had left, they replied that he ‘works at and for the foundation.’
The following day, the Sussex lawyers were cc’d into an exchange in which the PR wrote: ‘James returned from paternity leave after three months of paid leave and remains employed and actively at work.’
However yesterday, after renewed enquiries, they confirmed that he had indeed decided to move on from Archewell.
In a statement shared with the Mail, Holt said that working with the couple had been a ‘great privilege’ and that he had found a ‘kindred spirit’ in Meghan.
A spokesperson for the couple said that Holt will remain a ‘senior philanthropic advisor’ to the couple and Archewell Philanthropies, and will support their ‘humanitarian trips overseas in 2026.’
A source added: ‘He will be supporting the Duke with a number of engagements over the next 12 months.’
Holt’s statement said: ‘Working with Prince Harry and Meghan has been one of the great privileges of my career.
‘From my first project with Prince Harry eight years ago to improve mental health support for soldiers in the British military, to our recent work helping injured children in Gaza, he has consistently challenged me to think bigger about how we can make a difference.
‘From the moment I met Meghan, I recognized a kindred spirit – someone who finds joy even in difficult moments and connects authentically with people regardless of circumstance.
‘Above everything else, the work we’ve done together to support families affected by online harm will remain the most meaningful of my professional life. These families are extraordinary, and they inspire me every day.
‘After five incredible years in Los Angeles, it’s time for my family to return to London. When I pass the baton to the team leading Archewell Philanthropies in the coming months, I’ll do so with immense pride and optimism for what lies ahead.
‘I’ll miss my colleagues deeply, and I’m grateful to Harry and Meghan for everything they’ve done – for me, and for the countless people we’ve worked to support.’
The Duke and Duchess released a statement which said: ‘James has been a stellar support for us for nearly ten years. His enthusiasm and talent in overseeing our philanthropic endeavours have been extraordinary.
‘As James moves his young family back to the UK, we are proud that he will continue to guide various humanitarian trips for us overseas through Archewell Philanthropies.’
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