Harry and Meghan 'axe four key staff members' as 'another change' looms
Earlier this year, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hired Meredith Maines as their new chief communication officer, and over the past few months their team has undergone some changes
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly axed four key staff members while revamping their team. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are said to have parted ways with their LA-based deputy press secretary Kyle Boulia and UK press officer Charlie Gipson. Both of them were hired in April 2024.
Two other members of the couple's private team have reportedly also left in recent weeks. The changes come after Harry and Meghan appointed a new team, headed by chief communication officer (CCO) Meredith Maines, earlier this year. Meredith confirmed her team is now made up of eight people working across five different time zones.
Harry and Meghan also recently hired Emily Robinson, who previously oversaw global publicity for The Crown from seasons three to six, as their new director of communications.
Season six of the hit Netflix drama programme aired controversial storylines which included Prince Harry wearing Nazi fancy dress, Princess Diana's Panorama interview, and scenes depicting Diana as a ghost speaking to Queen Elizabeth II. A source has now claimed more changes could be in the works for the couple, who stepped down as senior royals in 2020 and now live in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The source told Hello! Magazine: "Something tells me there will be another change in the future. Meghan and Harry have hired some of the most incredible people at the top of their fields, yet somehow none of them ever work out."
Following reports of changes within the Sussexes' team, their CCO Meredith said in a statement shared with The Mirror: "As the Duke and Duchess's business and philanthropic interests grow, I have made the strategic decision to move toward a more traditional communications structure of specialist agency support, as previously reported in Forbes and PR Week several weeks ago. Transitioning from a team of two to an agency support staff of eight, operating across five different time zones, will give international media and stakeholders better access, and critically, faster response times to inquiries."
Earlier this week we reported that Meghan was due to attend a charity event in Los Angeles tomorrow, but t he bash has been cancelled due to ongoing unrest in the city. The Duchess was scheduled to be the guest of honour at the Museum of Natural History in LA, where she was expected to give a speech about her extensive charity work.
However, as the streets of LA continue to be occupied by protestors facing off against ICE officers, organisers postponed the black-tie Night of Wonder event. Dr. Lori Bettison-Varga, President and Director of the Natural History Museum in LA, said in a statement: "As an institution 'of, for, and with Los Angeles,' our responsibility during challenging times is clear: to serve as a community resource focused on healing and unity, not celebration."
"Los Angeles needs us to channel our energy toward supporting our neighbours and demonstrating the values that make our city and county strong," her statement continued. The statement went on to clarify that the decision to indefinitely postpone the event was made by the museum's Board of Trustees, leadership and event partners, who "unanimously agreed" that pausing the event was "the appropriate response to current community circumstances."
Chief Advancement Officer Paul Bessire added: "We will find a future moment to celebrate our work. Until then, we will channel our energy towards being welcoming spaces for learning and discovery for everyone who walks through our doors." The museum is expected to reschedule the event for a later date, and will continue with their daily operations and educational programs until the event is back in the calendar.
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Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
I ate at world's biggest all you can eat buffet – it cost £10 with NO time limit… but here's what it's REALLY like
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A FOODIE who filled up her plate at the world's biggest buffet for just £10 has spilled the beans on her tasty experience. Serving up giant steaks, extra thick milkshakes and Amish pie, the huge restaurant serves up enough grub for 10,000 people every single day. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 Amorray showed off the restaurant and its giant steaks to her 440,000 Instagram followers Credit: amorraytravels / Instagram 9 The influencer was amazed by the range of options and the great taste Credit: amorraytravels / Instagram 9 There are hundreds of food, drinks and deserts on offer every day Credit: Shady Maple 9 Shady Maple Smorgasbord is the largest buffet in the world Credit: Shady Maple Shady Maple Smorgasbord has transformed East Earl, Pennsylvania into an unlikely tourist hotspot in recent years. Hungry Americans and fascinated tourists regularly flock to the 100,000 sq ft buffet to try and take on the world's biggest buffet. In recent years it has even become famous on social media through food bloggers and popular influencers. One of these is New York-based influencer Amorray Marcano who visited Shady Maple back in April. She told The Sun: "I'm a content creator so I like to show cool things in the New York area and around it and I had no clue that the largest buffet in America was so close to me. "So I wanted to go just because of its reputation of being the largest and serving up to 10,000 people in a day." Amorray, 29, filmed her trip and posted it online to her 440,000 Instagram followers. She said one of her biggest concerns going into the buffet was the quality of the food. Most people usually head down to a buffet as a novelty dining experience where they can fill their plates high and try out as much food as their stomachs can handle. But the food is typically seen as below par due to it usually being left out under a heat lamp for some time before being eaten. Hotel guest reveals unique buffet breakfast and people have been left stunned Shady Maple is far from an average all you can eat place though as it even boasts an impressive 4.6 star rating online. Amorray said she was "pleasantly surprised" by the taste of the food on offer. She admitted: "There were hits and misses, but there were certain things that were actually really good. "The night I went they were serving catfish. And I don't really eat catfish normally, but thought I'll try it and it was so good. "It was cooked really well and just delicious. "There were some things that I didn't love. I would say some things might've been a little dry or some things maybe needed a little bit more seasoning. "But the things that were good were great, like their beef brisket, the steak and of course the cajun catfish." The whole buffet is open Monday to Saturday and welcomes in hungry guests from 7am all the way through to 7:30pm. 9 The huge restaurant serves up enough grub for 10,000 people every single day Credit: Shady Maple 9 Shady Maple Smorgasbord has transformed East Earl, Pennsylvania into an unlikely tourist hotspot in recent years Credit: Shady Maple 9 Famous travel and food influencer Amorray Marcano has spilled the beans on the world's biggest buffet Credit: amorraytravels / Instagram During the day, they serve up a breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings. The breakfast costs just $13.99 (£10) during the week and lunch will set you back $19.99 (£15). The price for dinner varies depending on exactly what type of food you want to treat yourself to but a standard price is $26.99 (£20). This encompasses grill items, 46 salad bar items, three soups, six homemade breads & rolls, four cheeses, eight different meats, 14 vegetables, ten cold desserts, three hot desserts, eight pies, six cakes, sundae bar and countless drinks. Special options are also available throughout the week including steak night, seafood night, wings night or even the grand menu. There were hits and misses, but there were certain things that were actually really good Amorray Marcano Amorray was amazed by the cheap price of the unlimited food. She continued: "I would see people sit down, they would eat, and then they would go back for more and you could stay for as long as you want. "So realistically, you could stay there for hours so it's a great bang for your buck. "For the night that I went, it was like $27 and the amount of food you get for that is easily worth way more than the price." One thing that did leave a sour taste in Amorray's mouth was just how busy the buffet was. Amorray and her friend queued up for 30 minutes outside at around dinner time due to the long line of excited guests. The influencer was mainly shocked by this due to its little known location. Not only is East Earl a tight knit community in Amish country but it also has a population of under 2,000 people. You could stay there for hours so it's a great bang for your buck Amorray Marcano This means the town can sometimes be packed out with over five times the number of residents due to the popularity of the restaurant. "When I went in, I thought there's not going to be that much seating. But then once I walked in, there was loads in every, nook and cranny," Amorray added. "There must have been thousands of people in there and I was not expecting that just because we already had a 30 minute wait and there was a huge line behind us. "Honestly I was kind of overwhelmed when I went in because I was expecting the amount of food but not the amount of people." But after tucking into her first plate, Amorray said she fully understood why so many people flocked to the world famous Pennsylvania buffet. Amorray was also blown away by the number of drinks available. I tried one of the world's most expensive buffets – and made my money back in just one plate By The Sun's Assistant Travel Editor, Sophie Swietochowski AS the Sun travel desk's resident foodie, I could hardly resist trying the UK's fanciest buffet, also one of the world's most expensive. The Grove Hotel in Hertfordshire went viral earlier last year when TikTok foodies discovered its Glasshouse restaurant where everyone dines en masse, but in five-star luxury. Costing a whopping £82 per person at the weekend, there is certainly enough to choose from. 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The robata grill is where everything from whole seabass to juicy steaks are scorched over an open flame and there's also fresh pasta and pizza stations. If all this isn't enough to wrap your head around, you can also order directly from the chefs, doting on each station, when there is something in particular that you fancy that isn't on display. So the real question is: would you pay that much cash for dinner? Much like the food on offer at the buffet, Shady Maple provided almost every kind of soft drink imaginable. The star of the drinks show was a huge soda fountain to the side of the room. This had all kinds of soda in it from cream soda, vanilla coke and even root beer as well as all the regular options. A coffee machine, hot chocolate station and milkshake stand meant everyone's taste was catered for. Alcohol was the only notable exception on the menu. And no tipping is expected at the restaurant. Amorarry recommended anyone in the area to head to Shady Maple if they get the chance. 9 The quality of food on offer has been widely praised by many visitors over the years Credit: Shady Maple
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
UK broadcasters hail rare win over Netflix in battle for streaming ads
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Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
I'm a parent and there are 4 Netflix shows I've banned my toddler from watching
Some of the most popular children's TV shows on Netflix at the moment have been banned by one mum and for what she feels is a very good reason The world of children's television is sparking fierce debate among parents, with some experts even questioning the value of letting little ones in front of the TV at all. A number of child development specialists are firm that carers "should not be allowing their children to watch the TV without a parent or guardian engaging too". I hear your parental cries: "But we need the TV," as striving for perfection in parenting isn't always realistic or easy. I am in no way suggesting that I am the model parent - because that I am not, I try to balance my two year old's life with outdoor activities, extra classes like swimming and dance, plus indoor creativity with painting, reading, and baking. Despite striving to ensure my toddler leads a well-rounded life I still find myself occasionally succumbing to the allure of the remote control, normally during dinner prep or a quick shower. Like many other parents, I've blindly followed Netflix's trending list for kids' shows, mistakenly echoing common patterns without much thought, reports Surrey Live. However, it was during a glimpse of my toddler completely absorbed in Ms Rachel's programme that triggered my concern and prompted me to scrutinise the content she was consuming on screen. As a parent, I've noticed a stark contrast between shows that completely captivate children and those that allow for playtime with the occasional glance at the telly. This observation led me to take note of certain programmes that seemed to hypnotise my toddler in what appeared to be an unhealthy obsession. Cocomelon Luckily, my two-year-old didn't show much interest in JJ and his mates for long, likely because it's one of the most stimulating shows out there, in my view. I was quick to discourage it from the start. A quick Google search on "is Cocomelon bad for children" will yield numerous videos and experts suggesting that the show's pace, repetition, and animation style could be problematic. Having watched the show myself, I observed that most scenes were rapidly cut every 1–3 seconds, accompanied by neon-bright visuals and continuous nursery rhymes. Due to these factors and the grip it seemed to have on my daughter, we decided to ban this Netflix show in our house. Ms Rachel I realise this might not be a popular opinion, but for me, Ms Rachel's programme was the eye-opener and the start of my own investigation into what I consider to be overstimulating TV shows for my child. Ms Rachel doesn't rank as the worst in my view, and I do respect her as a fellow mother striving to enhance speech and development for children, drawing on her background as a former teacher. However, it would be remiss of me not to mention some concerns with her top-ranking Netflix show. My two-year-old seemed to lose a bit of her spark while watching this series, perhaps overwhelmed by the vivid colours, whimsical imagery, and relentless pace. Consequently, we've decided to switch off this series for good. Apologies to Ms Rachel, you're a good person and your programme is more educational than some, but it's not without its problems. Peppa Pig It was a tough call, but I'm standing firm on my decision to exclude Peppa Pig because it falls short educationally compared to other shows. The programme is suitable for young viewers and features straightforward 2D animation, yet the bright colours and occasional rapid background movement caught my attention. I've also seen complaints from parents on various forums about Peppa's attitude in certain episodes, fearing their kids might mimic her "bad manners". Credit to the creators, though, for the slow-paced, gentle scenes that offer a touch of light family humour. Paw Patrol For similar reasons to Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol on Netflix didn't make the cut for me due to its lack of educational content and sometimes frenzied action. Despite the evident themes of teamwork and problem-solving, I found the programme to be quite distracting and overly captivating during the action-packed sequences. So much so my toddler would not even respond to her name. The quick scene changes aren't as rapid-fire as Cocomelon, yet the draw of bright colours and boisterous sounds undeniably impacted my child's focus. Playtime with toys was completely abandoned when this show graced our telly, and for that reason, I'm switching it off. Cocomelon, Ms Rachel, Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol can all currently be streamed on Netflix.
