Prince Harry and Meghan Markle accused of hypocrisy after appointing their own ‘royal' court of staffers

Yahoo

6 days ago

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been accused of fueling hypocrisy after they introduced their own new 'royal' court of staffers to take charge of their fractured public image.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who quit royal life in 2020 and moved across the pond, have restructured their staff roster that now bears a striking resemblance to the royal family's own royal court, the Daily Mail reports.
The new revamp will see communications strategist Meredith Kendall Maines front a team of 11 — with the small-but-mighty organization being based in Montecito, Calif., and the UK.
The operation is said to run totally independently of Archewell, which Harry, 40, and the 'Suits' alum, 43, founded in October 2020.
But the move has since been slammed by top royal commentators and historians, with expert Richard Fitzwilliams arguing that the pair appear to be inching back to their royal days, despite repeatedly criticizing life in the palace.
'The hypocrisy lies in the act that Harry has, especially in his most recent interview, attacked courtiers and the Royal Household, considering them enemies. So it is extremely surprising that he should want a similar structure in Montecito,' Fitswilliams told the Daily Mail.
'In 'Spare,' he excoriated senior courtiers. He, as his mother did, regards them as the enemy.'
He went on, 'The difference is, tragically, that she would not accept police protection as she distrusted it so. Ironically, it's what he wants for himself and his family. He also claimed courtiers or their equivalent used security as a lever to prevent them stepping down as senior working royals.
'So the 'Montecito model' better be different and they would be wise to pay attention to its advice.'
Fitzwilliams' sentiment was echoed by royal expert Tom Bower, who said the new reshuffle is nothing but the couple's last-ditch 'desperate bid to save their brand.'
'Undoubtedly, the Sussexes would like to rule over a 'royal court' from their Montecito mansion,' Bower told the outlet. 'Nothing would give them greater pleasure than courtiers pulling their forelocks as they bow and scrape to please the Duke and Duchess.'
'Competing with Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace would delight Meghan. But what the Sussexes have assembled is not a 'royal court,'' he said, adding that it's 'a hugely expensive group of bureaucrats signaling the Sussexes' final, desperate bid to save their brand.'
Bower noted that should the Invictus Games founder follow the As Ever founder's move to commercialize his title, 'his currently minimal chance of reconciliation and return to Britain will be totally extinguished.'
Elsewhere, Fitzwilliams cast doubt on just how successful the operation will be, given the couple's extensive history of a 'revolving door' of staffers.
'We are promised new projects and initiatives in the months to come and obviously can then judge the success of this revamp,' he told the outlet.
'However there are question marks which have haunted the Sussexes entire operation. The first issue is whether the high staff turnover which has characterized their ventures continues, with some 20 having left.'
The new restructure means that now the 'Spare' author and former actress each have their own chief of staff.
'Chief Communications Officer, Meredith Maines, has retained the global firm, Method Communications, to bolster her team overseeing the growing business portfolio and philanthropic efforts of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex,' a spokesperson for the Sussexes told The Post.
'The team in the US will be led by Executive Vice Presidents Clay Blackham, Erin Grant and Senior Vice President Casey Adams and in the UK by Senior Media Counsel Liam Maguire.'