Latest news with #TheDuchessofSussex
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Meghan Markle, Prince Harry staff shake-up: Four staffers part ways with the Sussexes
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have made a number of changes in their staffing once again, resulting in four members parting ways with the couple. As per a report by Hello!, staffers who left Harry and Meghan Markle's employ include UK press officer Charlie Gipson and Kyle Boulia, their Los Angeles-based deputy press secretary. The news comes amid the Duke and Duchess of Sussex bringing in new members, such as Meredith Maines, their first chief communications officer, earlier this year. She had previously worked for American Idol, Hulu and Google. According to the report by Hello!, two people from Meghan Markle's private team also departed in recent weeks. Meridith Maines addressed the couple's staffing changes in a statement to Page Six on Friday, June 13. '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,' she said. Maines added that the move to shift from a small team of two to an agency support staff of eight who work across five time zones was made to give international media and stakeholders better access to the couple. The transition would also help in faster response times to inquiries. A source quoted in the Hello! report said that there could be 'another change in the future.' The insider claimed that while Meghan Markle and Prince Harry employ 'some of the most incredible people at the top of their fields,' things do not work out with many of their employees. Last year, Ashley Hansen, the couple's head of communications and global press secretary left to start her own communications firm. Josh Kettler, the chief of staff of the Duke of Sussex, also parted ways after a trial period of three months in 2024. Also read: Los Angeles protests: Meghan Markle's appearance at Natural History Museum gala postponed The Duchess of Sussex will soon feature in the second season of her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan. Meghan Markle has also been promoting her new lifestyle brand, As Ever. She has two children, Archie and Lilibet, with her husband, Prince Harry. A few years ago, she told Femail that touching her hair was a "physical and psychological calming gesture" for her when she was feeling stressed or uncomfortable. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from royal duties to chart a new path, focusing more on their privacy and independent ventures. In 2003, she graduated with a Bachelor's degree in theatre and international studies from Northwestern University.
Irish Daily Mirror
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Meghan Markle hits back in Royal title row after deal with late Queen
Meghan Markle's representatives have responded to the row over her using her HRH title, which goes against an agreement with the late Queen. Both Meghan and Prince Harry gave up their HRH (His/Her Royal Highness) titles when they stepped down as senior royals in March 2020. However, in a new podcast interview, a picture is shown of a gift card Meghan sent to a friend that read: "with the compliments of HRH The Duchess of Sussex". It was shown as Meghan gave her first podcast interview to host Jamie Kern Lima, an entrepreneur who is the co-founder of IT Cosmetics, Mirror UK reports. Jamie said the basket containing homemade strawberry sauce and ice cream was sent to her home by Meghan "about a year ago… to see if that helps lighten my load". However, a spokesman for the Sussexes has now denied she uses the title Her Royal Highness. Although no laws were passed or documents signed to prevent their use, Harry and Meghan's agreement with the late Queen and senior officials was that they would stop using the word 'Royal' after what was christened 'Megxit Day'. The couple even wrote on their official website at the time: "As agreed and set out in January, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will retain their 'HRH' prefix, thereby formally remaining known as His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex. "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will no longer actively use their HRH titles as they will no longer be working members of the family as of Spring 2020." Buckingham Palace has been approached for comment. It comes as Meghan told the podcast she is enjoying a new 'honeymoon' feeling with her husband since the pair got "a little bit of breathing space" after stepping back from their royal duties. Meghan said the couple struggled to fully enjoy one another's company early in their relationship as they were quickly put into "the trenches" by the media spotlight. The pair started dating in 2016 and married in 2018, initially taking on royal duties before deciding to step back from their roles in 2020, leading to strained relations between Harry and the King and Prince William. She said: 'You have to imagine at the beginning, everyone has, like, butterflies. Then we immediately went into the trenches together. Yeah, right out of the gate, like six months into dating. "So now, seven years later, when you have a little bit of breathing space, you can just enjoy each other in a new way, and that's why I feel like it's more of a honeymoon period for us now." The duchess praised her husband for keeping the family 'safe'. "He's just out there, just constant, like he's just going to do whatever he can to make sure that our family is safe and protected and we're uplifted and still make time for date nights," Meghan said. "He's also a fox. If you haven't noticed, my husband's very, very handsome. But his heart is even more beautiful," she added. Meghan became emotional when talking about her children, Archie and Lilibet, and revealed that she sends emails to secret addresses she has created for them to read when they are older. "Before I go to bed, almost every night, I email them, like, here's your report card from today, or, oh my gosh, wasn't it the funniest thing this morning? "Or here's a picture of you two having breakfast, or here's you playing. The things that you're not going to frame, the things that you're not going to put pen to paper in a journal, but which they will end up seeing at one point in their life, maybe when they're 16 or when they're 18. "I'll say, here's an email that I've been keeping for you. Here's everything and every moment that I wanted to tell you how much I love you and, like, how proud I am of you." It comes after Meghan launched her Netflix show, new podcast and lifestyle brand As Ever. Meghan's first batch of As Ever products, including raspberry spread, flower sprinkles and herbal tea, sold out, but her Netflix lifestyle series With Love, Meghan was met with a barrage of critical reviews. The duchess also launched a new podcast series, Confessions Of A Female Founder, in April.
The Independent
08-04-2025
- Health
- The Independent
‘Rare and scary': Meghan opens up about health condition in debut episode of new podcast
The Duchess of Sussex has revealed she battled with a 'rare and scary' health condition, postpartum preeclampsia, in the debut episode of her new podcast. In Confessions of a Female Founder, Meghan described the experience as a "huge medical scare" while discussing the challenges of building businesses and balancing motherhood with Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd. "We both had very similar experiences, though we didn't know each other at the time, with postpartum, and we both had preeclampsia. Postpartum preeclampsia," Meghan said. 'You're still trying to juggle all of these things, and the world doesn't know what's happening quietly.'
The Independent
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Meghan's £10 raspberry spread in luxury box sells out within minutes
The Duchess of Sussex's line of goods from her lifestyle brand have sold out within an hour of going on sale. Meghan's much-touted jam, costing £10.80, and a collection of herbal teas, flower sprinkles and luxury honey were all snapped up by shoppers soon after the duchess's As Ever brand, a joint venture with Netflix, began taking orders. Some of the goods feature in her cooking and lifestyle Netflix series With Love, Meghan, which is seen as a make-or-break moment for the Sussexes who signed a multimillion-pound deal with the streaming platform in 2020. The show received a string of critical reviews when it was released on March 4 but became the 10th most-watched programme on the streaming platform and will return for a second series. Meghan said in an email newsletter to followers: 'As Ever started as a sign-off, but today I am thrilled to announce: it is a welcome.' She told shoppers she hoped her brand 'becomes both personal and joyful for you too'. As Ever has generated headlines around the world and the duchess and actress Gwyneth Paltrow posted a social media video of themselves together to counter reports of a feud centred around Meghan's brand and Paltrow's wellness company Goop. Fans of Meghan bought her raspberry spread in keepsake packaging for 14 US dollars (£10.80), and for those who missed out it will be available later without the circular box for nine dollars (£7). The online shop of the King's Highgrove home sells an organic raspberry-and-blackberry preserve for £6.95, while the Sandringham royal estate has a raspberry-and-gin preserve at £6.99. As Ever was originally called American Riviera Orchard but the name was switched just weeks before the launch after the duchess faced trademarking setbacks. Its herbal teas – lemon ginger, peppermint and hibiscus – sold for 12 dollars (£9.30) each, while the limited-edition wildflower honey with honeycomb cost 28 dollars (£21.60) and flower sprinkles 15 dollars (£11.60) which Meghan uses frequently and refers to in her Netflix series. The last items to sell out were the crepe mix and shortbread cookie mix both priced at 14 dollars (£10.80).
The Independent
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Meghan is slightly adrift on the facts and reality, Vanity Fair's ex-editor says
The Duchess of Sussex is 'slightly adrift on the facts and reality', the former editor of Vanity Fair has said. Graydon Carter, who was in charge when Meghan graced the cover of the magazine in 2017, said the then-Suits actress questioned why she was being asked about her relationship with the now-Duke of Sussex rather than her charity work. Carter, in an interview with the New York Post, laughed as he recalled how Meghan challenged the Vanity Fair reporter, saying: 'Excuse me, is this going to all be about Prince Harry? 'Because I thought we were going to be talking about my charities and my philanthropy.' Carter added: 'This woman is slightly adrift on the facts and reality.' He admitted he had never heard of Meghan at the time and said 'I have no idea who that is' but was told by Vanity Fair's cover booker she merited a story 'because she's going to marry Prince Harry'. Meghan, meanwhile, posted a rare photograph of herself with her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet on Monday. The picture on both her Meghan, and her As Ever, Instagram accounts showed five-year-old Archie cuddling his mother's leg as she placed her arm around him, while also carrying three-year-old Lili in her arms as the youngster held a wicker basket in her hand in the garden setting. The post, which did not show the children's faces, was captioned 'Every day is a love story' alongside a dove of peace emoji. Meghan has faced widespread critical reviews of her Netflix lifestyle show With Love, Meghan this month, but has already filmed a second season and is focusing on her new brand As Ever. Netflix co-chief executive Ted Sarandos backed the duchess last week, saying she and Harry are 'overly dismissed'. The Sussexes signed a multimillion-pound deal with the streaming giant after stepping down from the working monarchy in 2020, but their most successful output so far has been their controversial Harry & Meghan documentary about their struggles in the royal family. Netflix has also become a partner in the duchess's As Ever business, with the first products set to include raspberry jam, herbal tea and a ready made crepe mix. Sarandos told Variety: 'I think Meghan is underestimated in terms of her influence on culture.' He added: 'People are fascinated with Meghan Markle. She and Harry are overly dismissed.' Meghan also added a new story to her Instagram account, featuring footage of birds flying in formation against a blue sky and the sun, and with the sound of the ocean, alongside the message: 'Flying into the week with my family (Thanks to my H for capturing this!).' Squeals of delight can be heard – presumably the voices of Archie and Lili – with one of the youngsters shouting 'Wow'.
