It’s a tale of two royal PR strategies.
In the wealthy Californian enclave of Montecito, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have – once again – been re-evaluating their communication staffing situation.
But they’re not the only royal household to have public relations and the so-called ‘media narrative’ on their minds lately.
Similar discussions have clearly taken place behind the walls of Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, home to the Danish Royal Family. But we’ll circle back to them later.
According to a new report, the Sussexes last month ditched two of their in-house PR reps along with six other staff members as a means of ‘cost-cutting’.
But history shows it’s somewhat of a trend.
Since stepping down as working royals and moving to America in 2020, Meghan and Harry have churned through a total of 25 staffers.
Some were let go while others handed in their resignations.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s latest communications appointment speaks volumes
A royal source told Page Six: ‘It’s the same old story – they cycle through staff as quickly as normal people cycle through toilet paper.
‘Milk lasts longer than their employees.’
(Ouch. And let’s not even revisit that brutal Vanity Fair takedown from earlier this year, which detailed what it was – allegedly – like to work for them…)
In a significant recent move, the Sussexes appointed Meredith Maines as their new Chief Communications Officer in February.
Ms Maines was hired to replace the couple’s outgoing PR boss Ashley Hansen, who left to start her own consultancy firm.
Their new Chief Communications Officer works alongside Meghan and Harry’s one remaining in-house rep, Emily Robinson, an entertainment publicist known for her ‘iron fist’ while handling PR for four seasons of Netflix’s The Crown.
Signalling a new direction in their brand strategy, Ms Maines recently appointed a support team from Method Communications, an American public relations firm that describes itself as a ‘disruptor’ that ‘challenges the status quo’.
She justified the move to bring in an outside PR team, explaining: ‘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.’
From a money-saving standpoint, an industry expert said it made better ‘financial sense’ to appoint a PR firm because it’s ‘cheaper’ than employing permanent communications staff.
The Sussexes hired Meredith Maines (pictured) as Chief Communications Officer in early 2025
The Sussexes’ new public relations guru came on board to coincide with the launch of Meghan’s Netflix series and accompanying lifestyle brand, As Ever
But it also means the direction of the Sussexes’ media strategy now rests squarely on the shoulders of their new CCO, rather than a team of in-house advisers.
And in just under six months, Ms Maines has blazed a bold new path – while also taking a head-on approach to defending her royal clients from public criticism.
The former Hulu and Google employee – who also previously worked as a talent manager for American Idol – was brought on board precisely as Meghan launched her Netflix series With Love, Meghan, followed by her As Ever lifestyle product brand.
From the outset, Ms Maines made her plans plainly known, telling Us Weekly in March: ‘Meghan is embarking on a number of business ventures as an entrepreneur and working mom.’
She also shredded the persistent negative narrative that continues to surround the former Suits actress, calling out the outlets that she believes perpetuate it.
‘The constant scrutiny is motivated by clickbait and systems that make sport out of attacking women,’ Ms Maines said.
‘I hope that readers pause and ask why publications are so interested in clicks at the expense of a founder, a woman, a mom, who is creating and building.
‘As Meghan deploys her brand, show and podcast, we’re looking forward to partnering with outlets that want to understand the business story and the power of brand-building by a founder.’
‘Creating’, ‘deploying’, ‘business story’, ‘the power of brand-building by a founder’. It’s the sort of jargon-laced word salad the verbose duchess would no doubt endorse.
Crucially, it’s not the sort of concise, impactful statement expected from a seasoned PR professional with a background in journalism or media.
I was stunned by it, actually.
How does criticising the press while, in the same breath, praising Meghan as God’s gift win over the outlets that – in Harry and Meghan’s minds – are the Devil incarnate?
And how does a statement like that win the hearts and minds of ordinary people who, generally speaking, aren’t interested in ‘business stories’ and ‘brand-building’ when they are scrolling for the latest royal updates?
It would seem that, rather than hire a slick PR operator who might help them play the media game in a strategic manner, they have gone for someone who shares the same palpable dislike for the press as they do.
It doesn’t strike me as a winning strategy at all.
Harry and Meghan have increased the amount of personal content they share, including this snap from Disneyland, but I fear hiring a PR chief without a journalistic background is a misstep
Meghan posted a cringe throwback video of herself dancing in hospital ahead of Lilibet’s birth
Meanwhile, royal watchers have observed a noticeable shift in Meghan’s public messaging since the start of the year.
As her lifestyle ventures have rolled out, she has increased her public presence outside the realm of traditional media – no doubt guided by her comms guru whose background is in corporate PR and talent management, not journalism.
She has given her first-ever on-camera podcast interview on The Jamie Kern Lima Show and returned to social media with a shift toward sharing more intimate, casual posts.
Who could forget the pregnancy dance throwback video that caused such a stir?
This approach is deliberately against the grain and – to borrow a Gen Z term – feels more than a little shady towards the British royals and mainstream outlets.
In doing so, they’ve certainly pleased their fans in the Sussex Squad – but I wonder if this is a case of preaching to the choir, rather than broadening their support base.
Now, let’s return to the Danes.
Just like Harry and Meghan, the Danish royal family’s rethink of PR strategy was prompted by a spate of negative media coverage.
Two months before Frederik’s mother Queen Margrethe II abdicated so that her son could ascend the throne, he was pictured on a night out in Madrid with the Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova. His wife Mary was nowhere to be seen.
While there was no suggestion of impropriety, the friendship was ill-advised and was widely seen as a breach of trust. The press, local and international, had a field day.
King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark hired a veteran journalist to handle their press after a scandal-plagued start to their reign. The shrewd move is already paying dividends
The Danish royal family remained stoically silent in response to the scandal and, three months later, Frederik and Mary were promoted to the position of King and Queen.
But the first year of their reign was as much about rehabilitating their public image as it was about settling into the top jobs.
By early 2025, Mary and Frederik were ready to establish a new communications strategy for their reign – but it required a full shake-up of their own advisory team.
This began with the appointment of the formidable journalist Nina Munch-Perrin as the royal family’s new communications manager.
Nina’s appointment was confirmed by a palace statement that explained the couple’s previous communications chief, Lene Balleby, would be stepping down after 17 years.
Nina, 49, is a well-known reporter and no stranger to the cutthroat media industry, having previously worked at the national state television channel TV 2 and Denmark’s longest-running newspaper, Berlingske.
She also comes from a family of journalists: both her mother Lone Zilstorff and father Ebbe Munch-Andersen were national reporters.
These factors point to a PR specialist who not only grasps the news cycle, but also has a clear understanding of how to operate within the mainstream media machine.
Since taking over communications six months ago, it certainly feels as though reporting on the Danish royals has been more positive in tone, with the shadow of Frederik’s past mistakes fading in the light of the couple’s promising future as monarchs.
Formidable journalist Nina Munch-Perrin is the Danish royals’ new communications manager
Common themes we keep seeing in our weekly briefings of the European royal press include ‘unity’, ‘love’ and ‘positivity’. There are reams of stories about how the King and Queen have never looked more in love.
It’s a stark contrast to the tawdry U.S. supermarket tabloids that examine every pixel of Harry and Meghan’s photos looking for signs of trouble in paradise.
In summary, the difference in PR approaches for the two royal households couldn’t be more stark.
While the Danes have opted for a traditional media communications specialist – who also has a shrewd understanding of social media – to guide their public narrative, the Californians have instead gone with a team that prioritises ‘disruptors’ and a comms chief whose LinkedIn résumé suggests she has never worked in a newsroom.
You decide who’s doing it better.