Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have hired a new head of communications just days before the premiere of the Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix show.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have replaced Ashley Hansen with Meredith Maines as their Chief of Communications.
Maines is set to start in the role on March 3. The timing is significant as it comes just before the March 4 release of Meghan’s Netflix show, With Love, Meghan.
It marks the latest in a long line of staff changes for the couple.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle make stance clear as they replace senior aide
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Maines was most recently employed at Lightspeed Venture Partners and has previously held positions at Google, Hulu and American Idol.
She studied English and Music Composition at Stanford University and holds a Master’s degree in communications.
At Google, she worked on the global communications team, helping launch the company’s first TV Ads product.
She later became head of communications at Hulu during the streaming service’s creation of its first original series.
Meredith Maines has been hired as the Sussexes’ new head of communications
LinkedIn / Meredith Maines
Since 2016, she has worked as a Marketing Partner for Lightspeed.
In a statement, Maines said: “I’m honored to partner with Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, to highlight the amazing work they are doing through Archewell, their broader business portfolio, and nonprofit work.”
Hansen announced last year she would be moving on to create her own firm.
Meghan said: “We are so proud of Ashley, especially as a female entrepreneur. We look forward to having her focused expertise on our business and creative projects.”
Ashley Hansen pictured with Meghan Markle
The Duchess added they were “excited” to support Ashley’s new venture.
Hansen joins a growing list of staff who have departed since the Sussexes married in 2018, with at least 19 leaving during this period.
Former chief of staff Josh Kettler lasted just three months before quitting suddenly.
Jason Knauf, who made bullying allegations against Meghan, left after seven years with the Royal Family.
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Dominic Reid quit as chief executive of the Invictus Games Foundation in July last year.
Bennett Levine departed his role as manager of Archewell Productions in 2024. Oscar-nominated producer Ben Browning stepped down as head of internal content in January 2023.
Hansen previously defended Meghan against accusations in the Hollywood Reporter that called her “Duchess Difficult”.
She said she’d felt “personally supported” by the Montecito-based mother-of-two and her royal husband.
Hansen said of her continued relationship with the couple: “I am incredibly grateful to The Duke and Duchess for their continued trust in me. Their unwavering support and belief in my new firm has been meaningful and is a testament to their leadership.”
