Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly laid off a number of employees in an effort to save cash amid their luxury lifestyle.
According to Page Six, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have cut ties with their PR team.
The move comes after several other employees left, including their two in-house reps.
The outlet reported up to 25 staff members have either exited or been cut since the royal couple relocated to the US in 2020, with some departures not yet publicised.
The Sussexes’ Netflix deal – reported to be worth up to $US100 million ($A152 million), though sources say it’s actually closer to $US20 million ($A30 million) – is also set to expire this year.
“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,” a royal source told Page Six.
It is not known whether Harry and Meghan are experiencing financial problems, despite their hit docu-series, “Harry & Meghan,” and Meghan’s Netflix show, “With Love, Meghan”.
But the couple has less success with documentaries “Heart of Invictus” and “Polo”.
The streaming giant is reportedly now prioritising ‘first look’ deals rather than overall exclusive contracts, which means they could re-sign for significantly less money than their current deal.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have a huge expenditure. Picture: Instagram
This could prove a headache for the pair, who have a heap of expenses – from travelling to an annual security bill believed to be around $US2 million ($A3 million).
According to Page Six, the Sussexes splashed out $US14.65 million ($A20.9 million) on their home after moving to the US – it’s now believed to be worth around $US27 million ($A41 million).
Deeds showed they took out a $US9.5 million ($A14.5 million) mortgage to be paid back, plus interest, by the year 2050, indicating they put down a $US5 million ($A7 million) deposit.
They also have to pay a huge yearly property tax of $US288,000 ($A439,000).
They also foot the bill for their staff in communications alongside their personal office, the Archewell Foundation, production, as well as employees at their estate in Montecito, Calfornia.
The Sussexes also pay for a portion of their “faux foreign tours”, which have seen them visit Nigeria and Colombia.
Harry and Meghan splashed out $US14.65 million on their home after moving to the US. Picture: Supplied
Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, have now lost hardworking Kyle Boulia, their Los Angeles-based deputy press secretary, and Charlie Gipson, who had been serving as the couple’s European communications director.
They also lost Deesha Tank, Archewell’s director of communications and Lianne Cashin, formerly head of operations at Archewell.
Markle’s social manager and a personal assistant, who have not been named, have also departed.
Meredith Maines remains the couple’s chief communications officer after coming on board in February after their last PR boss, Ashley Hansen, left to start her own consultancy firm.
The only other in-house rep is Emily Robinson who, ironically, worked on Netflix royal drama “The Crown”.
Maines has also hired a team from Method Communications to help.
“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,” Ms Maines said in a statement.
“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,” she added.
“In a financial sense, it’s cheaper to employ a PR firm, as opposed having to full-time staff,” an industry expert said.
The couple has lost 25 employees since they moved to the US in 2020. Picture: Samir Hussein/WireImage
There have, of course, been a myriad of reports that Harry, and Meghan are not exactly the easiest to work with.
Insiders told us the couple was infuriated and upset by an unflattering Vanity Fair cover story in January, which claimed Meghan could be cold and withholding to staffers at the drop of a dime if “something went poorly”.
It was “really, really, really awful. Very painful,” an unnamed staff member who worked with Markle on media projects alleged, as another said she would throw employees “to the wolves”.
“It was unfair, what could their staff truly do about it?” said a source in the know of the VF story, “the sources were anonymous and things could not be refuted”.
The Sussexes were also unhappy with a Hollywood Reporter exposé last September which claimed “everyone’s terrified of Meghan,” regarding her staff.
A source added, “She belittles people, she doesn’t take advice. They’re both poor decision-makers, they change their minds frequently.
“Harry is a very, very charming person — no airs at all — but he’s very much an enabler. And she’s just terrible.”
There have been a myriad of reports that Harry and Meghan are not exactly the easiest to work with. Picture: Instagram
Multiple sources told Page Six Harry was furious at the story and desperate to protect his wife, pushing his staff to work on a US Weekly cover story quoting former staffers saying they had loved working for the pair.
Alongside this, Harry and Meghan’s former communications secretary Jason Knauf famously filed an official complaint in 2018, accusing the mom-of-two of bullying her staff at Buckingham Palace.
In emails leaked to the Times of London, he claimed the former “Suits” star drove two personal assistants out and undermined the confidence of a third staff member.
A Sussex rep hit back, saying, “Let’s just call this what it is — a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation”, while Markle’s lawyer, Jenny Afia, later told the BBC: “What bullying actually means is improperly using power, repeatedly and deliberately to hurt someone physically or emotionally.
“The Duchess of Sussex has absolutely denied doing that. That said, she wouldn’t want to negate anyone’s personal experiences.”
Royal watchers and fans blasted Markle for launching her ‘As Ever’ rosé wine. Picture: Supplied
The results of the palace’s probe have never been made public, but Knauf, who is now the CEO of the Earthshot Prize, launched by Harry’s brother Prince William, recently told “60 Minutes Australia,” he “wouldn’t change a thing” about raising his concerns.
Meghan debuted her rosé wine on Tuesday, on what would have been Princess Diana’s 64th birthday, a move which did not go unnoticed by fans and royal experts.
“A source close to the royal household told me, it’s not lost on Prince William that Meghan has launched an alcohol brand on his mother’s birthday, the very mum he lost in a drink-driving tragedy,” royal reporter Kinsey Schofield told The Sun.
Despite their issues, Harry says he wants to reunite with his family, including cancer-stricken dad Charles. Picture: Phil Harris / POOL
Harry, meanwhile, is concentrating on his philanthropic endeavours – and trying to mend fences with his estranged family, including his cancer-stricken father, King Charles.
In May, he spoke out yet again about his family rift after losing his fight for government-funded security for his family in the UK.
“I would love reconciliation with my family,” Harry told the BBC, “There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has.”
The Telegraph reported there are some moves within the palace to bring Harry and Charles together, claiming that Harry, Markle and their two children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, are being included within Charles’ funeral plans.
Regardless of what happens with their Netflix deal, a TV producer told us, “I can see Meghan’s show coming back for a third season, easily. People just love to hate her.”
Parts of this story first appeared in Page Six and was republished with permission.
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