Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have hired a new communications head and a press secretary ahead of the launch of their foundation, Archewell. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's expanded PR team will also consist of a UK-based communications lead.
A spokesperson for Meghan and Harry confirmed via PR Week that they've hired former Pinterest executive Christine Schirmer and former Deluxe director of corporate communications Toya Holness as the communications head and press secretary, respectively. James Holt, on the other hand, will be the communication team's contact point in the U.K.
Schirmer and Holness both have extensive backgrounds in digital communication. Joining the Sussex team in October, the pair of new hires is also expected to come up with a sound communication strategy for Meghan and Harry's production projects and ventures with Netflix and other companies.
But Meghan and Harry still have the Hollywood PR firm, Sunshine Sachs, onboard since April, when they started their path out of the royal family. According to People, the Sussex pair will still continue their working relationship with the firm, alongside the new communications team.
The Duchess of Sussex is a long-time client of Sunshine Sachs as a Hollywood TV actress. She closely worked with Keleigh Thomas Morgan, who heads the firm's Los Angeles office, for her public image when she worked in the TV series Suits.
According to Daily Mail, Sunshine Sachs' owner, Ken Sunshine, tags celebrity photographers as "stalkerazzi" and denounces their activities. Thus, the firm appealed to the Sussexes given their row with tabloid media and the paparazzi.
Sara Latham, their former head of communications, has been reassigned to Buckingham Palace at the Queen's private office after Meghan and Harry moved to California. The royal family does not employ a firm for their communications and press strategy thus experts see the Sussex pair employing an aggressive approach to their PR with Sunshine Sachs on their side.
Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Archewell foundation website went live in October. Initially, the couple planned a spring 2020 launch for this latest venture but decided to delay Archewell's unveiling as the world focused on the pandemic.
A spokesperson for the couple said that the goals of Archewell will fall in line with their recent work in promoting racial equality, curbing hate speech online, and their political activism. The values and mission of Archewell will reflect the core of Meghan and Harry's advocacies.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, however, have not hinted on a potential launch date for their new foundation, which was named after their first-born son Archie Harrison.
