Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are formally reorganizing their professional lives, signaling a marked shift in their post-royal strategy as they establish separate households and pursue independent ventures. The Duke of Sussex recently traveled alone to Shanghai, where he appeared at the Envision 2025 Global Partner Conference in his capacity as CEO of the sustainable travel initiative Travalyst. Meghan remained in California.
The solo appearance comes just days after reports confirmed the couple's decision to create individual staff structures-each led by its own chief of staff-marking a departure from the unified team model they adopted after stepping back from royal duties in 2020. The move underscores a new chapter for the Sussexes, whose professional efforts had previously been consolidated under their Archewell brand.
Prince Harry's new team will be headed by Meredith Kendall Maines, a seasoned communications strategist. Her role has drawn comparisons to Sir Clive Alderton, the private secretary to King Charles and Queen Camilla. The team, based in both Montecito and the UK, is expected to operate separately from Archewell and will include 11 staff members, with senior hires reportedly commanding six-figure salaries.
"Harry is turning away from all sorts of Hollywood publicists and is seeking counsel from his old friends and associates," a source told the Mail on Sunday. "He is clearly reaching out thinking, 'I need to do something different because what I'm doing is clearly not working.'"
This restructuring follows a months-long effort by Prince Harry to reconnect with former palace advisers and initiate Zoom calls with previous public relations professionals from the Royal Household. It also sets the stage for an undisclosed commercial venture the Duke is expected to launch later this year.
"Harry is unkindly described as the 'spare' to Meghan's endeavours," the same source added. "In reality, he has been giving her the space to flourish. Now it is his time to throw himself into exciting new work. Invictus will always come first, but he has also been working on commercial ideas of his own."
Meanwhile, speculation about the couple's public appearances had been mounting in recent months, with royal observers noting their absence from joint events. The newly defined roles appear designed to provide each with greater autonomy as they chart separate but parallel courses in media, philanthropy, and business.
Despite speculation, the Sussexes have not publicly addressed the reports or provided details about future projects. Meghan has continued her own independent pursuits, including production work and lifestyle ventures.
