Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reignited tensions with the British royal family after hiring a former Netflix publicist closely tied to The Crown, a dramatization the royals have repeatedly condemned. The decision to bring on Sam Rubinson, who promoted The Crown during three of its most controversial seasons, as director of communications for Archewell Studios has been widely interpreted as a provocative move-one palace insider called it "a cynical plot cooked up to further stoke the fires of resentment between the House of Windsor."
Rubinson's appointment comes amid growing turbulence inside the Sussexes' inner circle. According to RadarOnline, more than 20 staff members have exited Archewell in recent months, following Harry's criticized memoir Spare and a poorly received video Markle released on social media to mark their daughter's birthday. Sources close to the couple reportedly view Rubinson as a last-ditch effort to salvage their media presence and revive faltering projects with Netflix.
The hire is seen as especially inflammatory because of Rubinson's role in promoting The Crown, which depicted Princess Diana's final days and included dramatized scenes showing Prince Harry wearing a Nazi costume. The royal family has previously called the series "sickening." A friend of Prince William told RadarOnline, "It's incredibly hurtful to have his mother exploited over and over again in this tawdry fashion by Netflix."
Prince Harry, however, appeared to brush aside such concerns in an earlier interview with Stephen Colbert, saying, "With my mom cast in with The Crown, I am seeing the courtiers written about it very funny or not." Royal insiders now worry this latest development marks a point of no return. "Any bridge that's left between Meghan and the monarchy is in flames," one palace source said.
The rift widened further last month after a British court ruled that Prince Harry, fifth in line to the throne, is not entitled to government-funded security while in the U.K. Despite expressing interest in reconciling with his family, the Duke of Sussex has yet to issue a public apology. One close confidante told RadarOnline, "He could've said 'I'm sorry' to the royal family much earlier, and he wasn't ready."
The royal family has not directly addressed the latest Archewell appointment. However, signs of a firm boundary were evident during the French state visit in June, where King Charles delivered a high-profile banquet speech at Windsor Castle praising Prince William's new residence there. "It is perhaps rather appropriate that my son, the Prince of Wales...has made Windsor his home with his family, like so many of our predecessors," the King said, without any mention of Harry or Meghan.
Observers quickly interpreted the omission as a calculated message. "Hiring Rubinson was the final slap in the face," one royal watcher told RadarOnline. At the Trooping the Colour event weeks earlier, the Sussexes were again absent-marking the third consecutive year they were not invited.
Lip readers analyzing footage from a royal procession claimed Queen Camilla asked Charles, "What are you going to do about what is being rolled out?" to which the King replied, "We will act later or never. It will be ignored or I will talk to Harry. That'll be final."
Some royal commentators, including former BBC correspondent Jennie Bond, downplayed the significance of Harry's omission from the King's speech. Bond told The Mirror, "It would have been very odd indeed for the King to have mentioned him during a State occasion which was all about Anglo-French relations."
Bond added, "If they did, they would probably feel relieved that they don't have to get dressed up and perform what is a very delicate and probably quite stressful diplomatic duty."
Still, the silence underscores the deteriorating relationship between Harry and his family. The prince recently told the BBC, "There's no point continuing to fight anymore, life is precious," adding that he would "love a reconciliation" but claiming his father "won't speak" to him.
