Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are again facing public backlash, this time over the creation of a new staff structure that critics say mirrors the royal system they once condemned.
The couple, who famously stepped back from their roles as senior royals in 2020, are being accused of "hypocrisy" after it was revealed they have built a hierarchical team resembling the Royal Household they left behind.
As reported by The Mail on Sunday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have reorganised their operations with a team of 11 staff, led by seasoned communications strategist Meredith Kendall Maines. The team will operate from both Montecito, California, and the United Kingdom, raising eyebrows over the parallels to the traditional court system of the British monarchy.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams criticised the move, pointing out that Harry has consistently lashed out at the royal institution and its courtiers in interviews and his memoir Spare. “The hypocrisy lies in the act that Harry has, especially in his most recent interview, attacked courtiers and the Royal Household, considering them enemies. So it is extremely surprising that he should want a similar structure in Montecito,” Fitzwilliams told MailOnline.
He highlighted the irony, noting that while Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, mistrusted official security and refused police protection, Harry is now pushing for that very provision for his own family. Fitzwilliams warned that if the so-called "Montecito model" mimics the royal institution too closely, it could undermine their credibility further.
Meanwhile, author and royal commentator Tom Bower was even more scathing, calling the restructured team a “final, desperate bid to save their brand.” According to Bower, the couple aspires to run a “royal court” from California, but what they have assembled is merely an “expensive group of bureaucrats.”
“Competing with Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace would delight Meghan. But this is not a royal court—it’s an overpaid corporate team trying to salvage their dwindling influence,” Bower remarked, highlighting that each senior appointee is reportedly set to earn a six-figure salary.
He contrasted the Montecito operation with the real royal household, calling the latter a group of “under-paid, over-worked devoted professionals committed to the traditions of a thousand-year monarchy.”
Bower also warned that if Prince Harry continues commercialising his royal title, any hope of reconciliation with the Royal Family in Britain may be permanently lost.
As anticipation builds around potential new projects from the Sussexes, Fitzwilliams noted that the true measure of this dramatic revamp will depend on its future results, particularly amid lingering controversy, including past allegations of bullying against Meghan.