Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s 11th publicist, Meredith Maines, resigned after the couple’s photo drama with the Kardashians.
News of Maines’ departure as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s chief communications officer of Archewell Philanthropies was announced over the weekend.
A source tells Page Six that Maines resigned before Christmas but is staying with the company through the new year to help with the transition.
An insider says that the drama with the Kardashians was the “final straw” for Maines.
Page Six has reached out to Harry and Markle’s rep for comment but did not immediately hear back.
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Just weeks before Maines quit, Harry and Meghan made headlines after attending Kris Jenner’s 70th birthday party on November 8.
Harry, 41, and Markle, 44, arrived at the bash held at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s $US175 million Beverly Hills, California, mansion hand in hand.
They mingled and networked with the A-listers, which included Kim Kardashian, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Bill Gates, Paris Hilton, Tyler Perry, Ciara, Mark Zuckerberg and many more.
After the party, the Skims co-founder and her mother shared a carousel of photos, including one with the “Suits” alum and her beau.
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However, the drama began to unfold when Kardashian and Jenner suspiciously deleted the photos they took with the Sussexes.
A source told Page Six that people close to the royal family thought Harry and Markle’s appearance at the bash was “so tacky.”
“It truly shows that Harry is so far removed from the rest of the family. These people may be stars in America, but the pure ostentatiousness is at odds with what Prince William is trying to do with his life and the monarchy,” the insider told us last month.
A source told us that the Invictus Games founder and the actress’s rep asked Jenner and Kardashian, 45, to remove Instagram pictures that showed them at the party.
“They don’t want to piss off the royal family while they are trying to reconcile,” a source said.
Another insider told us that the Kardashian-Jenner family was “getting annoyed with the Sussex camp” for “overshadowing” what was intended to be “a celebration of Kris.”
As the head of PR for Harry and Markle, Maines, who began working for the couple in January, had to deal with all of the public backlash the couple endured.
On Friday, news surfaced that Maines was stepping away from her role with the Sussexes.
A source close to Maines exclusively told Page Six, “She’s unflappable, and does not complain … she really enjoyed her time there, but at a certain point it’s time to go.”
“Coming from the VC and tech industries, she’s used to so many things going on at all times,” the insider continued.
“Others may have thought it was not a traditional background, but I think it worked well. The amount she was able to do in almost a year was amazing — she launched Meghan’s podcast and TV show … and looked after the Prince’s charity work.”
The source shared that Maines “did what she needed to do.”
Harry and Meghan’s charity is now down to just two employees.
This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission.
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