Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's haemorrhaging of key staff is yet another sign their brand is ‘unravelling at speed’ for the couple in the US, it was claimed today.

Harry's right-hand-man James Holt, the couple's 'rock' through Megxit, the publication of Spare and beyond, has quit to return to Britain to raise his family.

And Meredith Maines, the couple's communications chief, has left weeks after the couple suffered a backlash over deleted Instagram pictures of them partying with the Kardashians.

Ms Maines is the fifth person in their PR machine to leave in 2025. The couple have now lost 12 advisers in recent years, including one who preferred a job in insurance and others who scrubbed all mention of their Sussex-related jobs from their CVs.

Mark Borkowski, one of the UK's leading PR gurus and crisis managers, says the loss of Holt and Maines tops off a disastrous end to 2025 for the Sussexes' 'celebrity-led brand'.

They are firmly in ‘survival’ mode because of scandals and their own missteps, he said. He claims that in the modern world ‘reputation doesn’t unravel slowly. It buckles at speed’ – and this very much applies to them.

On the recent PR blunders, Mr Borkowski said: ‘One viral misfire, one poorly timed quote, one tone-deaf lifestyle pivot, and suddenly the narrative outruns the strategy.

Harry and Meghan have now lost 12 aides, including their right-hand man just this week

‘In celebrity-led brands, especially ones fuelled by moral narrative, the biggest danger isn’t hostility — it’s inconsistency. 

'Too many messages, too many intermediaries, too many half-thought-through gestures. Centralisation is less about ego and more about survival’. 

James Holt has been running the Sussexes' Archewell charity since 2021.

Before then, he had been their PR chief from 2019 to 2021, a turbulent period of their life when they left the UK and stepped back as working Royals.

He followed the couple to live in California and featured prominently in the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, during which he suggested that the Brexit debate fuelled racist views that wrecked the Duchess's 'fairy tale' of marrying into the Royal Family.

A source said of his move: 'He's frustrated that his moving back to the UK is coming at a time of transition for the Duke and Duchess, hence his staying on for a few months yet to manage things at Archewell. He's very protective of the couple and anxious this is going to cause them grief.'