Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have hired a new UK-based brand manager in the latest shake-up at their Archewell Foundation.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed two new communications executives to their PR team after former director of Global Communications Miranda Barbot was promoted to the role of vice president of Programs and Media Operations, PEOPLE reports.
In her place, Charlie Gipson and Kyle Boulia have joined as communications executives, both reporting to Ashley Hansen, who remains head of communications for the couple.
Mr Gipson, who previously represented companies Mars, Cadbury and Dominos, will now serve as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s main point of contact for all UK and European media.
Mr Boulia will be the new deputy press secretary and director of Communications for US media, based in Los Angeles. He previously worked at leading global talent, sports, entertainment, and advisory company United Talent Agency.
In recent weeks, Mr Gipson removed much of his personal history from the internet, including his LinkedIn page and social media profiles.
He described himself as a “senior PR & Events specialist with over 15 years experience in consumer comms”, working as an associate client director at Edelman for three years, while other clients include Samsung and Instagram.
The PR exec said on his LinkedIn profile that he had launched “delicious new treats for Mars”, covered Crufts with Pedigree and once dressed up as Pudsey the Bear for Children In Need, when he was “chauffeured around the BBC TV studios by Matt Baker in a rickshaw”.
Harry and Meghan have not had the best repore with the public in recent years, largely due to their ongoing rift with the Royal Family.
Their team also saw the departure of Silicon Valley executive Christine Schirmer from head of communications, however, she remained as an adviser.
The Sussexes have also pivoted on their initial refusal to engage with the British tabloids, with their current team recognising that it was more conducive to maintain open lines of communication, according to the Telegraph.
However, after opting not to retain any UK-based staff when they quit their royal duties and moved to the US – hiring former palace staff Clara Loughran and Beth Herlihy on a freelance basis – their increasing workload in the country forced their team to look for a UK individual who can help relieve some of the pressure and better deal with queries in another time zone.
