Meghan Markle’s ‘Drive to Boost’ Her Fame

Meghan Markle is adopting a more “focused strategy” to boost her fame when it comes to handling the media, a royal expert has told Newsweek.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have employed two new PR professionals to take charge of their media relationships on either side of the Atlantic. Former United Talent Agency communications pro Kyle Boulia has been added to their California staff as deputy press secretary and director of communications.

And PR professional Charlie Gipson, who has represented brands such as Mars and HARIBO, is now their main point of contact for all European media outlets. These hires showcase the couple’s desire to enhance their fame at this new stage of their post-royal careers, said royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams.

“This is clearly a drive to boost their profile despite terrible ratings in Britain and a large fall in their support in the USA,” he said in reference to the couple’s unsteady popularity polling. “They are trying to position themselves as A-listers. There is also little doubt that they have needed a co-ordinated PR strategy,” added Fitzwilliams.

Both Boulia and Gipson will report to Harry and Meghan’s established global press secretary and head of communications, Ashley Hansen. Gipson is the first permanent communications base in the U.K. since their 2020 split from the monarchy and potentially signals a bid to increase their presence outside of the U.S..

The new staff shake-up comes after Meghan recently revitalized her Hollywood image, leaning into the commercial power of her fame. Moves include signing a new solo podcast deal and launching her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard by sending jars of special jam to A-list pals.

Meghan and Harry have also launched a new personal website hub under the name The Office of Prince Harry & Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. This moved the couple into a stronger self-branding position, becoming a separate entity from their Archewell charitable foundation.

“When Meghan joined William Morris Endeavour in April last year,” Fitzwilliams continued, “it was seen as a serious sign that she was repositioning her brand, though little followed until recently. Harry in particular has seemed to need advice, some of the contents of his memoir Spare were clearly unwise.”

Though Harry and Meghan have made significant progress in their Hollywood careers in recent months, the couple have not been invulnerable to negative attention. Harry has faced backlash for his continued association with the Africa Parks charity which faces fresh allegations of abuses of power, while Meghan has been openly criticized by her half brother, Thomas Markle Jr. in a series of online videos.

These make the couple’s PR strategy all the more important as they build credible and sustainable careers.

On the timing of Harry and Meghan’s new PR appointments, Fitzwilliams commented that they should have considered making them sooner.

“This seems a more focused strategy, but it clearly would have been wise to have done it a good deal earlier,” he said.

Newsweek approached representatives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex via email for comment.

In addition to her new podcast deal and launch of her lifestyle brand, Meghan has also announced that she is working on a new solo project for Netflix.

The duchess will “curate” a new docuseries based on her loves of “cooking & gardening, entertaining, and friendship,” a press release from the royal’s Archewell Productions company stated earlier this month.

Harry is also working on a solo project for the streaming giant, focused on the competitive world of professional polo.

With this multitude of projects between them, 2024 is shaped to be an important year for Harry and Meghan in the trajectory of their post-royal careers. Not only do they have their focuses on commercial ventures, but philanthropic ones too.

The build up to Harry’s 2025 Invictus Games in Canada is in full swing, as is the couples work through the Archewell Foundation in the equality, mental health and women’s advocacy spaces.

A boost in the royals’ fame and popularity, therefore, would only help to serve these aims.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.

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