Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Archewell Crisis: Why 'Money Woes' Are Forcing New Staff Sacking

In the frosty lead-up to the festive season, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have found themselves in the eye of a public relations storm. Often viewed through a lens of luxury and global influence, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are now facing a starkly different narrative: that of a struggling enterprise forced to make ruthless cuts.

Following reports that several employees were shown the door just days before Christmas, the couple has moved to reframe the narrative, officially retiring the Archewell Foundation in favour of a new, leaner entity: Archewell Philanthropies.

The timing of these 'redundancies' has drawn sharp criticism, particularly as the couple continues to maintain an image of high-flying philanthropy. While their spokesperson insists the core team remains in place, the reality on the ground appears more precarious. More than half of the foundation's workforce — three key members — have reportedly been let go.

Among the departures is Kristin Slevin, the high-earning director of programmes and operations, whose $146,000 (£115,000) salary reflected the scale of the couple's former ambitions. Slevin's exit is particularly notable as it comes alongside the quiet departure of press secretaries Kyle Boulia and Charlie Gipson earlier in the year.

The Future For Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

People are calling the move to Archewell Philanthropies a 'next chapter' that will include their kids, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, in their public mission. The couple used their royal titles in an impact statement on Dec. 19 to promise a family-led approach to 'show up and do good'. But this effort to change the brand can't hide the bad financial information that the foundation's 2024 tax filings have just made public.

The numbers tell a story of a big drop. In 2024, donations dropped to only $2.1 million (£1.65 million), which is a small amount compared to the $13 million they got in 2021. Expenses and charitable grants, on the other hand, reached $5.1 million, which meant that the organisation was losing a lot of money. The filings, which were made public on Friday, Dec. 20, 2025, show a shocking $2.5 million (£1.97 million) deficit in 'revenue less expenses'.

This 'dry spell' in finances comes after a tax return in 2023 showed that the company made $5.7 million, almost all of which came from one anonymous benefactor, thought to be Fidelity Charitable. There are more questions about how well the Sussexes' charitable model works now that only $1.25 million (£985,000) of the 2024 funds actually went to charities.

Commercial Setbacks and the 'Paltrow' Shadow: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Seek Stability

The couple's money problems go beyond their charitable work. They took a break from royal duties in 2020 to try to become 'financially independent', but their business ventures have faced a number of humiliating setbacks since then. Their landmark deal with Netflix, which was thought to be worth £80 million, was changed to a 'first-look' deal in August 2025. This meant that Netflix could say no to their projects. This new deal put an end to Archewell Productions' guaranteed huge paydays. Instead, they will now get paid on a project-by-project basis.

The results of their media work have also been mixed. Their 2022 docuseries Harry & Meghan was a huge hit, but their more recent shows have not done as well. With Love, Meghan, Meghan's lifestyle show, came out in March 2025 and got a terrible 23% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It also didn't make it to the top charts in its second season. Harry's polo documentary, Polo, also didn't do very well, getting only 500,000 views in early 2025. It was ranked 3,436th out of all Netflix shows for the first half of the year.

Perhaps most painful for the duchess is the performance of her lifestyle brand, As Ever. Launched with much fanfare, the line of artisanal jams and wines has struggled to compete with industry titans. October data revealed that AsEver.com received just under 197,000 monthly visits — a figure that pales in comparison to the 812,000 visits recorded by Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop.

Industry insiders suggest that despite a 20% site-wide discount over the Thanksgiving period, the brand is still far from matching the commercial dominance of its competitors. As they head into 2026, the Sussexes find themselves at a crossroads, where the prestige of their titles must finally be matched by the sustainability of their business.

The shifting sands of the Sussexes' professional life suggest that 2026 will be a defining year. As they attempt to pivot from a purely royal narrative to a sustainable family-led business model, the pressure to deliver results — both in the boardroom and through their charitable endeavours — has never been higher. For Harry and Meghan, the 'next chapter' is no longer about leaving the past behind, but about proving they can build a future that is as financially robust as it is philanthropically ambitious.