Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s shock move that twists the knife in Royal Family feud: ‘It’s almost beyond belief’
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Prince Harry and Meghan have chosen the PR executive responsible for promoting Netflix’s controversial Royal Family drama The Crown to manage their public image.
In an appointment that appears to add fuel to the fire of the family feud, it can be revealed that Emily Robinson, announced last week as their new Director of Communications, was in charge of global publicity for the program from series three to six.
Could there be a clearer indication of the couple’s distance from the Windsors – and that there is no intention to bridge that gap?
Robinson oversaw the promotion of The Crown’s storylines, including Harry in Nazi fancy dress, Diana’s Panorama interview, and the ‘ghost’ Diana talking to the Queen.
She was also reportedly on the team which decided not to add a disclaimer when series five depicted Charles plotting against his mother and savoring the possibility of her abdicating, according to insiders. Critics had called for a disclaimer reminding viewers that the show is a fictional dramatisation of real events.
It is widely believed that The Crown was a source of irritation, mortification and offense for the Royal Family – and Robinson was the woman who promoted it as a prestige drama that depicted essential truths about the monarchy.
Sources say she ruled publicity for The Crown ‘with an iron fist’ and was a ‘divisive’ figure at Netflix as a result.
She left her job in April 2024, a few months after the final, most controversial, series aired.
Prince Harry and Meghan have chosen the PR executive responsible for promoting Netflix’s controversial Royal Family drama The Crown to manage their public image
A source says: ‘In the circumstances, it’s almost beyond belief that Harry and Meghan would hire someone straight from The Crown’
That one – series six – featured a sympathetic portrayal of Mohamed Al-Fayed, the father of Princess Diana’s boyfriend Dodi, hinting that he might have been the victim of a ‘racist’ establishment.
Allegations that Mohamed Al-Fayed was a sexual predator were circulating widely before the show aired, and have since been added to by dozens of accounts from women who fell prey to the Harrods boss.
Emily Robinson was announced last week as Meghan and Harry’s new Director of Communications
The show also imagined a chance encounter between Kate Middleton and Prince William in London before Princess Diana’s death.
And it depicted Kate’s mother, Carole Middleton, as a pushy matchmaker, determined to thrust her daughter into the future king’s orbit – even if that meant making her attend St Andrew’s University.
A source says: ‘In the circumstances, it’s almost beyond belief that Harry and Meghan would hire someone straight from The Crown.’
Harry and Meghan’s relationship with Netflix has already caused the Royal Family considerable pain. In 2020, the streaming service reportedly paid $100 million (£73.5 million) to the couple for a five-year deal, which would include the Sussex’s incendiary tell-all docuseries, Harry & Meghan.
In that program, Meghan claimed she had been prevented from getting help when she was feeling suicidal. Prince Harry, meanwhile, accused the Royal Family of suffering from ‘unconscious racial bias’, and of briefing the press to print negative stories.
It is understood that the Sussexes are aware of Robinson’s background on the Netflix show, but feel that it is only one show out of a number which she has been involved with.
Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth in The Crown. She played the role in series five and six, which were some of the most controversial. Series five depicted Charles plotting against his mother and savoring the possibility of her abdicating
Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles and Dominic West as Prince Charles in the final series of The Crown. Sources say Emily Robinson ruled publicity for the show ‘with an iron fist’
However, Prince Harry has previously said he did not find The Crown’s fictionalizing of some of the Royal Family’s most intimate moments offensive.
In 2021 he told James Corden in an interview: ‘They don’t pretend to be news. It’s fictional. But it’s loosely based on the truth. Of course, it’s not strictly accurate.’
He continued: ‘I’m way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family, or my wife, or myself.’
Later, in an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in 2023, Prince Harry confirmed: ‘Yes, I have actually watched The Crown.’
Asked if he did any ‘fact-checking’ while watching, he said: ‘Yes, I do, actually. Which, by the way, is another reason why it’s so important that history has it right.’
A source said of Robinson: ‘She was always very charming and supportive to [creator of The Crown] Peter Morgan and all the actors in The Crown. She is one of the breed of publicists who think that the talent can do no wrong.’
The Sussexes appointed a new Chief Communications Officer, Meredith Maines, in February this year. Maines said she was excited to help Harry and Meghan ‘tell their story as entrepreneurs, builders, and philanthropists while overseeing all communications for the couple and their ventures’.
It was announced on May 30th that the communications team hired by the pair was growing, with the company Method Communications being added in by Maines.
In addition to the hiring of Maines earlier this year, Emily Robinson was brought on board as the Duke and Duchess’s Director of Communications
Meghan’s first lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, started streaming in March and her brand As Ever was launched in April. Her podcast Confessions of a Female Founder also went out this spring
Sources told Forbes magazine that Method will help support Harry and Meghan’s ‘growing business portfolio and philanthropic interests’ and that the Sussex team is ‘strategically building out communications efforts surrounding Harry and Meghan’.
In addition to the hiring of Maines earlier this year, Emily Robinson was brought on board as the Duke and Duchess’s Director of Communications.
Robinson has 20 years of experience in entertainment publicity, brand development, and strategic communications and previously spent a decade at Netflix.
She has held communication roles at A&E Networks, Discovery/TLC, VH1, and Bravo, leading campaigns across both scripted and unscripted programming.
An insider told Forbes: ‘The expanded comms support for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex comes at a time of tremendous growth and success in various business and philanthropic endeavors.’
Meghan’s first lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, started streaming in March and her brand As Ever was launched in April.
Her podcast Confessions of a Female Founder also went out this spring.
There has been some confusion about a restock of the teas, edible flowers, and biscuit mixes marketed by As Ever, with Meghan initially saying that she was going to ‘pause’ the business to take ‘learnings’ and not annoy the customer with scarcity.
She later said on social media that a new range of products will be dropping soon.
The range is thought to include a rose wine and homewares such as serving dishes.
Other recent staffing changes for the Sussex’s include the hiring of Sarah Fosmo as Chief of Staff for Meghan and the promotion of Miranda Barbot to Chief of Staff for Harry.
