When everything you say and do is endlessly scrutinized from countless different angles, it’s probably best to hire a publicist. When you’re a member of perhaps the world’s most visible and famous couple, hiring a ruthless publicist may be the only way to go. Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, seem to have taken the old adage “the medium is the message” to heart in hiring Sara Latham, a former senior advisor on Hillary Clinton’s notorious 2016 presidential campaign, as the new head of their communications team. The message, of course, is that they mean serious business.
Latham doesn’t just have a history with the woman who inspired the rise of Pantsuit Nation. During president Bill Clinton’s second term, Latham worked as special assistant to the chief of staff, so she’s clearly well versed in office politics magnified for the global stage. And as part of Hillary’s bid for president, Latham “led the political strategy and execution for the ‘super surrogates ([Barack] Obama, [Joe] Biden, President Clinton) and ran the campaign’s covert running-mate selection process, announcement and general election plan,” her bio states. The only work environment in the world more stressful than the White House is probably Buckingham Palace, so Latham should be very comfortable with high-stakes gigs.
Subscribe to Observer’s Lifestyle Newsletter
The press hiccups Meghan and Harry have weathered together are almost too numerous to list, but suffice it to say Latham has her work cut out for her when it comes to navigating the attention (both positive and negative) surrounding the royals. Markle’s personal assistant quit in 2018 after only half a year at her post, leading many to speculate that the newly minted Duchess is a difficult boss; her personal protection officer resigned not long afterward. Plus, the Duchess’ father’s side of the family is basically a disaster. DUIs, unflattering tell-all interviews and unfortunate photo opps abound.
In confluence with the announcement that Latham is taking over the couple’s communications, news broke this week that the couple will be moving to Frogmore Cottage and officially separating themselves from Kate Middleton and Prince William’s residence and staff in service of getting their own, independent team of staffers.
Prince Harry and Meghan’s Frogmore crew will report directly to the Queen’s communications secretary, Donal McCabe, who himself has been busy lately handling the fallout of the Duke of Edinburgh’s widely publicized car accident in January. When you’re royalty, there’s never a dull moment.
