What you need to know about Meghan and Harry's new royal household

Meghan and Harry at Canada House on Commonwealth Day [Photo: PA]
Meghan and Harry at Canada House on Commonwealth Day [Photo: PA]

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have formally split from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and have created their own household.

Reports that Harry and William planned to divide their joint office emerged back in October, not long before the announcement that the Sussexes would be moving to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.

The Household, which will be created with the support of the Queen and the Prince of Wales, will be established in the spring as Meghan and Harry’s baby arrives.

Here’s everything you need to know about their new royal office.

Who have Meghan and Harry hired?

Kensington Palace have announced that Sara Latham has been appointed to head up communications for Harry and Meghan, reporting directly to The Queen’s Communication Secretary, Donal McCabe.

Ms Latham joins from public relations firm Freuds, “where she oversaw global corporate accounts with a particular emphasis on executive thought leadership and purpose-led campaigns.”

She was a former senior advisor on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 US presidential campaign and worked in the White House under Bill Clinton in the late 1990s, before moving to the UK as government affairs advisor at Microsoft Europe.

READ MORE: Meghan and Harry split from William and Kate with their own royal household

In a statement, Buckingham Palace revealed that the couple will appoint new communications staff, but will continue to have the support of Kensington Palace until that team is in place.

Where will Harry and Meghan’s office be based?

While the duke and duchess are getting ready to move into the new home at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, their household office will be based at Buckingham Palace.

Their previous joint household with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was based at Kensington Palace.

Kate, William, Harry and Meghan at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on Monday [Photo: Getty]
Kate, William, Harry and Meghan at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on Monday [Photo: Getty]

Who now works for Kate and William?

Kensington Palace have announced that Jason Knauf has been appointed as Senior Adviser to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

His responsibilities will include advising Kate and William on their charitable initiatives – including work on the environment, mental health, and early childhood – and supporting a review of the charitable structures that underpin their work.

READ MORE: No more public engagements for Meghan Markle until she gives birth

Mr Knauf has worked as a Communications Secretary for the Cambridges and Prince Harry’s office for the past four years.

The palace also said that Christian Jones has been appointed as Kate and William’s Communications Secretary. He joined their royal household office in December 2018 as their Deputy and previously worked as a press secretary for the Department for Exiting the European Union.

Why have they split their joint royal household?

It’s thought that the plans were put in place last year for a formal division of the royal household to take place before Meghan and Harry’s baby is born in spring.

While there has been speculation of a rift between the two couples, the creation of separate courts is reportedly going to reflect the couples’ increasingly different responsibilities.

William, who is second in line to the throne, will one day be King, with Kate as his Queen Consort. Harry and Meghan have slightly less pressure on them and can carve out their own paths with their charitable work.

What will they do with their social media accounts?

Kensington Palace currently posts updates about the Cambridges and the Sussexes to their 1.6m Twitter followers and 7.1m fans on Instagram.

Their office tells Yahoo UK that no immediate change will be made to their social media channels.

As Meghan and Harry’s new team will be based at Buckingham Palace, it’s likely that they will eventually have their own platform.