Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s chief spokesperson Ashley Hansen has left their employ to launch her own PR firm, and the couple say they are ‘so proud’ of her

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s chief spokesperson Ashley Hansen is launching her own PR firm – and taking the Sussexes with her as clients in her new venture, as reported by Deadline.

During her time as the global press secretary and head of communications for the couple’s Archewell, Hansen worked on some of their biggest projects to date.

Meghan Markle will continue working with PR guru Ashley Hansen as she starts her own venture. 

Here’s what you need to know about her, as she continues her journey with the British royals:

Ashley Hansen’s background

Hansen has been a mover and shaker in the entertainment world for a while. According to Deadline, she has worked as an anchor producer for Good Morning America, was head of communications at film producer Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures, United Talent Agency’s director of comms, and a VP of communications at Universal Filmed Entertainment Group.

She is launching her own PR firm

Named Three Gate Strategies, Hansen’s new public relations firm will focus on communications and brand management for “distinguished individuals and organisations”, per Deadline. The company’s current client roster comes from different sectors including tech, finance and entertainment, adds the outlet.

The article also notes that the company’s name has been inspired by the Persian poet Rumi, who wrote: “Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates. Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?”

She has been working with the Sussexes for over two years

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex speaking onstage during Global Citizen Live in 2021, in New York City. 

Hansen is considered one of the most loyal members on the Sussex team, having worked with them for more than two years now. According to Variety, she was part of the launch of Harry’s memoir, Spare, Meghan’s Spotify podcast Archetypes and the premiere of the couple’s Netflix docuseries.

She will keep working with Harry and Meghan

As mentioned, Hansen will continue her collaboration with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as she debuts her new PR company.

The Suits alum, 43, said in a statement that she and Prince Harry were “so proud of Ashley, especially as a female entrepreneur. We look forward to having her focused expertise on our business and creative projects and her continued oversight of our communications team. My husband and I are excited to be alongside Ashley as she builds something extraordinarily special with her firm.”

Hansen shared the same sentiment, by noting: “I am incredibly grateful to The Duke and Duchess for their continued trust. Their unwavering support and belief in my new firm has been meaningful and is a testament to their leadership. I knew when they first hired me that they were giving me the opportunity of a lifetime and I couldn’t be happier to continue working together,” reported Deadline.

She has fiercely defended the Sussexes

Meghan Markle was criticised in a recent Hollywood Reporter article, prompting her staff to come to her defence.

After The Hollywood Reporter released a damning report about Markle in September – including a source who branded her a “dictator in high heels” – staffers, including Hansen, rushed to defend the former actress.

She told Us Weekly that the duke and duchess were supportive when she needed to take time off for surgery. “Meghan would personally reach out to my husband daily to make sure that we both were OK and had support,” she told the publication. “It meant so much to him and even more to me. You don’t realise how much that kind of kindness and thought means until you need it.”

Who else has quit working for Harry and Meghan?

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have said goodbye to several members of staff in recent years

And while Hansen hasn’t technically quit working for the Sussexes, the Daily Mail notes that she is nevertheless the 19th person to have left the company.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, their former chief of staff Josh Kettler reportedly resigned after just three months in August – before that, there was also Toya Holness, who was their global press secretary until 2022, and Christine Weil Schirmer, who left in 2021 after serving as the couple’s PR head.