Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Hollywood, Calif., on July 11, 2024.Credit : Kevin Mazur/Getty

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are returning to a familiar firm as they restructure their professional team at the start of the new year.

PEOPLE confirms that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are once again working with Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis (SSML), with the bicoastal public relations firm supporting Meghan’s lifestyle brand, As ever, as well as the couple’s U.S.-based efforts. The firm is a major Hollywood player, representing A-list talent and leading entertainment projects.

The firm is working alongside the Sussexes’ internal team, which includes Liam Maguire, their U.K. and Europe director of communications, who remains in his role and has primarily overseen Prince Harry’s communications.

PEOPLE understands that Meghan and Harry have long maintained a close relationship with the firm, even as they built out their own communications operation following their move to the U.S. and the launch of their nonprofit, now known as Archewell Philanthropies. In addition to working with Meghan during her Suits years, SSML has partnered with the couple on projects on and off since 2017. One of the firm’s co-presidents, Keleigh Thomas Morgan, attended the couple’s royal wedding in May 2018.

Meghan Markle; Keleigh Thomas Morgan.Kristina Bumphrey/Variety/Getty; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

The reunion comes weeks after the couple’s chief communications officer, Meredith Maines, announced in December that she was stepping down from her role, roughly nine months after she joined in March 2024. At the time, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed the change in a statement to PEOPLE, saying, “Meredith Maines and Method Communications have concluded their work with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The Duke and Duchess are grateful for their contributions and wish them well.”

Maines also shared her own statement, saying, “After a year of inspiring work with Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Archewell, I will be pursuing a new opportunity in 2026. I have the utmost gratitude and respect for the couple and the team, and the good they are doing in the world.”

Maines worked alongside Method Communications, the outside firm supporting the Sussexes’ communications, and largely handled Meghan’s public relations. At the time of her departure, it was understood that another agency had been lined up to take on U.S.-based support for the couple.

Maines’ departure is one of several turnovers within the Sussexes’ communications team in recent years. In 2024, global press secretary Ashley Hansen stepped down after two years to launch her own consultancy. In 2025, three other communications staffers — including U.K.-based Charlie Gipson and California-based Kyle Boulia — also departed. Emily Robinson, who previously worked at Netflix and was appointed director of communications, also left the role in October after four months.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at Game 4 of the World Series in Los Angeles on Oct. 28, 2025.Joe Scarnici/MLB Photos via Getty

Most recently, longtime advisor James Holt announced in December 2025 that he was stepping down as executive director of Archewell.

“From my first project with Prince Harry eight years ago to improve mental health support for soldiers in the British military, to our recent work helping injured children in Gaza, he has consistently challenged me to think bigger about how we can make a difference,” Holt said in a statement to PEOPLE at the time. “From the moment I met Meghan, I recognized a kindred spirit — someone who finds joy even in difficult moments and connects authentically with people regardless of circumstance.”

“Above everything else, the work we’ve done together to support families affected by online harm will remain the most meaningful of my professional life. These families are extraordinary, and they inspire me every day,” he continued.