Prince Harry and Meghan Markle drop their US-based PR team

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly ditching their long-time PR team, who helped settle them into their life life in America, in favour of a "big wig" PR chief.

Harry and Meghan have dropped their PR team at the US-based Sunshine Sachs and are putting themselves in the hands of Christine Weil Schirmer, who is already head of communications at Archewell, the couple's charitable foundation.

Now Schirmer will also be looking after the Sussex's PR directly – a move sources claim was in response to "plunging popularity" for the former royals.

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A royal insider told Daily Mail"This is a really big deal for Meghan... She takes the view that she doesn't need to pay an outside firm a lot of money to do PR for her and Harry any more."

Schirmer is already a big name in publishing, with one publicist telling Mail on Sunday she is "one of the best and smartest there is," and is the "real deal".

The Duke and Duchess have been long-term clients of Sunshine Sachs, with Meghan working with them since her Suits days.

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Sunchine Sachs consolidated their move to the US, with senior partner (and Meghan's friend) Keleigh Thomas Morgan using her own contacts to network for the couple, even putting them up in her client, actor Tyler Perry's home while the two were first house-hunting.

Morgan was a guest at the couple's 2018 wedding and also helped out their 2019 African tour, when they were still working senior royals.

But another source tells the publication this is how it was always supposed to be.

"When Sunshine Sachs began working with the Duke and Duchess, the plan was always for it to be temporary until a full-time internal team could be created," the source said.

"After they were hired, Sunshine Sachs worked alongside them to help the transition. All sides are on good terms and periodic advisory work continues."