Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are certainly no strangers to public scrutiny.
Their tumultuous relationship with the crown is an ongoing discussion in British media,
and sources continue to come forward with rumors of how the royal family feels about
the couple following their "divorce" from the family.
Because of this, Meghan and Harry's popularity ratings fluctuate, sometimes in their favor,
but oftentimes not.
"We all know what the British press can be like, and it was destroying my mental health."
"Really?"
"I was like, 'this is toxic.'"
Since moving to California from the U.K., Meghan and Harry have been focused on building
Archewell, the name of their foundation as well as their media company.
The Archewell foundation is a non-profit organization through which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
donate money to their favorite charities, while their Archewell production and audio
companies will create and produce original content..
While the rhetoric around Meghan and Harry hasn't been too rough lately — Meghan even
received a public apology as a result of her court case against the British media — their
latest donations report from the Archewell foundation has raised some eyebrows.
According to the Daily Mail, Archewell's first year as a foundation saw it bring in less
than $50,000 in donations, while the Sussexes spent more than that on legal fees.
Meghan and Harry faced a legal battle to dissolve their Sussex Royal fund in the U.K. so they
could put their whole focus into their Archewell foundation.
This resulted in $55,600 in attorneys' fees and other legal costs.
Moreover, public records in the U.K. show that their Sussex Royal fund held $380,000
before it was closed, and this money wasn't transferred to the Archewell fund.
It's unclear at present where this money went.
Interestingly, non-profit organizations that raise less than $50,000 can submit tax forms
with much less detail than those who made over that threshold in the prior year.
Because of this, Archewell only filed a short form.
It will be interesting to see how their next tax form looks after they've fully opened
their doors, begun working to grow the foundation, and are hopefully putting their funds to good
use.
While many are surprised that Archewell has brought in a relatively small amount of money,
sources told the Daily Mail that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle purposely delayed the foundation's
launch in order to focus their efforts on the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19
pandemic.
The source explained,
"What's absolutely clear is that they want to get it right and there's no point in rushing.
They are settling into a new life, a new era.
This is about getting it right and making sure they are able to make the difference
they want to make."
The Duchess spoke out about the death of George Floyd during her virtual graduation speech
for the class of 2020 at her former high school Immaculate Heart, saying,
"I wanted to say the right thing and I was really nervous that I wouldn't, or that it
would get picked apart, and I realized the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing.
Because George Floyd's life mattered and Breonna Taylor's life mattered and Philando Castile's
life mattered and Tamir Rice's life mattered."
The couple also led a global fundraising effort, raising more than $1 million in order to buy
COVID vaccines for vulnerable populations.
While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been occupied with other charitable work,
they haven't completely ignored Archewell.
In November 2021, the foundation announced its goal of becoming net zero by 2030.
A statement on the Archewell website reads, in part,
"As an organization, we will work with an independent consultant to track all Archewell-related
activities [...] to understand our collective footprint.
Using 2022 as our baseline year, they will develop a plan for Archewell that aligns with
the latest guidance from leading organizations [...] while offsetting remaining emissions
until we achieve net zero in 2030 and beyond."
And Meghan celebrated her 40th birthday by launching the 40x40 initiative, which was
created to help women get back into the workforce after losing jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With that in mind, Meghan asked 40 athletes, actors, and activists to pledge 40 minutes
of mentorship.
She wrote on the Archewell site,
"With this time, I hope they each help someone advance a professional life on her own terms,
and, I hope that they inspire countless others to give 40 minutes of their time as well."
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