Harry and Meghan’s charity raised less in first year than spent on legal fees
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Archewell charity made just $50,000 (£37,000) in its first year.
That's less than the couple spent on legal fees to dissolve their original 'Sussex Royal' foundation.
According to their accounts, dissolving the 'Sussex Royal' moniker set them back more than $55,000 (£40,000) in a difficult year.
Companies House, where firms in the UK have to register, shows accounts for Sussex Royal which had its name changed to MWX in 2020 after the Queen reportedly banned them from using the word 'Royal' following Megxit.
The Mirror reports that filing reveals there was $380,000 (£280,000) in its accounts in 2020 and that $55,600 was spent on lawyers.
That charity is currently being dissolved and The Times reports that at the time of liquidation it had a bank balance of £289,106.90.
Meanwhile, the Sussexes’ charity Archewell, based in the US, stated it made less than $50,000 in 2020.
The pair had previously said that during Covid they would be concentrating less on Archewell so they could focus on the pandemic.
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The couple quit life in the UK in 2020 and have since been critical of the Royal Family in interviews with the American media after setting up home in California.
Their charities too have been dogged with controversy, with the 2019 launch of Sussex Royal proving particularly contentious.
Its creation stemmed from the dissolution of a joint foundation with William and Kate was split.
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Then the Charity Commission was critical of the way that a charity was set up and then dissolved as a waste of funds.
“A substantial proportion of funds went into setting up and then winding up a charity that was active for a relatively short period of time,” Helen Earner, the commission's director of regulatory services, said in a statement last year, reported the Daily Mail.
“Trustees cannot predict future events when establishing a new charity -circumstances can change after a charity has been set up.
"But all trustees, before setting up a charity, should think about the longer term, and consider carefully whether a new charity is the best way of achieving the intended aims.”
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