Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shut down the Sussex Royal Foundation after Queen banned them from using ‘royal’ branding
MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry have officially shut down their Sussex Royal foundation today, after splitting from the royal family.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have filed documents at Companies House confirming they are axing their charitable foundation.
The couple, who stepped down as senior royals in March, announced in April they will be launching their new charity Archewell, which will replace their Sussex Royal brand.
Harry and Meghan said they got inspiration for the name as the Greek word “Arche” means the “source of action”.
This poignant meaning was also why they chose Archie when naming their first child.
The winding up of Sussex Royal comes in the aftermath of the explosive biography Finding Freedom, which was serialised in extracts at the weekend.
The book, written by journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, exposes the mistrust that Harry and Meghan felt, leading to them stepping back as royals.
Three separate reports have been filed today – a special resolution to wind up the company, the appointment of a voluntary liquidator and a declaration of solvency.
A statement under each filing states: “This document is being processed and will be available in 5 days”.
The Sussex Royal foundation was launched on July 1 last year, after the couple split from the foundation they shared with Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The move to dissolve the foundation is in line with the Queen stating that the couple can no longer use “royal” in the branding of their future ventures.
Harry and Meghan are said to be “excited” about the launch of Archewell, but will launch it when the time is right.
Speaking in April about Archewell, the duke and duchess said: “Like you, our focus is on supporting efforts to tackle the global Covid-19 pandemic but faced with this information coming to light, we felt compelled to share the story of how this came to be.
“Before SussexRoyal, came the idea of Arche – the Greek word meaning source of action.
“We connected to this concept for the charitable organisation we hoped to build one day, and it became the inspiration for our son’s name. To do something of meaning, to do something that matters.
“Archewell is a name that combines an ancient word for strength and action, and another that evokes the deep resources we each must draw upon.
“We look forward to launching Archewell when the time is right.”
They will also promote Harry’s eco-tourism venture Travalyst, which hopes to help boost sustainable tourism, especially after the industry has been hit hard with the coronavirus pandemic.
All assets were moved from Sussex Royal to Travalyst, after the couple stepped down as royals.
A Newsweek source said: “Travalyst is now operating as an independent non-profit based in the UK, and all assets from SussexRoyal will transfer over.
“The travel and tourism sector has been one of the hardest hit by the Covid pandemic, with communities and people’s livelihoods heavily impacted around the world.”
Prince Harry was ‘so eager to leave the Royals he initially refused chance to return after a 12 month trial period’, new book claims.
Finding Freedom also revealed Prince Harry was the first one to say “I love you”, while detailing messages that Meghan sent her estranged father Thomas Markle in the lead up to her wedding.