The basis of the complaint, which comes from Republic (a group which believes The Queen should no longer be head of state), alleges that money was transferred between one royal foundation to another due to their “personal relationship”, rather than for legitimate purposes.
In this instance, Republic claim that the Royal Foundation (which initially was shared between William, Kate, Harry and Meghan, but is now solely The Cambridge’s organisation) gave a £145,000 grant to Sussex Royal (Meghan and Harry’s subsequent organisation), as well as a £144,901 sum to Travalyst – Harry’s not-for-profit sustainable travel organisation.
Graham Smith, Republic’s chief executive, said in his letter to the Charity Commission: “In both instances, it appears the only rationale for the decision was the personal relationship between two patrons, the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge. Neither patrons are trustees of the Royal Foundation, so there is also a question mark over the independence of the trustees of the Royal Foundation.
The Sussex Royal charity [has since closed], and it is reported that they will transfer all their funds to Travalyst… this appears to be a personal decision by a trustee [the Duke of Sussex] to fund another of his projects, rather than to ensure the funds are being used for the original purposes for which they were donated.”
However, a spokesperson for Prince Harry has flat out denied any wrong doing, stating: “To this point, it is deeply offensive to today see false claims made about the Duke of Sussex and his charitable work. It is both defamatory and insulting to all the outstanding organisations and people he has partnered with.”
According to a Sky News report, a spokesperson who formerly worked with the Sussex Royal foundation said of the grants made to Travalyst “[they’re for] the ongoing development of projects that will support communities, wildlife, and the environment through sustainable travel and tourism.”
The spokesperson added, “All grants have been made impartially and objectively, fully in line with governance requirements, and have been reported transparently in full accordance with regulations.”
Prince Harry’s legal team also denied there was any “personal financial interest” on the royal’s part and said that Smith’s letter appears to have been written for attention, rather than out of any genuine cause for concern. “The avenue through which this was publicly and salaciously created only suggests a hunger for media attention as well as a shared and attacking agenda, which is neither right nor just.”
It’s well known that The Sussexes and The Cambridges one shared a charity (responsible for the Heads Together campaign on mental health), but last June, Meghan and Harry decided to split from William and Kate to form their own venture, Sussex Royal (which has since ceased to operate). Regardless, Harry’s legal team have made it very clear that they believe everything has been above board.
Meghan and Harry are currently in the process of starting a new organisation called Archewell, given that they’ve stepped away from their senior royal roles and can no longer use the Sussex Royal name in this way.