Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Foundation has been deemed “delinquent” by California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
Per an official letter from Bonta, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not paid the official registration fees for their charity since at least the beginning of this month. Since Archewell did not submit its registration fees and annual reports on time, it has been listed as “delinquent” with the registry of charities and fundraisers. (Page Six was the first to report the news on Monday, May 13.)
“An organization that is listed as delinquent is not in good standing and is prohibited from engaging in conduct for which registration is required, including soliciting or disbursing charitable funds,” the letter read. “The organization may also be subject to penalties and its registration may be suspended or revoked by the Registry.”
Us Weekly understands that the Archewell Foundation did file the paperwork on time, but a physical check for registration fees was sent but not received. The organization learned of the issue after the delinquency notice was published and has since mailed a new check.
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Harry, 39, and Markle, 42, launched the Archewell Foundation in 2020 after stepping back from their role as senior royals. The nonprofit organization is described as “underpinned by the core belief that mental health and our collective wellbeing are paramount,” per its website. “We prioritize solutions that consider families, youth, race and gender, and strive to find the joy and hope we all share for the future.”
The news comes days after the couple made their first official trip to Nigeria to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. (Harry cofounded the Invictus Games to honor injured military veterans.)
During their time in Nigeria, Harry and Markle watched Invictus-style sports competitions and promoted mental health awareness.
“It’s something that we are still relatively unsure of. But guess what? Every single person in this room, the youngest, the oldest, every single person has mental health.” Harry told local children on Friday, May 10. “So therefore, you have to look after yourself to be able to look after other people. And other people have to be able to look after themselves, to look after you. That’s the way it works. And there is no shame to be able to acknowledge that today is a bad day, OK?”
Markle, for her part, joked, “You see why I’m married to him?”
Source Agencies
