The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have released a new video promoting the impact of their Archewell Foundation as the charity faced a multi-million pound drop in funding, compared with when it first launched.
The one-minute montage shows Meghan hugging people, volunteering at a pop-up baby boutique she staged for expectant mothers experiencing homelessness, and surprise calling a young entrepreneur alongside Harry.
The round-up of the Sussexes’ year was embedded on the Archewell website as part of the charity’s Impact Report 2022-23.
It was released shortly after Kensington Palace issued footage on Monday of the Princess of Wales helping out at a baby bank with her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Set to the song Happy Place by Glasgow brother duo SAINT PHNX, the soundtrack of Harry and Meghan’s clip features the lyrics: “Over the hills and far away, looking out for a better day, when it seems like there’s no escape, take me to my happy place.”
Harry, who has been living a new life in the US since 2020, said in a written witness statement to the High Court last week he felt “forced” to step back as a working royal and leave the UK three years ago.
Unaudited figures released by Archewell revealed the charity made $5 million (€4.6 million) in revenue this year, issued grants of $1.2 million and has $11.2 million of remaining funding.
In 2022, its revenue was $2 million, with grants made of $1.2 million and $8.5 million in reserve.
But in its first year of operation, Archewell’s revenue was $13 million in 2021, and it distributed $3 million in grants, with $9.1 million remaining.
This means Archewell experienced a drop of $11 million in funding between 2021 and 2022, but then an increase of $3 million this year to $5 million – although this is still $8 million below the first year’s income.
An annual tax filing for 2022 showed the charity recorded a loss last year of $674,485.
Although its revenue was $2 million from two unnamed contributors, its total expenses came to $2,679,537 including grants and $640,441 for salaries.
The filing showed that Harry and Meghan did not take salaries but co-executive director James Holt was paid $227,405 including a £20,000 bonus plus $15,645 in non-taxable benefits.
Archewell said it was not unusual for high-profile foundations to receive a significant influx of funding in its first year to be used over several years as part of a financial plan to build its philanthropic work.
It said: “It is most fiscally responsible not to continue to raise large sums of money with millions still in reserve.
“In 2022, (The Archewell Foundation) focused on building out original programming that successfully launched in 2023.”
It added: “The Archewell Foundation is grateful for such a successful year and looks forward to continued growth in 2024.”
This year also saw Harry release his controversial memoir Spare, which detailed his fractured relationship with his family, and was Amazon’s best-selling book of the year in the UK.
The duke made a whirlwind trip to London in May for his father’s coronation but played no official part in the historic proceedings, and Meghan stayed at home.
In the impact report, co-executive directors Mr Holt and Shauna Nep said the charity was dedicated to “striving for greater interconnectedness and its ability to transcend division”.
“Even in the most difficult times, when losses faced can seem insurmountable, communities can come together to create meaningful change,” they said in a joint letter.
“At The Archewell Foundation, we believe in striving for greater interconnectedness and its ability to transcend division.
“We believe in the pursuit of finding purpose, belonging, and joy, and are dedicated to helping as many people as possible to achieve it.”
They added: “We are committed to a simple but profound mission – to show up and do good.”
Archewell said it helped provide 3,176 hours of trauma-informed mental health support after the earthquake in Turkey and Syria and gave 2,500 girls in Nigeria access to menstrual products and health education.
It also launched The Welcome Project to support women-led support programmes for recently resettled Afghan women across the US.
The video comes in the wake of the race row enflamed by the book written by royal author Omid Scobie – considered a cheerleader for Meghan.
Scobie admitted naming two royals alleged to have voiced “concerns” about the skin colour of Harry and Meghan’s son Prince Archie before he was born, in an early, uncleared version of his Endgame book which was sent to a Dutch publisher.
