Harry and Meghan split from charity shared with William and Kate in latest sign of trouble
Harry and Meghan have formally left the charity they shared with William and Kate to create their own, fuelling rumours of a rift and raising questions about the cost of separate charities.
The music has stopped, the record is scratched.
The “Fab Four” is no more.
The rift between Prince Harry and Meghan and Prince William and Kate has generated almost as many column inches as the breakup of The Beatles.
This week, Harry and Meghan formally split from The Royal Foundation charity they had shared with William and Kate.
When the four young members of the royal family appeared on stage to launch their vision for a shared working future, they spoke passionately about the power of collaboration and joked that they were “stuck together for the rest of our lives”.
Just 16 months on, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced they are to go their separate ways.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to leave the charity set up by Prince William and Harry a decade ago, under plans which will see them find a new project with “global outreach”.
The couple will establish their own charity before the end of this year, with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge taking control of the existing Royal Foundation.
The split follows months of rumours about a rift between the royal households, and repeated denials.
Now questions are being asked about how much two separate charities will cost to run, and whether they would have done more good if they had all just got along.
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, a royal watcher’s bible, told News Corp Australia Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, reduced the number of her charities because of the administration costs.
“I know because Diana told me she had all these charities and she was absolutely horrified when she saw what people were taking out,” she said.
“She was horrified to discover the huge salaries of directors.”
The Royal Foundation was set up in 2009 as a vehicle for Prince William, 37, and Harry, 34, to support the likes of the Invictus Games before it became its own charity.
The foundation’s chairman Sir Keith Mills proudly pointed out in the charity’s latest annual report, before the split, that 84 per cent of the money it raised — $14 million last calendar year — was given away.
“Well above the normal charity targets,” he wrote.
Full details of the cost of the charity split will not be made public until at least next year when the annual report is due.
The charity split is the latest sign of trouble for the royal couples.
There have been reports that William first caused offence when he asked Harry if he was “sure” before he proposed to Meghan because he was worried about their whirlwind romance.
And Meghan, 37, and Kate, 37, have repeatedly clashed, according to reports.
Kate was left in tears after Meghan’s behaviour during a fitting for Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaids dress.
And Kate reportedly gave Meghan the cold shoulder for the way that Meghan had spoken to staff, putting her foot down and saying “that’s unacceptable, they’re my staff.”
The rumour mill went into overdrive when Meghan and Harry announced in late November they would move from Kensington Palace, which they shared with Kate and William, to Frogmore Cottage, on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Ms Seward said the narrative had blamed the interloping American Meghan for the rift.
“But how much of this is Harry and how much of this is Meghan? We might be being very unfair on her. Harry … (has) always been quite stubborn,” she said.
The charity split may also reflect the different interests and obligations of the royal couples.
William and Kate, as future monarchs, have more responsibilities and restrictions than Harry and Meghan who are very unlikely to rule and have plans to be international ambassadors.
Whatever their charitable intentions, the only thing certain is that the interest in the tensions will continue.
Originally published as Harry and Meghan split from charity shared with William and Kate in latest sign of trouble
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