Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Archewell Foundation has been declared delinquent by California's Registry of Charities and Fundraisers.
Just when it seemed their controversies couldn't worsen, they've now been associated with running a non-compliant charity. The Archewell Foundation was declared delinquent in January for failing to file its annual registration renewal fee reports or pay the renewal fee since February 2023.
What happens next? California's Attorney General, Rob Bonta, could revoke Archewell's registered status. The delinquency notice sent to the Markles is dated May 3rd and states that an organization listed as delinquent is not in good standing and is prohibited from engaging in activities requiring registration, including soliciting or dispersing charitable funds.
Apparently, the Archewell team is 43% sure that the check was unintentionally not included when the filings were made, and they have mailed a new one in hopes of swiftly resolving the problem. The "lost in the mail" excuse is being employed. Archewell's December 2023 tax filings revealed a $1 million decline in donations in 2022 compared to the previous year. To put this in context, records show that the charity received just over $2 million in donations in 2022 compared to $3 million in 2021.
Meanwhile, Meghan Markle has launched an internal investigation to find out who leaked information about Archewell becoming delinquent. This has been confirmed by multiple reports, including one from Neil Sean. Meghan reportedly took immediate action upon learning of the delinquency, interestingly not when she landed in the States, but while she was in Nigeria. If you recall, Meghan was an hour late for the Women in Leadership event. According to insider information, she was speaking with her team back in the States about the leak. Upon discovering the issue, she convened a team, including Prince Harry, to investigate what happened.
Meghan Markle has a history of handling sensitive information controversially. For example, she responded to a report about a leaked letter to King Charles and wrote a letter to her father with the expectation that it might be leaked. This habit extends to leaking information to her mouthpiece, Omid Scobie, including dropping names about who might be the "palace racist." It is ironic that the leak about Archewell feels like a taste of their own medicine. One royal fan noted that only 25% of over $30 million was donated, questioning why it took so long for American authorities to identify Archewell as a potential scam. Others pointed out that Archewell used its funds as a personal bank account rather than for charity, despite numerous notices from the attorney general.
Now, with someone from inside Archewell leaking information, Meghan is under pressure. The moment she landed in Los Angeles, it was clear she was dealing with this new shock. The Nigeria trip, which was considered successful, didn’t reflect in their demeanor upon return. Meghan and Harry were visibly stressed, overshadowing any positive PR from the trip. Neil Sean suggests that we might hear more leaks as Archewell's revolving door of staff creates opportunities for more private information to be exposed. Meghan's reputation as a bully might spur some former employees to seek revenge by leaking sensitive information. This ongoing saga is likely just the tip of the iceberg, promising more shocking news from Meghan and Harry.
