Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell empire is back in the spotlight and this time, it’s the numbers that do the talking.
The new financial documents for 2024 paint a messy picture behind the glossy name change to “Archewell Philanthropies,” with donations plummeting, vague spending exploding and end-of-year obligations ballooning in a way that has left charity observers openly perplexed.
Contributions have fallen sharply, from around £3.96 million in 2023 to just £1.57 million in 2024.
Insiders pointed out that almost the entire year appears to hinge on a single $2 million donation funneled through the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which critics say is linked to the same mystery donor who quietly funneled £7.5 million to Archewell in 2021.
Despite the drop in cash, grants have remained stubbornly stable at around £975,000, with the Sussexes’ favorite causes still well-fed.
The biggest share went to the “Welcome Project”, split between a dozen groups, while major checks included £112,000 to Screen Sanity for online safety, £94,000 to the NAACP and £75,000 to the Hopelab Foundation.
Notably missing this year was Ashley Biden’s wellness project, which had previously benefited from Archewell’s largesse.
Where things get really spicy is expenses. Employee salaries remained extremely high for a charity of this size, with senior executives pocketing six-figure salaries, even as reports circulated that staff had been quietly let go during the rebranding.
By the end of 2024, Archewell’s liabilities had increased by more than £600,000 compared to the previous year.
While the foundation insists everything is above reproach, watchdogs note that the foundation still crosses the threshold requiring it to file public returns with the IRS.
With Prince Harry and Meghan preaching transparency and compassion, Archewell’s latest figures seem less like a fairy tale and more like a financial cliffhanger.
