Not having it. Prince Harry fired back after an anti-monarchy campaign called into question his use of royal funds.
Newsweek reported on Monday, July 20, that the campaign, Republic, asked the U.K. Charity Commission to investigate $366,000 of funds that moved between The Royal Foundation, which Harry launched in 2009 with brother Prince William before stepping away last year, and two of the Duke of Sussex’s other projects, Sussex Royal and Travalyst.
“The Duke of Sussex has always and continues to remain deeply committed to his charitable work. This is his life’s focus, and his devotion to charity is at the very core of the principles he lives by and is obvious through the impact and success of his many charitable projects throughout the U.K. and beyond,” Harry’s rep said in a statement to the magazine in response to the allegations.
“To this point, it is deeply offensive to today see false claims made about the Duke of Sussex and his charitable work,” the statement continued. “It is both defamatory and insulting to all the outstanding organizations and people he has partnered with.”
The prince, 35, launched Sussex Royal with his wife, Meghan Markle, before they formally stepped down as senior members of the British royal family at the end of March. The couple, who share 14-month-old son Archie, shut down the charity earlier this month after moving from London to Los Angeles. Travalyst, meanwhile, launched in September 2019 and aims to make tourism more environmentally friendly.
“Travalyst (which was founded within Sussex Royal) is a nonprofit organization for which the duke receives no commercial or financial gain, as is the case with all of his charitable commitments,” Harry’s rep said in Monday’s statement. “The duke has not, nor has he ever, had any personal financial interest in his charitable work.”
Spokespeople for The Royal Foundation and Sussex Royal also released statements to Newsweek on Monday to insist that the grants “were fully in line with governance requirements.”
Harry and William’s relationship has been rocky since the youngest son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana exited the royal family. A source exclusively told Us Weekly in June that Harry’s move to the U.S. “breaks William’s heart,” but the brothers hope to one day “work it out.”
