Meghan and Harry’s yet-to-be-launched foundation is unlikely to be tightly linked to the Crown and the Duke’s past, according to royal author Nigel Cawthorne. The royal expert, author of Prince Andrew, Epstein, Maxwell and the Palace, told Express.co.uk: “Archewell’s roots are evidently part of the American Dream: you act and your rewards will be plentiful. Meghan, after all, is American and has only lived in Britain briefly.
“She has lived that story, rising to marry her Prince.
“It is unlikely that the organisation will make much use of the couple’s royal connection apart from Harry.
“It is after all his background and his official name is still Prince Harry – not Harry Mountbatten-Windsor.”
Little is known about Archewell so far but the meaning behind its name and its purpose.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are yet to launch their foundation (Image: GETTY)
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s foundation’s website (Image: ARCHEWELL.COM)
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex opened up on their new foundation in April, after paperwork filed in its name emerged.
The couple said in a statement: “Before SussexRoyal, came the idea of ‘Arche’ – the Greek word meaning ‘source of action’.
“We connected to this concept for the charitable organisation we hoped to build one day, and it became the inspiration for our son’s name.
“To do something of meaning, to do something that matters.
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have stepped down as senior royals (Image: GETTY)
“Archewell is a name that combines an ancient word for strength and action, and another that evokes the deep resources we each must draw upon.
“We look forward to launching Archewell when the time is right.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced at the end of March, upon bowing out of their old Instagram account Sussex Royal, they would spend a few months to work behind the scenes on their new charitable organisation.
In the wake of COVID-19, the pair reached out to their patronages as well as other associations focused on mental health, such as Crisis, to learn how they were coping and how to help people struggling during the pandemic.
Meghan and Harry were later said to have “shifted their focus” on the Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are now based in the US (Image: GETTY)
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s son Archie is one year old (Image: GETTY)
Over the summer, the pair spoke up about racial inequality as well as their desire to hold “uncomfortable” conversations on the past of the Commonwealth.
Meghan also spoke extensively about voter registration ahead of the US election and continued to campaign for female empowerment by holding discussions with feminist Steinem and Nobel Peace Prize Malala Yousafzai.
More recently, the couple have publicly spoken about the importance of building a kinder and more compassionate digital world.
Earlier this month, Meghan and Harry hosted a 90-minute panel as part of the Time 100 Talks series in which they discuss with experts the dangers of misinformation, the damage of living in an online eco-chamber and how social media platforms are stoking the crisis of truth and health.
Prince Harry remains sixth-in-line to the throne (Image: EXPRESS)
The pair revealed they have realised it was necessary for them to battle for a better digital landscape in order to keep on fighting other issues – such as climate change, equal access to education or mental health.
During a one-to-one conversation at the Fortune’s Most Powerful Women summit in late September, Meghan had already spoken about the links between a healthy digital space and Archewell.
She said: “Part of our focus with the Archewell Foundation is to just ensure that we are helping foster healthy positive communities—online and off—for our collective wellbeing.
“It really just includes not contributing to or even clicking on misinformation.
“And when you know something is wrong, reporting it, talking about it, ensuring that the facts are getting out there.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry first spoke about Archewell in April (Image: GETTY)
“I think that is one clear tangible thing that everyone could be doing.”
Shortly after the virtual Time 100 Talk, Meghan and Harry unveiled a preview of the website for Archewell.
At the moment, the simple and clean web page only presents the meaning and pronunciation of the words “Arche” and “Well” and the possibility to sign up to a mailing list.
The website’s title, Building Compassionate Communities, hints at the focus of the foundation – under which the Sussexes will likely group all their interests and charitable work done so far.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex haven’t yet said when the public can expect a full launch of their foundation.
