Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s ‘delinquent’ Archewell Foundation scrambles to fix royal mess

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Foundation is back in Californian authorities’ good books after being declared “delinquent” over failing to submit annual registration payments to the State’s non-profit registry.

The Archewell Foundation was ordered to stop raising or spending money after the Sussexes failed to submit annual reports and/or official registration fees for their charity to the Registry of Charities and Fundraisers since at least the beginning of May.

California’s attorney general Rob Bonta issued an official Delinquency Notice on May 3, which said the charity was “not in good standing and is prohibited from engaging in conduct for which registration is required, including soliciting or disbursing charitable funds”.

The official letter, which was shared to Reddit, warned the organisation may be subject to penalties and its registration “may be suspended or revoked” by the Registry.

Registration fees for an organisation with revenue between US$1 and $5 million are US$400 — Archewell reported raising $2,00,911 in 2022.

The foundation must submit records to show why the payment is late, and may need to pay late fees.

A spokesperson for the Archewell Foundation later told Page Six the charity made amends and is now “fully compliant and in good standing” with California’s Department of Justice after an investigation into the matter.

“Due payments were made promptly and in accordance with the IRS’s processes and procedures. Furthermore, all necessary paperwork had been filed by the Foundation without error or wrongdoing,” a spokesperson said.

The tabloid reports the paperwork was filed and up to $200 was paid to the Registry, excluding any late fees.

It was reported the foundation allegedly did not file its 2022 tax return or pay a bill on time — but the UK’s Telegraph newspaper reported the documents were filed and the cheque posted, but it never arrived.

The Sussexes’ team was reportedly not informed that the cheque failed to arrive until it received the attorney general’s May 3 notice.

The couple set up The Archewell Foundation after quitting their senior royal roles and moving to the United States in March 2020.

The foundation includes a non-profit charitable foundation, as well as for-profit media enterprises Archewell Audio and Archewell Productions.

Tax filings for 2022 published last year showed Archewell had holdings of US$11 million and made donations to a number of projects promoting gender justice, civil rights, and technology. It also donated to the Halo Trust, a mine-clearing charity once supported by Princess Diana, the BBC reports.