SINCE stepping back as senior royals, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are now launching their own non-profit foundation, Archewell.
But what is the couple’s big new venture and what can we expect from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex?
Read our Meghan and Harry live blog for the latest news...
What is the Archewell Foundation?
Meghan and Harry have created a non-profit organisation called Archewell, as their big venture post-royal duties.
The non-profit aims to offer “classes, lectures, seminars, conferences, workshops, and retreats on a variety of topics,” run a mentoring scheme, or conduct and host “events and exhibitions for cultural, sporting, health, mental health and entertainment purposes.”
The website launched on New Years Eve 2020 and couple included sweet black-and-white photos of them with their mothers as they called for “compassion” in an open letter.
It also has the potential to self-publish articles, magazines, books, music, podcasts, television shows, and computer software.
Meghan and Harry confirmed plans for their charity last April and said they “look forward” to getting back to work after ditching their Sussex Royal brand.
After just one year of working for the Duke and Duchess, it was revealed today that Archewell’s director Catherine St-Laurent has already stepped down.
Where does the name Archewell come from?
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed Arche, the Greek word meaning source of action, was also the inspiration behind the name of their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, who turned one on May 6.
“We connected to this concept for the charitable organization we hoped to build one day, and it became the inspiration for our son’s name,” they told The Daily Telegraph. “To do something of meaning, to do something that matters.
“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.”
When did Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s charity launch?
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their plans to launch their non-profit in early 2020 – but postponed the launch until late December as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
They previously told the Daily Telegraph: “We look forward to launching Archewell when the time is right.”
Describing how a public launch was “off the cards” in the summer of 2020, a source said: “What’s absolutely clear is that they want to get it right and there’s no point in rushing.
“They are settling into a new life, a new era. This is about getting it right and making sure they are able to make the difference they want to make.”
Why was the Archewell trademark rejected?
In June 2020, it was reported Meghan and Harry’s Archewell trademark application for their ambitious non-profit was rejected.
The former royals didn’t sign the application, it was “too vague” and they didn’t pay all the fees required.
An examiner was assigned to review their application on May 26 and they have since been sent an ‘Irregularity Notice’ by the USPTO addressing a catalog of errors, including the vague nature of their plans, according to documents.
The Notice features a number of changes which need to be made by the couple’s attorney, Marjorie Witter Norman, by August 22 – otherwise the application will become “abandoned”.
The Celeb Report understands even the most diligently drafted trademark application may be initially rejected by the USPTO, with one in five failing their first examination.
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