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It sounds like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s charity is strapped for cash.
Even as Meghan shares her holiday special, the Archewell Foundation has laid off more than half of its staff.
Some of the changes are reportedly about money.
Others are all about rebranding.
Things sound rough at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s charity
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly trimmed down their charity down to only two employees.
According to a new report by Page Six, the Sussex pair are desperate to save cash ahead of rebranding to Archewell Philanthropies.
“Harry and Meghan have been forced to downsize the staff as it was costing them so much,” claimed an inside source.
Apparently the charity — Archewell Foundation (for now) — has been struggling with funding.
The report alleges that Harry and Meghan have spent months mulling over how to remedy the situation.
“The big question was, would Archewell close, or would another charity take it over?” the insider alleged.
“Harry and Meghan were looking to get a fiscal sponsor,” the source went on.
The insider explained that this meant “someone to take on the outgoing costs and to keep things cheap.”
However, the report then boldly characterized this as a broad deception.
According to the source: “Really, it’s all smoke and mirrors.”
The ‘good news’ is really just mitigating news
According to Page Six‘s report, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have laid off 60 percent of the Archewell charity’s staff.
The good news is that this is only three individuals.
The bad news is that layoffs suck. Especially when the economy is in absolute shambles as it is now.
Obviously, that leaves two employees.
Executive Director James Holt has been with the Sussexes since before they left royal life. Shauna Nep, Vice President of Philanthropy, is also still part of the organization.
To clarify, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan seemed to object to the suggestion that the pair are cleaning house.
“Currently, the same full team remain in place,” the spokesperson insisted.
“This move does mean that some staff redundancies are inevitable,” the statement continued.
The spokesperson acknowledged that this is true “particularly with junior admin roles.”
We are talking about a team of five individuals that is now a team of two individuals. However you portray it, it sounds like a shakeup.
Can rebranding save their altruistic efforts?
In 2024, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Foundation paid out $1.25 million in grants.
However, expenses are up, and donations to the charitable organization have dropped in recent years.
(That could mean everything from tightened purse strings amidst this year’s economic downturn to a side effect of the ongoing smear campaign against the Sussexes)
“If they’re shooting out grants, then that’s a net loss and they’re not bringing in that much money,” the inside source reasoned.
Perhaps rebranding will help. After all, it worked wonders for Meghan’s As Ever brand.
Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Lay Off Staff Just Before Christmas was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.