How Prince Harry Is Further Distancing Himself From The Royal Family
A lot has changed for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle since they decided in January 2020 to leave behind their roles as senior royals. Fully embracing their new lives, they moved to Canada and then Los Angeles, found new jobs, and reportedly made friends with their famous neighbors. But just when you thought the Duke of Sussex couldn't get any more removed from royal life, he made another choice that further distances himself from his family. This time around, the shakeup has to do with his charities.
In the same way that humanitarian causes were a key part of Princess Diana's life, charity work and good-will endeavors are important to Harry and Meghan. In April 2020, for instance, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced the formation of a non-profit organization named Archewell, which was inspired by their son, Archie.
Although charity work is still essential to Harry, his activism looks a bit different now that he's no longer operating on behalf of the British royals. Case in point: In June 2020, one of his beloved charities cut ties with a foundation linked to his brother and sister-in-law, Prince William and Kate Middleton. Given the rumors of discord between Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, it makes sense supporters are speculating about what this development could mean.
Prince Harry's foundation underwent a change
In 2012, Prince Harry founded the Endeavour Fund, a charity that supports "wounded, injured, and sick service personnel and veterans" and helps them "re-engage with sport or adventurous challenge after sustaining injury or falling ill during their time in the military," per its website. It also helped establish and fund the original Invictus Games in 2014, an "international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick Service personnel," the royal family's website states. The Invictus Games Foundation was founded soon after, and Harry serves as one of the organization's patrons.
The Endeavour Fund originally existed within the Royal Foundation (an organization created by Harry and Prince William in 2009), but that has since changed as of June 2020.
"Delighted to announce that the @EndeavourFund has been transferred to a new home within [The Invictus Games Foundation]!" the Fund tweeted on June 1, 2020.
The Invictus Games Twitter account shared the same message, adding, "#InvictusGames alumnus [David Wiseman] has led the @EndeavourFund from the start, and says it 'will evolve in its new home & in the new post-COVID environment but what will not change is support for recovery, rehabilitation & growth through the power of sport & adventurous challenge.'"
Although it's great that the Endeavour Fund will continue to support those involved with its efforts, we have to wonder why this choice was made and what it means for Harry's relationship with the royal family.
Prince Harry's decision makes a lot of sense
Although Prince Harry was ready and willing to leave behind his life as a senior royal, he had no intention of ditching his charity work, which includes both the Endeavour Fund and Invictus Games. In fact, Harry's decision to remove the Endeavour Fund from The Royal Foundation may have less to do with his relationship with Prince William and Kate Middleton and more to do with his involvement with the projects that mean a lot to him.
It turns out that "part of the agreement [of] Harry and Meghan's royal exit was that they would no longer be patrons for charities with the umbrella organization, The Royal Foundation," according to Cafe Mom. That means that Harry was no longer allowed to work with anything involved with the Foundation, including the Endeavour Fund. For Harry to be "able to stay in charge of his own foundation," he had to move it away from Will and Kate's organization.
Harry's decision might not have been motivated by the status of his relationship with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, but that doesn't mean it won't potentially affect the allegedly sticky situation.
Does this move hurt Prince Harry's relationship with his family?
It's pretty difficult to figure out what's truly going on with the royal family and whether the reports of feuds between Prince Harry and Prince William, as well as Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton, are accurate. However, it's clear that Harry's charitable work will no longer be tied to the royal family's, which means that he's continuing to establish a new life for himself.
What's more? This change was bound to happen, as a source told People, "A review of The Royal Foundation is something that had previously been announced. This is part of [the couples'] diverging paths, which hastened a look at the foundation."
There may be valid reasons behind the split, but the fact is, leaving The Royal Foundation only "deepens the divide between Prince Harry and his family," Cafe Mom noted. "Many of their organizations worked together to garner more support, but now they are completely separate."
Although Harry is no longer working alongside the royal family, his supporters can rest assured he remains committed to his beloved causes.