Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to split from joint charity with Kate Middleton and Prince William
PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle are officially splitting off from the charity they share with Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The Royal Foundation will be divided between the Sussexes and Cambridges as the couples focus on their own separate charitable endeavours.
It comes as both couples continue to be plagued by rumours of a royal rift after Meghan and Harry moved away from Kate and Wills to Frogmore Cottage, Windsor.
Prince William and Prince Harry first established the Royal Foundation in 2009 before Kate joined two years later shortly after their engagement was announced.
The trio would often appear as a trio at events, and the Foundation had huge successes with projects like the Invictus Games for inured veterans and the mental health Heads Together campaign.
Over the years, the charity has focused on wildlife conservation and mental health as well as supporting the armed forces and young people.
WHAT IS THE ROYAL FOUNDATION
THE Royal Foundation was established in September 2009 to help Prince William and Prince Harry support their charitable ambitions.
It was intended that the Foundation would be used as the main channel of supporting their charitable grants.
Kate then joined when she became Duchess of Cambridge in 2011 and Meghan Markle became a part of it when she married Prince Harry in May 2019.
The First Royal Foundation Forum was held in Feburary 2018 with William, Catherine, Harry and Meghan Markle in attendance.
The Foundation has collaborated with two organisations to date; Fields in Trust and ARK.
Today's move is seen as the final step of the "Fab Four's" division of public duties as new parents Harry and Meghan plan to set up their own foundation.
The Royal Foundation said the decision was made following the conclusion of a review into its structure – but added both couples will continue to work together in the future.
But it will still be seen as a blow to them as they had intended to harness the star power of all four royals.
ROYAL RIFT
A statement said: "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are incredibly proud of what they have achieved together through The Royal Foundation. They are especially proud to have established a charity that has had, and will continue to have, significant long-lasting impact, changing lives for the better.
"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wish to build on The Foundation’s past successes, continuing programmes such as ‘Heads Up’, the new mental health campaign delivered in partnership with the FA, ‘United for Wildlife’ which runs a global taskforce tackling the illegal wildlife trade, and ‘Mentally Healthy Schools’ which supports teachers and staff improve child mental health.
"They are also developing new initiatives on the environment and support for children and families which The Foundation expects to announce in the coming year."
Rift rumours started when Harry and Meg left their home within the Kensington Palace estate where they were living in close proximity to Kate and Wills before they gave birth to baby Archie.
But the two brothers reportedly fell out after Prince William's concerns over Meghan Markle reportedly "went down quite badly" his brother.
Speaking to Fox News, royal author Katie Nicholl said: "William was concerned about how quickly the relationship had moved and wanted to make sure that Harry was making the right decision."
Last November, The Sun exclusively revealed that Meghan Markle "left Kate Middleton in tears" over her strict demands for Princess Charlotte's bridesmaid dress.
Meanwhile, one of Prince Harry's former friends Lizzie Cundy claimed earlier this year that Meghan Markle has pushed Prince Harry's friends out since their move to Frogmore Cottage.
More to follow…
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