From intrusive media attention during their family’s L.A. stay to the global press around Jessica Mulroney, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have had their hands full lately.
Not even their shared love for philanthropy work is going smoothly, as the couple’s highly anticipated charity has hit a minor snag. The Sun and Yahoo UK report that their Archewell trademark application was recently rejected for being “too vague” and missing several key components, like their signatures.
Named after their son Archie and referencing the Greek word for “source of action,” the paperwork for Archewell was filed in March. The Telegraph detailed the non-profit’s charitable services as wide-ranging, from emotional support groups to multimedia resources; it would also sell “goods and services.”
Apparently, the Sussex royals needed to be more specific, as Yahoo UK reveals that an attorney ruled their application was “indefinite and too broad.” What’s more, the couple didn’t pay the application fee and hadn’t signed it either.
This may sound like a blow to the charity’s launch — still postponed until next year as the couple focuses on supporting COVID-19 relief and Black Lives Matter — but is a fairly mundane problem.
“This is part of the normal back-and-forth of the trademarking process,” a source told Yahoo UK.
What the Sussex royals are up to
Although the Archewell project is officially on hiatus, Harry and Meghan have kept supporting causes close to their heart.
Meghan recently spoke on anti-Black racial injustice and police brutality, in a virtual graduation speech to Immaculate Heart High School and Middle School.
“Because George Floyd’s life mattered, and Breonna Taylor’s life mattered, and Philando Castile’s life mattered, and Tamir Rice’s life mattered, and so did so many other people whose names we know and whose names we do not know. Stephon Clark. His life mattered,” she told graduates.
Watch: Meghan Markle says George Floyd’s life mattered. Story continues below.
The Duke of Sussex has also kept busy, by raising morale for the Invictus Games Foundation. While the annual games are cancelled due to the pandemic, he joined a webinar centred around the resilience of wounded and disabled veterans.
“I hope that all the nations, competitors and family and friends are coping well to support each other during this time, and I know you’ll be showing that resilience that is so central to the Invictus community,” he told athletes. “I hope this conversation will be the first of many, and I am really looking forward to a time when we can come together again.”
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