It’s their eagerly awaited new charitable foundation, but Harry and Meghan’s Archewell apparently won’t be getting a high profile launch this summer.
While the Covid pandemic is partly to blame, the couple have told their team they want to take their time getting the organization “right” and won’t be doing a high profile launch.
The organization will be the backbone of the couple’s philanthropic work, and the work the Sussexes are currently involved with reflects the work Archewell will do in the future.
“They are in no hurry to launch Archewell , they want to get it right, that’s really important to them,” said a source. “This is something that they want to do for the rest of their lives so they’re not going to be pressured into launching something that’s still in the relatively early stages of development.”
The couple are currently focused on the Black Lives Matter movement, and last week visited Homeboy Industries to learn about their gang intervention and rehabilitation programs. This weekend it emerged that the couple have also been involved with the Stop Hate for Profit campaign to pressure Facebook to block hate speech on its platform.
“Everything they’re doing at the moment is part of Archewell,” a source said. “Whether Covid, BLM or their ongoing charity work, it’s all part of how they’re working on Archewell and developing their work and focus going forward. Their team have been working on hate speech issues, and tech-for-good behind the scenes since the beginning of the year. It was the focus of their visit to Stanford in February.”
The Sussexes were prematurely forced to announce details about Archewell, named in honor of their son Archie, after trademark documents were leaked to the Daily Telegraph in April.
As Meghan and Harry cautiously think through their next plans, the new royal book Royals At War revisiting claims that Meghan drove palace staff “to distraction” by rushing into supporting projects without properly thinking things through, and “without proper research.”
Sources close to the Sussexes say the book is based on rumour rather than fact, but it is no secret that Meghan clashed with some palace officials. Soon after marrying into the royal family reports emerged about the duchess’s habit of sending 5 a.m. emails, which allegedly earned her the nickname “Hurricane Meghan.” Palace staff complained that they were unable to keep up with the new royal’s pace.
According to one senior palace source, while Meghan’s drive was commended by some, she was urged to slow down by experienced courtiers concerned that she was taking on too much.
Even Michelle Obama urged Meghan to take her time, and when asked what advice she had for the new Duchess in an interview the former First Lady and friend of Prince Harry said, “One of my biggest pieces of advice would be to take some time and don’t be in a hurry to do anything.”
Meghan continued to work hard, however, and after taking on a handful of patronages she worked around the clock even during her pregnancy. She even worked through most of her maternity leave, editing the September issue of British Vogue and working on a clothing line for the charity Smart Works.
“You can say what you want about Meghan, but she works incredibly hard,” said a source who has worked with the Sussexes. “The problem is she and Harry have a tendency to hatch big projects over dinner and expect them to be actioned within days. Meghan had brilliant ideas, but she was always in a hurry and aides had to sit down and explain that foundations and big projects take thought, time and commitment, they cannot be rushed.”