Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Sussex Royal foundation did NOT breach charity law, review finds

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MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry’s Sussex Royal foundation did not breach charity law, a review has found.

The Charity Commission concluded the transfer of funds to the Duke of Sussex’s Travalyst organisation was in line with the rules – with the couple saying this “confirmed what we knew from the start”.

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Sussex Royal foundation did not breach charity law, a review has found

Meghan and Harry shared a statement via their friend Omid Scobie, who penned Megxit biography Finding Freedom.

It read: “We are pleased that the Charity Commission has confirmed what we knew from the start: that MWX Foundation, formerly Sussex Royal, complied fully with UK charity law in its handling and transferring of funds and grants.

“Today’s update provides complete closure to this review and ultimately underscores both the legitimacy of the former charity and the baselessness of the claims against it.”

The regulator found that the transfer of funds to MWX – which was formerly Sussex Royal: The Foundation – was in line with the governing document of the Royal Foundation and allowed under charity law.

It also found that the transfer of funds by MWX to not-for-profit sustainable travel organisation Travalyst was lawful.

The Commission further found that Travalyst could receive charitable funds for the promotion of sustainable travel only, which is a charitable activity in law, and there was no evidence to suggest that any conflicts of interest between MWX and Travalyst were managed inappropriately.

The charity was investigated after Republic, which campaigns for an elected head of state, reported the Sussexes and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s foundations to the Commission for alleged “inappropriate use of charitable funds, conflicts of interest and lack of independence”.

Republic has issued a lengthy apology on its website.

It says that it “falsely claimed” the transfer of funds was improper and likely to be unlawful, and that it failed to contact the Royal Foundation or Sussex Royal before going to the Commission and the media.

The pressure group said: “If we had contacted the organisations directly, we accept we would have realised quickly that there was nothing improper in their operations.

“The Charity Commission has now concluded its review and found that all activities of the charities were lawful and proper.

“We apologise unreservedly to the charities and personally to the Duke of Sussex for our actions and the public damage that has been caused as a result of widely publicised untrue claims.”