Prince Harry hits out at 'deeply offensive' charity claim

Prince Harry is taking a stand and has called in his lawyers over ‘deeply offensive’ claims about his charitable foundation.

A campaign group has alleged that grants awarded to his charitable foundation from Prince William’s breached charity law.

The claims were made by anti-monarchy group Republic, who wrote to the Charity Commission to ask them to investigate the Royal Foundation.

The Royal Foundation conducts the charity work of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and it is alleged it breached several rules when it awarded grants to Sussex Royal and Travalyst.

Sussex Royal was the charitable foundation for Harry and Meghan, and Travalyst is Harry’s sustainable travel non-profit organisation.

However, both Prince William and Harry denied anything was wrong with the way the grants were awarded.

A spokesman for the Royal Foundation said: “The grants made to Sussex Royal were to support the charitable work of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. They were fully in line with governance requirements and were reported transparently.”

Harry has decided to go one step further and is preparing to send a legal letter to Republic.

“The Duke of Sussex has always and continues to remain deeply committed to his charitable work,” a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex’s legal team, Schillings, said.

“This is his life’s focus, and his devotion to charity is at the very core of the principles he lives by, and is obvious through the impact and success of his many charitable projects throughout the UK and beyond.

“To this point, it is deeply offensive to see false claims made about the Duke of Sussex and his charitable work. It is both defamatory and insulting to all the outstanding organisations and people he has partnered with.

“Travalyst (which was founded within Sussex Royal) is a non-profit organisation for which the duke receives no commercial or financial gain, as is the case with all of his charitable commitments. The duke has not, nor has he ever, had any personal financial interest in his charitable work. The interest has always been clear: to support others and to make a positive difference.

“Had the appropriate course of action been followed for these false allegations, it would have clearly demonstrated that anything related to Sussex Royal, Travalyst, or any of the duke’s charitable endeavours is transparent and above board. To suggest otherwise is unequivocally wrong and will be acted upon accordingly with the weight of the law.

“The avenue through which this was publicly and salaciously created only suggests a hunger for media attention as well as a shared and attacking agenda, which is neither right nor just.

“Both the Charity Commission’s own statement today, as well as that of The Royal Foundation, state there is no determination of wrongdoing here. All of the duke’s charitable activities are fully transparent as well as compliant with Charity Commission guidelines, and moreover with his own moral compass.”

Republic’s CEO Graham Smith had written to the Charity Commission to say The Royal Foundation gave a grant of £145,000 to Sussex Royal and £144,901 to a non-charitable organisation (Travalyst).

He wants both The Royal Foundation, which continues the work of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after splitting from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and the now dissolved Sussex Royal, which was the latter’s charity, investigated over “conflicts of interest, inappropriate use of funds and a lack of independence”.

“In both instances it appears the only rationale for the decision was the personal relationship between two patrons, the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge,” he said.

RELATED

• 'Held hostage': Body language expert claims Prince Harry seems 'trapped' and 'awkward'

• The Queen 'won't be pleased' over Harry's comments about 'past wrongs', expert claims

• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s million dollar move: Couple sign up with A-list agency

On Monday, a Charity Commission spokesman confirmed a complaint on this issue has been received.

“As with all concerns raised with us we will assess the information provided to determine whether or not there is a role for the commission. We have not made any determination of wrongdoing.”

With reporting by Rebecca Taylor.

Click here to sign up to our daily newsletter to get all the latest news and hacks. Or if you have a story tip, email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com.