Prince Harry and Meghan Markle worked a total of 52 hours a year on their foundation, averaging out to one hour per week.
The revelation was made in 2021 tax filings from Archewell, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s nonprofit. The IRS 990 filing was recently posted on Archewell’s official website.
Royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital the admission is “totally inconsistent” with the original statement the couple made in 2021.
“They said, ‘We can all live a life of service. Service is universal,’” Fordwich explained. “One hour a week isn’t exactly ‘a life.’ There is a vast distinction between a ‘life’ of service to others versus a self-promoting and self-serving life.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced in 2020 they were stepping back as senior royals. They are currently financially independent. (Victoria Jones/AFP via Getty Images)
“The royal family indeed garners much of its respect and admiration from the public due to their focusing on the work of others while the Sussexes are clearly focused on their own issues,” Fordwich alleged. “Prior to this tax return that might be construed as an opinion. Now, the lack of time spent is a fact. Their dedication to driving dollars has clearly taken priority over any dedication to duty.”
It’s noted that one hour per week is the standard amount that nonprofits disclose for board participation. Therefore, it should be reported as such. The documents also showed that other officers for the foundation reported the same amount of working time, including Executive Director James A. Holt, Treasurer Secretary Catherine St-Laurent, President Richard Genow and Treasurer Andrew K. Meyer.
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Meghan Markle, an American actress, became the Duchess of Sussex when she married the British prince in 2018. (Mark Cuthbert/UK Press)
The couple set up the Beverly Hills-based foundation in 2020, months after they announced they were stepping back as senior royals. That year, the duke and duchess pledged they would be “financially independent.”
In 2021, their office announced that the pair “remain committed to their duty and service to the U.K. and around the world and have offered their continued support to the organizations they have represented regardless of official role.”
The Duchess and Duke of Sussex attend the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala on Dec. 6, 2022, in New York City. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala)
Kinsey Schofield, the host of the “To Di For Daily” podcast, told Fox News Digital that, in her opinion, the hours listed don’t align with the couple’s mission to put service to others at the forefront. This, she said, puts them at risk of being heavily scrutinized.
“It’s no secret that Meghan pursued a friendship with activist Gloria Steinem… and this week we discovered that Meghan is conveniently being awarded the Women of Vision Award by Steinem at the Ms. Foundation for Women gala in May,” said Schofield. “I’ve never seen two people that contribute so little to society collect so many awards.”
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“I think the one-hour work week demonstrates a lack of sincerity in their ‘life of service’ statement post-Megxit,” she shared. “We’ve seen high volumes of complaining about family drama on Netflix and in [Harry’s memoir] ‘Spare’ and very little life of service… but that doesn’t stop them from accepting awards for fighting systematic racism within the royal family… weeks before Harry denied ever accusing his family of racism.”
Since the couple stepped back and move to North America, they have developed a successful media empire. In late 2020, the couple signed a five-year $100 million contract with Netflix, Forbes reported. That same year, they signed a three-year deal with Spotify that the outlet said could be worth between $15 million to $25 million. Markle also reportedly received an advance of up to $618,000 for her children’s book “The Bench,” which was published in 2021.
Season 1 of Meghan Markle’s “Archetypes” podcast wrapped in November 2022. It’s unclear whether Spotify will launch a Season 2. (Max Mumby/Indigo)
It’s also rumored that Harry received a $20 million advance for his memoir “Spare,” which went on to become the fastest-selling nonfiction book of all time.
The couple no longer receives money from the royal family. Their ventures, the outlet shared, have an estimated value of more than $135 million.
“Archewell’s tax forms reflect what is obvious to even a casual observer,” royal expert Shannon Felton Spence told Fox News Digital. “Despite telling the world of their ambitions as philanthropists, Harry and Meghan spend their time on for-profit enterprises like docuseries and memoirs.
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Prince Harry’s memoir “Spare” was published on Jan. 10. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)
“Their words and actions do not align,” she alleged. “… They missed a major opportunity to do a big philanthropic push after publishing [Harry’s] book. That would have signaled that they were turning the page toward their new life and focused on doing good for communities across the globe.”
The documents noted that Archewell has supporters with deep pockets. The charity received a $10 million donation from one unidentified donor and $3 million from another. The foundation also received $4, 470 from public donations.
The organization has never asked the public for donations, The Telegraph reported. According to the outlet, it operates based on making partnerships and investing “millions of dollars across the nonprofit space for sustainable programs and campaigns.” About $3 million went to over 40 organizations that focused on vaccine equity, refugee settlement, relief centers and “building a better online world,” the outlet noted.
On Monday, March 27, Prince Harry made a surprise visit to his home country. He was seen at the Royal Courts Of Justice in London. (Jordan Pettitt)
As the couple faces criticism for their listed working hours, Harry has been focused on reforming the British media, which he described as his life’s work. In “Spare,” he blamed an overly aggressive press for the 1997 death of his mother and also accused the media of hounding his wife.
The prince, Elton John, and actresses Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost are among a group of seven people suing Associated Newspapers Ltd. for allegedly paying private investigators to illegally bug homes and cars and to record phone conversations. He is also suing the publisher of the Daily Mirror over allegations of phone hacking.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reside in California with their two young children.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.