Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Have Delayed the Archewell Launch

london, england march 09 prince harry, duke of sussex and meghan, duchess of sussex attend the commonwealth day service 2020 on march 09, 2020 in london, england photo by samir husseinwireimage

(Image credit: Karwai Tang)

published 16 June 2020

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have postponed the launch of their upcoming nonprofit, Archewell.
The Sussexes reportedly want to focus on Black Lives Matter and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
"This is about getting it right and making sure they are able to make the difference they want to make," a royal insider said.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry (opens in new tab) have delayed their launch of their nonprofit, Archewell (opens in new tab), in order to focus their efforts on the Black Lives Matter movement and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the Telegraph reports (opens in new tab). While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex never announced a formal launch date—they told (opens in new tab) the Telegraph in April that they planned to launch "when the time [was] right"—royal insiders say the couple won't start any official Archewell projects until 2021.

The Sussexes filed official paperwork regarding Archewell (opens in new tab) in the U.S. in March, and the Telegraph subsequently reported that the charitable organization would comprise a "vast and ambitious array of projects" that could include emotional support groups, educational materials, volunteering services, and a wellbeing website. The couple told the newspaper that through Archewell—a title derived from the Greek word "arche," meaning "source of action," which also inspired son Archie Harrison's name—they hoped to "do something of meaning, to do something that matters."

"George Floyd's life mattered and Breonna Taylor's life mattered and Philando Castile's life mattered and Tamir Rice's life mattered."Duchess Meghan has shared a powerful video with @IHPandas Immaculate Heart High School’s class of 2020 for their graduation.#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/BzUmfnKICbJune 4, 2020

Following the murders of George Floyd (opens in new tab), Breonna Taylor (opens in new tab), Tony McDade (opens in new tab), David McAtee (opens in new tab), and many other Black people by police, Meghan and Harry have reportedly shifted their focus to the Black Lives Matter movement. Earlier this month, Meghan made a heartfelt speech (opens in new tab) to the graduating class of her former high school, Immaculate Heart, saying, "I realized the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing, 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 Clarke, his life mattered."

Harper's Bazaar subsequently reported that the Sussexes were meeting with "community leaders and people at every level" (opens in new tab) about Black Lives Matter, while People explained, "They are holding calls with community leaders and organizations but are doing that privately as they continue to see how they can play a role (opens in new tab). But they also want to learn and talk about it like the rest of us."

A royal insider told the Telegraph, "What’s absolutely clear is that they want to get it right and there’s no point in rushing," adding, "They are settling into a new life, a new era. This is about getting it right and making sure they are able to make the difference they want to make."

Black Lives Matter

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Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.