Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Are Shutting Down Their UK Charity

In another clear sign that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry intend to make the United States their permanent home, the couple filed documents today (opens in new tab) to shut down their UK-based nonprofit. The nonprofit, known as Sussex Royal until the couple stepped down from the senior royal family in early 2020, changed its name last year to MWX Trading, though it's not clear what the MWX stands for—potentially Markle (for Meghan), Windsor (for Harry), and something to represent X.

Documents filed with Companies House show that the couple have appointed a liquidator to supervise the winding down of the nonprofit. The same documents show that the couple formally request to shut down the charity on May 4, 2021. It's another indication that Meghan and Harry intend to make California their permanent home and not return to the United Kingdom to continue their mission-driven work.

During the couple's interview with Oprah this spring, Harry explained that he has come to love California. "To have outdoor space where I can go for walks with Archie and we go for walks as a family and with the dogs. You know, we go on hikes or go down to the beach, which is so close," he said, adding that he thought their lifestyle benefitted their son, Archie. (Meghan is currently pregnant with their second child, a girl.)

While Meghan and Harry have made clear that they plan to continue their compassion-focused work—the first trailer for Harry's The Me You Can't See series, in collaboration with Oprah, came out this week—the winding down of their UK charity strongly suggests that that work will be based in the United States.

Speaking on Dax Shepherd's Armchair Expert podcast (opens in new tab) this week, Prince Harry said: “Once I started doing therapy it was like the bubble was burst. I plucked my head out of the sand and gave it a good shake off and I was like, you're in this position of privilege, stop complaining and stop thinking you want something different, make this different, because you can't get out. How are you going to do these things differently, how are you going to make your mum proud and use this platform to really affect change.”