Prince William and Princess Catherine have taught their rivals a “lesson” when it comes to charity fundraising, it has been claimed. The Prince and Princess of Wales have become estranged from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in recent years despite hopes they would become a royal ‘Fab Four’.
After quitting royal life in 2020, Harry and Meghan’s relentless attacks on the institution left William furious. The future King is a major obstacle to any reconciliation between the family and his brother, although it is understood Kate is more keen to see the relationship mended.
With Harry and Meghan looking for build a new life in the US, both couples have a strong focus on charity work. But William’s fundraising in the past year has dwarfed that of his brother, reports the Daily Mail.
William’s Earthshot prize, established in 2019, had a total income of £23.5 million in 2023/24, according to its latest report. While only a 4% rise, the previous year’s figure included an £8.6m boost from The Royal Foundation, set up by William and Harry in 2019.
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In contrast, a total of £4.67 million was raised from all sources for Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation in the same period. Richard Eden, who writes the Eden Confidential column in The Mail, noted that Harry and Meghan had been given a “good charity lesson”.
He pointed out the two couple’s 2025 could “scarcely have begun in more starkly contrasting manner” with Kate widely praised for visiting the hospital where she underwent cancer treatment while the Sussexes were branded “ambulance chasers” for their response to the Californian wildfires. He believes the charity fundraising exposes the “ever-expanding gulf between the two couples”.
Prince William in South Africa for last year’s Earthshot prize
(Image: Getty Images)
William set up Earthshot in 2020 aiming to “turn the current pessimism surrounding environmental issues into optimism that we can rise to the biggest challenges of our time”. The Earthshot prize of £1m is dished out to five winners each year to continue their environmental work.
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