There are many words that can describe Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. But perhaps the most accurate word is “surprising.”
They surprised the world with their decision to step down as senior royals and start a new life. And since they came to the United States, many have asked a simple question: what are they going to do?
While the couple has worked on many different projects, their newest endeavor has an ambitiously altruistic goal: Healing communities after major disasters!
Climate disaster relief
Harry and Meghan’s project was announced by the World Central Kitchen, an organization that helps feed communities after natural disasters.
“WCK, in its joint philanthropic partnership with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s nonprofit Archewell Foundation, is developing a series of four Community Relief Centers in regions of the world prone to climate disasters,” the organization said in a statement.
What will these centers do? According to the WCK, centers will offer “relief and resilience” to those affected by disasters. And they will give these communities the “healing and strength” they so desperately need.
And we know they mean business. The WCK points out that “construction of the first of four centers in the Caribbean Commonwealth of Dominica is now complete.” This is important because Dominica has historically suffered from volcanos and hurricanes. The next Community Relief Center will be built in Puerto Rico.
It’s an important project, and the involvement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will help the WCK to achieve their full potential in this matter.
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Secrets of the Archewell Foundation
As you may have noticed, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle aren’t helping the WCK out by themselves. Instead, they are doing so via the Archewell Foundation. But what do we know about this particular foundation?
Archewell Inc. was begun by Harry and Meghan in 2020. And the mission of this nonprofit organization is right there in the name. It comes from “Arche” (a Greek word meaning “source of action”) and the English word “well.” In other words, this organization will take direct action in order to improve the lives of others.
To this end, the organization is split into three divisions. The Archewell Foundation takes action on the ground to help out communities (which is what is happening with the WCK). Meanwhile, Archewell Productions focuses on multimedia content with partners such as Netflix. And Archewell Audio focuses on podcasts and other shows via partners such as Spotify.
The long road of ‘Megxit’
We have no doubt that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle feel a sense of compassion and charity. But as a side benefit, all of these philanthropic decisions help to change the ongoing narrative around the couple.
After all, one of the primary reasons for “Megxit” (the cheeky name for Harry and Meghan’s departure from the UK) was to get away from the British press. Harry recently confided to James Corden that the British press “was destroying my mental health.” And last month, Meghan Markle won her long-running lawsuit against The Mail on Sunday for publishing excerpts of a private letter she wrote to her father.
In other words, these two have spent years navigating a world of negative headlines and toxic press. By pouring their hearts and souls into projects like Archewell, they can effectively transform their perception in the eyes of the press.
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Royal duty: still on the clock?
In a post-Megxit world, most people assume that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have fully left their royal duties behind. But this is an idea that Harry takes particular exception to.
On the topic of walking away from royal duties, Harry was quite clear in his interview with James Corden. “We never walked away. And as far as I’m concerned, whatever decisions are made on that side, I will never walk away.” And to Harry, some of his recent decisions are directly in line with his royal duties. “I will always be contributing, but my life is public service, so wherever I am in the world, it’s going to be the same thing.”
So to these young royals, Archewell and their philanthropic endeavors are not simply a matter of starting a new life. Instead, helping out with organizations like the WCK is a way of fulfilling some of their old duties in an entirely new way.
British royalty, American celebrity
If Prince Harry and Meghan Markle want to change how people view them, they are just getting started. In fact, the WCK project is just the tip of the iceberg for these two!
Back in September 2020, Harry and Meghan inked a deal with Netflix. In the coming years, Harry and Meghan (with the help of Archewell Productions) will be creating various movies, documentaries, and even children’s shows for Netflix.
The young couple has set out to do nothing less than change the world. And with worldwide philanthropic efforts and a full-court media press, it looks like they are well on their way to making their mark on the world in a way that none of us could have foreseen just a few years ago.
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