Prince Harry and Meghan Markle seem to be really set on carving their own path separate from that of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s. Amidst rumors of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s supposed move to the African continent, Kensington Palace has confirmed that they’ve now split from the foundation they shared with Prince William and Middleton.
New Foundation
According to the Palace, Prince William and Middleton will continue working on the Royal Foundation, now with a new name; the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The split is seen as the final step in the process of the dividing of the two royal couples’ public duties.
The said foundation was a project both brothers conceptualized in 2009. Middleton, later on, joined the endeavor in 2011 upon her receiving the Duchess of Cambridge title. Likewise, Markle became part of the foundation in May of last year upon becoming the Duchess of Sussex.
According to the foundation’s official site, its programs revolve around the following areas of concern: the armed forces community, wildlife conservation, the youth sector and mental health. Prince Harry and Markle’s new foundation remains unnamed at the moment.
According to Harper’s Bazaar, the next step for the Sussexes is to work on the outline of their own organization. It’s worth noting though that Markle is still on maternity leave until fall after giving birth to their first child, Archie, last month.
Separating Households
This recent announcement comes at the heels of the two couples’ separation of households last March. After living close to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Kensington Palace, the couple elected to start their own household at Frogmore Cottage.
This also involved the separation of the royal couples’ offices. While Prince William and Middleton retained their Kensington Palace offices, the Sussexes now keep theirs at Buckingham Palace. They even have their own Instagram account, @sussexroyal, where updates about their recent activities are regularly posted. Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge uses the Kensington Palace Instagram account.
Fab Four
The Fab Four, as the two couples have been branded, will reportedly continue to work together in the future, according to royal aides. One of the projects they’re still currently working on is the mental health-oriented ‘Heads Together‘ campaign.
The term was reportedly coined when the four royals appeared together in 2018 during the only, as of yet, the Royal Foundation forum.
During a question-and-answer portion at the event, the brothers admitted that working together has caused them to have some disagreements. However, Prince Harry clarified that these were ‘healthy disagreements’.
Rumors of a rift between the brothers have been floating around for months now with various publications putting forward different possible reasons for the misunderstanding.