Prince Harry disputes claims of ‘conflict of interest’ after royal charity reported to watchdog

Prince Harry has taken a stand following allegations made to a charity watchdog, which accused the foundations of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge of “inappropriate use of charitable funds, conflicts of interest and lack of independence”.

Republic, an organisation that campaigns for an elected head of state, reported the foundations to the Charity Commission, claiming that Prince Harry and Meghan’s Sussex Royal charitable foundation received a six-figure sum from Prince William and Catherine’s Royal Foundation.

The group also said that Travalyst, a non-profit organisation founded within Sussex Royal, received a six-figure grant from the Royal Foundation.

In a letter sent to the Charity Commission, Republic’s chief executive Graham Smith stated that “in both instances it appears the only rationale for the decision was the personal relationship between the two patrons, the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge”.

Prince Harry has since hit back against the allegations, with his legal team branding the claims “false” and ”deeply offensive”.

A spokesperson for the 35-year-old’s legal team at law firm Schillings said that he “has always and continues to remain deeply committed to his charitable work”.

“This is his life’s focus, and his devotion to charity is at the very core of the principles he lives by, and is obvious through the impact and success of his many charitable projects through the UK and beyond,” they stated.

The spokesperson said that it is “deeply offensive to today see false claims made about the Duke of Sussex and his charitable work”, describing it as “both defamatory and insulting” to all the organisations and individuals Prince Harry has collaborated with.

They explained that the duke “receives no commercial or financial gain” from his work with Travalyst, nor through any of his charitable work.

“The duke has not, nor has he ever, had any personal financial interest in his charitable work,” they said. “The interest has always been clear: to support others and to make a positive difference.”

The spokesperson affirmed that it is “unequivocally wrong” to suggest that any of Prince Harry’s charitable work is not “transparent and above board”.

“Had the appropriate course of action been followed for these false allegations, it would have clearly demonstrated that anything related to Sussex Royal, Travalyst, or any of the Duke’s charitable endeavours is transparent and above board,” they said.

“To suggest otherwise is unequivocally wrong and will be acted upon accordingly with the weight of the law.”

They added that the allegations made against the charitable foundations indicate a “hunger for media attention” by the complainants.

“The avenue through which this was publicly and salaciously created only suggests a hunger for media attention as well as a shared and attacking agenda, which is neither right nor just,” the Schillings representative said.

“Both The Charity Commission’s own statement today, as well as that of The Royal Foundation, state there is no determination of wrongdoing here. All of The Duke’s charitable activities are fully transparent as well as compliant with Charity Commission guidelines, and moreover with his own moral compass.”

Following the report made to the Charity Commission, a spokesperson for the charity watchdog said they have “not made any determination of wrongdoing”.

“As with all concerns raised with us we will assess the information provided to determine whether or not there is a role for the commission,” they stated.

A spokesperson for the Royal Foundation released a statement regarding the aforementioned grants made by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Royal Foundation, stating: “The grants made to Sussex Royal were to support the charitable work of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

“They were fully in line with governance requirements and were reported transparently.”

A spokesperson who worked with Prince Harry and Meghan’s Sussex Royal charitable foundation said that grants made towards non-profit organisation Travalyst “are for the ongoing development of projects that will support communities, wildlife, and the environment through sustainable travel and tourism”.

“All grants have been made impartially and objectively, fully in line with governance requirements, and have been reported transparently in full accordance with regulations,” they added.

Following the release of the statements made by Schillings, the Royal Foundation and the Charity Commission, The Independent spoke to Mr Smith, CEO of the Republic campaign group.

"We're waiting to see what [Schillings] say when they write to us, because we haven't received anything from them, but we think there's sufficient grounds to raise these concerns with the charity commission. We've not drawn any conclusions, and we're happy to accept the charity commission's view on the matter."

Mr Smith added that "a heavy-handed response" from Prince Harry's legal team "seems a little bit of an overreaction", and Republic will "accept the commission's findings".

Earlier this month, it was reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had officially closed down their Sussex Royal organisation.

After stepping down as senior working members of the royal family on 31 March this year, a month later the couple unveiled details for their new non-profit organisation Archewell, which will consist of charitable work, support groups and a wellbeing website.