Archewell tax filing says Meghan, Harry worked just one hour a week

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry vowed to become “financially independent” after abandoning working royal duties — but how much labor are they actually putting in?

In January 2020, Meghan and Harry infamously announced that stepping down from “The Firm” would “provide our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.”

However, recently released tax documents for their Archewell Foundation report that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex hit the charitable grind just one documented hour a week in 2021.

The nonprofit’s public IRS 990 filing, posted to Archewell’s official website, also revealed that the Beverly Hills-based organization raised just over $13 million from donors — with $10 million coming from one exceedingly generous private benefactor.

Reps for the Archewell Foundation declined to comment — but an insider told The Post that reports of H&M “hardly working,” paired with “standard” tax docs, fail to paint a factual “full picture” of the work being accomplished by the duo’s charity.

Archewell reported dispersing more than $3 million in grants to various refugee resettlement charities and and initiatives distributing millions of COVID-19 vaccines.

Around $4,500 in public donations and an estimated $1,190 was also was accrued from “investment income,” the docs stated, while the foundation paid out $163,085 in salaries.


Meghan and Harry worked 1 hour a week
Tax documents for their nonprofit Archewell Foundation report that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex hit the charitable grind just one documented hour a week in 2021.
NY Post composite/Getty Images

The couple do not take salaries from the nonprofit foundation — but make double-digit millions from Archewell's multiple for-profit endeavors.
The couple do not take salaries from the nonprofit foundation — but make double-digit millions from Archewell’s multiple for-profit endeavors.
AFP via Getty Images

The former “Suits” actress, 41, and Harry, 38, don’t take a paycheck from the nonprofit Archewell Foundation — but their CEO James Holt received a yearly salary of $59,846 and $3,832 in other benefits. (Note: Both Prince Harry and Meghan Markle make millions from Archewell’s “mix of for-profit” endeavors, but more on that later.)

As the Duke and Duchess transitioned from the UK to the US and set up Archewell, Holt first joined the board of the non-profit without compensation, according to sources, before later assuming the role of CEO/executive director. The source told The Post that 2022 IRS 990 filings would likely reflect a broader scope of Holt’s full salary and expanded work hours.

Meanwhile, there have been multiple reports about staff turnover at Archewell, including the high-profile exits of two major executives.


Meghan Markle
The duo’s Archewell Foundation was founded in 2020. Tax records note that Archewell’s core mission is to “uplift and unite communities — local and global, online and offline — one act of compassion at a time.”
ZUMAPRESS.com

Harry and Meghan's tax documents
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s tax documents.

The Archewell Foundation mission statement is included in the public IRS 990 filing.
The Archewell Foundation mission statement is included in the public IRS 990 filing.

The tax docs report at least three staff members are still working — CEO Holt, an admin assistant and a delivery program manager.

Two other salaries were also noted, with $40,867 allotted to “program service” and $22,811 listed for “management and general expenses.”

A medley of other expenses were also reported in the tax filings, including $427,110 in legal fees, $69,042 for conferences, conventions and meetings, as well as $12,096 for travel costs.

The tax record also noted that Archewell’s core mission is to “uplift and unite communities — local and global, online and offline — one act of compassion at a time.”

“Archewell Foundation believes that compassion is the defining cultural force of the 21st century and, through its work, Archewell Foundation supports a growing community of partner organizations fueling systemic cultural change,” the memo continued.

“Archewell Foundation listens to people and their communities, helps them tell their stories, puts real action behind its words, and spotlights a new generation of leadership,” the file said.


Markle has undertaken other business endeavors such as hosting a podcast and possibly relaunching her old lifestyle blog, "The Tig."
Markle has undertaken other business endeavors such as hosting a podcast and possibly relaunching her old lifestyle blog, “The Tig.”
Archewell

The charity declared in its impact report, released in January, that they funded 12.66 million COVID-19 vaccines around the globe.

Archwell also reported working with the Global Citizen charity and donated funds to foundations helping Ukrainian and Afghan refugees.

Beyond their 1-hour-per-week gigs

Markle and Harry’s many paid work endeavors include the Invictus Games founder’s record-setting memoir “Spare,” and the Los Angeles native’s Spotify podcast “Archetypes.”

Penguin Random House reportedly purchased the bombshell book for $20 million and Markle’s podcast — part of a reported $15 to $18 million deal with Spotify — might be returning for a second season soon.

The couple also closed a deal with Netflix — including their jaw-dropping docuseries “Harry & Meghan” — which reportedly paid them an estimated $100 million.

Next up: Markle is rumored to be in the process of resurrecting her pre-Harry lifestyle blog, the Tig, in the near future.

According to a document filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office and seen by The Post, a potentially rebooted version of the website would consist of articles and interviews about a variety of topics.

Pieces about “food, cooking, recipes, travel, relationships, fashion, style, interior design, lifestyle, the arts, culture, design, conscious living, health and wellness” would fill the blog’s content, according to the doc.