Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been forced to speak out to set the record straight after their charity Archewell was temporarily forced to suspend all fundraising

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle “were almost hysterical” when they found out about the drama surrounding their Archewell charity, according to one royal expert.

The non-profit organisation had been forced to suspend all fundraising and spending over claims it had failed to submit its annual report and registration fees. However, an investigation has found Archewell was never out of compliance and all files and required payment were sent and delivered to the Attorney General’s Office via tracked mail and received on time. The charity’s new status has been updated to “current”.

News of the drama broke when the couple were in Nigeria to promote the Invictus Games. Royal author Tom Quinn has suggested Meghan and Harry would have panicked when the scandal was made public.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were in Nigeria when the news broke ( 
Image:
Getty Images for The Archewell Foundation)
Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, Tom said: “According to friends of the couple, Harry and Meghan were almost hysterical when they were told their charity Archewell had been banned from charitable activities for failing to pay their registration fee.

“The couple insist it was just a simple mistake and that the cheque is in the post, but however you dress it up, it looks like incompetence.” He added: “Harry and Meghan are highly sensitive about any criticism of their charitable work, especially since over the past few years at least five senior Archewell staff have resigned. One former staffer said that Meghan was a delightful person but difficult to work for unless she is allowed full control over everything: ‘She does not share power!’”

The initial scathing letter from California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, said the charity had allowed official registration fees to lapse since the beginning of May. It said the charity was then considered “not in good standing” and was restricted from undertaking activities requiring registration.

They’ve since responded to the claims ( 
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
A source close to Archewell previously spoke to The Mirror about the Archewell drama and insisted the fees were never late. The source claimed: “For whatever reason, it has not been cashed. As soon as the foundation learnt of the problem, they immediately issued another cheque. Harry and Meghan’s team hope this will quickly resolve the issue within the next week.”

A representative for AWF later told The Mirror: “We have diligently investigated the situation and can confirm that The Archewell Foundation remains fully compliant and in good standing. Due payments were made promptly and in accordance with the IRS’s processes and procedures. Furthermore, all necessary paperwork had been filed by the Foundation without error or wrongdoing.”

In a statement to The LA Times, the California attorney general’s press office said: “After being in touch with our Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, the organisation is current and in good standing.” Speaking in a press conference, California governor Gavin Newsom defended Archewell, stating: “I just want folks to know, not only are they in compliance, it was a technical paperwork issue that was wildly over-hyped.”