The Duke of Sussex has accused a republican campaign group of having an unjust "attacking agenda" over a complaint about royal charity finances, accusing them of "insulting" the devotion to philanthropy that is at his "very core".
The Duke has authorised his lawyers to write to Republic, after it asked the Charity Commission to look into the transfer of funds between the foundations of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
In a response issued by Schillings, the Duke's legal team said the request for investigation included "deeply offensive" and "false" claims, which they describe as "both defamatory and insulting".
The Duke is "deeply committed" to charity work, a spokesman says, calling it his "life's focus" and explaining: "His devotion to charity is at the very core of the principles he lives by."
Prince Harry said that "charity is at the very core of the principles he lives by". Photo / AP
Insisting all dealings through his charities are "transparent and above board", they added: "To suggest otherwise is unequivocally wrong and will be acted upon accordingly with the weight of the law.
"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."
Pointing out that the complaint should have been made directly to Sussex Royal or Travalyst first for a response, lawyers emphasised the Duke had received "no commercial or financial gain" from the charities, with finances fully compliant with guidelines and "moreover with his own moral compass".
Graham Smith, CEO of Republic, said the response seemed "a bit of an overreaction, really", adding he had simply referred "legitimate concerns" about finances to the Charity Commission to look into.
After receiving the complaint on Monday, the Charity Commission said it was assessing the information to determine whether it was appropriate to investigate the claims.
Republic, the anti-monarchy campaign group, had asked the commission to look into The Royal Foundation and Sussex Royal, over grants given to the Sussexes' former UK charity and Prince Harry's travel project.
The Dukes and Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussexes had previously worked together at the Royal Foundation, before Prince Harry and Meghan set up the separate Sussex Royal.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 on March 09, 2020 in London, England. Photo / Getty
The Foundation's annual report shows it paid Sussex Royal £145,000 ($278,000) to fund its set-up and launch, with a further £144,901 ($277,936) to sustainable tourism project Travalyst, which was then under the umbrella of the Sussexes' charity.
Sussex Royal has since been wound up as the couple moved to America, and Travalyst - described by their team as a "non-profit organisation" - has been registered as a private limited company.
In a letter to the commission, Republic's Graham Smith wrote: "These two charities appear to be in breach of guidelines regarding the proper use of charitable funds and may be failing in their duty to act independently and solely in the interests of their objectives."
He added of two grants given by the Royal Foundation to the Sussexes' projects: "In both instances it appears the only rationale for the decision was the personal relationship between two patrons, the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge."
On Monday, a spokesman for The Royal Foundation said: "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."
The statement in full
"The Duke of Sussex 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 throughout the UK and beyond.
"To this point, it is deeply offensive to today see false claims made about The Duke of Sussex and his charitable work. It is both defamatory and insulting to all the outstanding organisations and people he has partnered with.
"Travalyst (which was founded within Sussex Royal) is a non-profit organisation for which The Duke receives no commercial or financial gain, as is the case with all of his charitable commitments. The Duke has not, nor has he ever, had any personal financial interest in his charitable work. The interest has always been clear: to support others and to make a positive difference.
The complaint relates to the charities of the Cambridges and Sussexes. Photo / Getty
"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. To suggest otherwise is unequivocally wrong and will be acted upon accordingly with the weight of the law. 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.
"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."
