Make way, make way, for the new Royal Foundation of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
On Wednesday night, royal correspondent Emily Andrews of The Sun revealed that Buckingham Palace had filed a certificate of incorporation for a private limited company, the new royal foundation for Meghan and Harry, that's to be called "Sussex Royal."
The full name is actually “Sussex Royal The Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex." But, uh, that's a mouthful. So let's just stick with Sussex Royal, shall we? Royal fans will recognize the new name: It's the same as Meghan and Harry's Instagram handle.
The new registration filing for the foundation also revealed the charity's four directors: Meghan and Harry (of course) plus their communications secretary, Sara Latham, and former Royal Foundation staffer Natalie Campbell, who will serve as the new CEO.
And the official documents stated that the first initiative of the Sussex Royal Foundation will be focused on environmental conservation and community, for which Disney has already made a generous donation.
ICYMI: Prince Harry and Markle attended The Lion King U.K. premiere on Sunday on behalf of Harry's environmental work in Africa (and, yeah, met and hugged Beyoncé and Jay-Z). The couple, along with their 2-month-old baby Archie, will travel to the continent this fall and embark on their first royal tour as a family of three. They're expected to make a big announcement about their new foundation's charitable initiatives during this trip. (At Sunday's premiere, the royal couple revealed that Walt Disney Co.'s Protect the Pride campaign, which helps lion conservation in Africa, made the first donation to their as-yet-unrevealed initiative.)
But why is this a big deal, you ask? In June, the Sussexes officially called it quits with the Cambridges when it comes to the couples' shared professional responsibilities. Kensington Palace announced that the Fab Four were splitting from The Royal Foundation, a joint charity they shared with Kate Middleton and Prince William. The two couples have headed up the venture since Markle joined the royal family upon her marriage to Harry. Before that, the Royal Foundation was led by Harry and William, with Kate added when she married William in 2011.
Harry and Meghan wanted to start their own charity foundation that would be separate from Will and Kate's Royal Foundation, hence this new foundation announcement, titled "Sussex Royal."
But don't cry "royal rift!" just yet. Back in the spring, the palace said these changes were designed to "complement the work and responsibilities of Their Royal Highnesses as they prepare for their future roles, and to better align their charitable activity with their new households." Basically, it means since Will and Kate will one day sit on the throne, they need to be focused on projects that will align their interests with the sovereignty. Meghan and Harry, on the other hand, will (likely) never be king and queen (or even come close), so they should be able to focus on projects that are nearer and dearer to the Sussexes' hearts.
A royal tour, a new foundation and loads of fabulous outfit changes? This fall is already shaping up to be the biggest royal to-do of the century.
