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The royal family

Omid Scobie Endgame PART 5

1000 replies

Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar · 11/12/2023 10:56

A continuing civilised and enjoyable discussion of all things relating to Endgame. Please keep posts on topic - I do not want to have to invoke Ross Gellar again!

Previous thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_royal_family/4957618-omid-scobie-endgame-part-4?page=1

Omid Scobie Endgame PART 4 | Mumsnet

Continuing an enjoyable and civilised discussion of Endgame, and all things relating to its contents. Previous thread: [[https://www.mumsnet.com/ta...

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_royal_family/4957618-omid-scobie-endgame-part-4?page=1

OP posts:
Thread gallery
40
thebellagio · 12/12/2023 14:52

Last year there were only two major donors giving around $1million (£795,210) each. The year before an unidentified wealthy donor gave them $10million but there was no repeat this year.

I wonder if one donor was called Meghan, the other called Harry....

Fluffypuppy1 · 12/12/2023 14:56

IIRC Archewell is registered in Delaware, where foundations are tax exempt, and only 5% of the money raised has to be donated to charity. The other 95% can be spent on salaries, including salaries for founders, and expenses too. Which may explain how they fund their expensive clothes, private planes etc. Any trip which involves Archewell business can be charged to foundation business expenses.

If you google Kerry Kennedy, who gave M&H their fighting racism award, she takes a salary of £500,000 pa as president of her nonprofit foundation.

Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar · 12/12/2023 14:58

IMO, this comes back yet again to the misunderstanding of the American PR people working with H&M who really don't understand that the role of the Royal family is to shine a light on good causes, and raise the profile of charities/community groups. It's about those charities raising the profile of the royal family.

@thebellagio is this because so much US based "celebrity" philanthropy is in effect "pay to play". Stars basically paying to appear for a charity, with the primary aim of raising their own profile not particularly the charity's profile. I wondered whether the One World Vision (I think that's their name) stuff MM did in the year proceeding her relationship with Harry, the one with the Diana-esque photos, was that sort of event. Wasn't the veterans' gym event that type of thing, and also one of the awards they received - effectively paid for?

OP posts:
Sisterpita · 12/12/2023 15:01

Lunde · 12/12/2023 11:50

I think that the Duchy of Cornwall has assets of a billion - but that is not the same thing as income and I don't think he can sell the Duchy.

I have read that Charles had an income of around £20-22 million a year but there would also be costs although it is obviously a lot of money. In 2019/20 the then Prince Charles paid over £5 million - or a quarter of his income - to pay for the official duties and some private expenses of the (then) Cambridges and Sussexes.

Harry and Meghan could have easily made these sums if they had produced better content for Spotify and Netflix.

Edited

@Lunde both the Duchy of Cornwall (PoW) and Duchy of Lancaster (KC) are centuries old and were specifically set up to provide the PoW and King/Queen with an income.

However, there are a lot of rules about how they operate and part of that is the PoW/King/Queen can draw an income but they can only manage the assets. They can “sell assets” but they must be reinvested in the Duchy. This approach preserves the assets and the income they generate for future generations.

So whilst they don’t personally own the Duchy’s the income generated enables them to fund not only their immediate families but also the wider family.

I still don’t know if Harry really understood how the funding worked in terms of Charles using the Duchy of Cornwall income to support him and William by paying for their offices, staff, housing, transport and an allowance etc. I think this is why suddenly losing the allowance was a real shock to him.

Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar · 12/12/2023 15:01

Fluffypuppy1 · 12/12/2023 14:56

IIRC Archewell is registered in Delaware, where foundations are tax exempt, and only 5% of the money raised has to be donated to charity. The other 95% can be spent on salaries, including salaries for founders, and expenses too. Which may explain how they fund their expensive clothes, private planes etc. Any trip which involves Archewell business can be charged to foundation business expenses.

If you google Kerry Kennedy, who gave M&H their fighting racism award, she takes a salary of £500,000 pa as president of her nonprofit foundation.

This needs to be repeated time and time again. Never trust an entity, particularly a charitable one, registered in Delaware.

OP posts:
thebellagio · 12/12/2023 15:03

Quite possibly @Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar

The irony is that Harry does get it. His work with Invictus is absolutely the epitome of his star profile, raising the profile of an incredibly worthwhile cause.

Similarly, The Princes' Trust and the DoE initiatives are great examples. Even the Heads Together campaign that Harry launched with William and Kate was about focusong on a specific project, and giving them the support that they needed to get the message across.

But the Archewell stuff is nothing more than a vanity project.

And the less they actually deliver, the more shallow it all looks.

thebellagio · 12/12/2023 15:04

If Harry feels he's been cut off financially now, just wait till Charles dies and William becomes King. Because you can be absolutely certain, there will be zero financial assistance from William to Harry.

Mylovelygreendress · 12/12/2023 15:05

I wonder if the posters who were so scathing about the finances on the Earthshot thread will have anything to say about Archewell ?

Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar · 12/12/2023 15:05

thebellagio · 12/12/2023 14:52

Last year there were only two major donors giving around $1million (£795,210) each. The year before an unidentified wealthy donor gave them $10million but there was no repeat this year.

I wonder if one donor was called Meghan, the other called Harry....

Wasn't there a rumour about one of the Getty family being a friend of M's and possible source of the big donation?

OP posts:
MaturingCheeseball · 12/12/2023 15:14

Perhaps Harry & Meghan could team up with Hannah Ingram Moore for a mega Charity Begins at Home foundation.

ArcaneWireless · 12/12/2023 15:14

ThePoshUns · 12/12/2023 14:36

It is amusing to watch as it's so obvious. The Royal Household must be thinking ' give it 24 hrs.... and there it is' .
So predictable and rather pathetic.

The only surprise for me is that it wasn’t rushed out on the same day.

It doesn’t highlight Archewell. It just makes it all ‘ but me, me, what about meeeeee, look at meeee).

Dreadfully predictable as you say.

The truth is a bastard sadly. 🌱

LeggyLegsEleven · 12/12/2023 15:18

For the massive amount of publicity that Archewell has received, 2 million is frankly embarrassing.

HonoriaLucastaDelagardie · 12/12/2023 15:19

IMO, this comes back yet again to the misunderstanding of the American PR people working with H&M who really don't understand that the role of the Royal family is to shine a light on good causes, and raise the profile of charities/community groups.

At the time of the 'half in, half out' suggestion, the Queen reportedly told Harry 'You work for the monarchy. The monarchy doesn't work for you.' Couldn't have it plainer than that, and from the horse's mouth, as it were. (Her Late Majesty might well consider it a compliment to be compared to a horse!)

Harry either didn't listen. or isn't briefiing their PR people properly.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 12/12/2023 15:21

In short, the Kate video highlights the charity. The M&H video highlights them

And that's the crux of it, with people who seem not to understand that these events aren't primarily about them

I'd been wondering when the Uvalde visit wouldd make a reappearance - half expected it in the Netflix doc TBH - but looking on the bright side at least she didn't do an Andrew, with “only a matter of time before a plane fell out of the sky" / insert disaster of choice

thenightsky · 12/12/2023 15:28

Fluffypuppy1 · 12/12/2023 14:56

IIRC Archewell is registered in Delaware, where foundations are tax exempt, and only 5% of the money raised has to be donated to charity. The other 95% can be spent on salaries, including salaries for founders, and expenses too. Which may explain how they fund their expensive clothes, private planes etc. Any trip which involves Archewell business can be charged to foundation business expenses.

If you google Kerry Kennedy, who gave M&H their fighting racism award, she takes a salary of £500,000 pa as president of her nonprofit foundation.

How on earth can it be called a 'charitable' foundation when it gives only 5%? I'm amazed anyone donates anything with that figure. I know I wouldn't.

Lunde · 12/12/2023 15:32

Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar · 12/12/2023 14:33

H&M's vast wealth, if invested wisely and privately, can sustain them for the rest of their lives in a high level of comfort and security. But, for all their complaints about intrusion into their private lives, they want a public profile as do gooders and societal change makers, because this opens doors in Hollywood and in politics. They don't have enough wealth for a foundation to achieve these aims, so their only path is pay to play philanthropy, which ultimately makes them look shallow.

They would be better off building a fortune through investment and then, down the line, setting up a real, functioning and run by experts foundation, or their own production company. They won't, because they want everything now, they want the magazine covers and adulation while they are still young and considered beautiful and popular. Their "philanthropy" is to get the adulation they crave, not to do good for others, and they want a short cut to the big stages, not a considered learning journey towards a goal they deserve though hard work. They can't abide seeing W&C getting the attention they think they also deserve, so the retaliatory pap walks and appearances, tacky and desperate as they are, are not going to stop, even though people are literally screaming a them to stop for their own good.

The benefit of the foundation is that it's registered in Delaware, a state with notoriously lax charity laws. Delaware only requires that 5% of donations are used for Charitable purposes also you can keep the the purposes of expenditure fairly secret under Delaware laws.

It's probable that some of Harry and Meghan's own expenses get charged to the foundation. Similar to Doria's "Home Care company", also registered in Delaware by Meghan's entertainment lawyer, that seems to exist only on paper.

There have been strong rumours that there have been ructions inside the Invictus Foundation because Meghan and Harry charge the foundation for their appearance at the games, travel, accommodation and clothing etc. But the critical board members have been ousted and a friend of Harry's installed - so I guess we'll never know.

Maireas · 12/12/2023 15:32

Tyler Perry and Oprah?
Oh yes, it's a very interesting use of the word "charity" ....

Raincloudsonasunnyday · 12/12/2023 15:46

thenightsky · 12/12/2023 15:28

How on earth can it be called a 'charitable' foundation when it gives only 5%? I'm amazed anyone donates anything with that figure. I know I wouldn't.

They can offset donations against their tax bill.

So, if I give Archewell $50,000, I pay tax on $50,000 less of income.

Instead of the government getting (say) $5,000 in taxes from me, Archewell gets $50,000. The trouble with Delaware-incorporated foundations is that only $2,500 needs to be spent on actual charitable concerns. $47,500 can be spent on (say) clothes and security bills for the foundation's founders.

Why would a donor do this, you ask - why would a donor not just pay $5,000 in taxes? Better than $50,000 in donations, surely? Two reasons: (1) sometimes, there is a genuine desire to give to a given cause. It's an established cultural "duty" to give charitably in return for low taxes. Culturally Americans hate taxes and prefer to be in charge of deciding where their money goes. Socialism is a dirty word, and the government can withdraw from certain public-good causes because they've offered a tax incentive to ensure these causes will be privately funded (2) more frequently, especially in the circles Harry & Meghan are now in, because the donor gets something back. Publicity, association, a reputational lift - you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. It's business under the cover of "charitable giving".

This is where Archewell will get into trouble very quickly. It, and the two people associated with it, have nothing to offer to donors. Nothing. H&M would have liked to position it as the American arm of the royal family, for American donors to benefit from (royalty-by-association). H&M have ensured, by their actions and their words, that that's not happening.

Archewell will very quickly be starved of funds. It's dead in the water.

ETA: a good comparison would be the Obamas' foundation. People will ALWAYS want to be associated with the Obamas' good works. They genuinely good; he was a much-loved President; they're trustworthy as far as these things go; they're reliable; their chosen causes and concerns are relevant, not specific to their personal gripes, they're coherent; they still exert influence. None of these things apply to Meghan and Harry.

There's a video clip of Ivanka Trump hobnobbing at an IMF or UN meeting. She looks the part, she's THERE, she smiles. She approaches a group of 3 women who are talking in a small huddle, one of whom is Ursula van der Leyen. She says something. Ursula looks at her blankly for a second and goes back to the conversation she was having (it didn't look particularly important, she had a glass of wine in her hand). Ivanka Trump looked chastened, awkward, embarrassed. That's what Meghan is in the world of philanthropy: she's got the clothes, she's got the plastic surgery, she's in the room. But that's it. Harry has a bit more, but he's the guy with a reputation that precedes him - you quickly find someone else to talk to when it looks like he's coming your way. Ivanka Trump has clearly realised her limitations, she's gone back to her natural home of just being rich. Meghan & Harry have no such self-awareness.

Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar · 12/12/2023 15:50

@Lunde, oh I totally get the Delaware thing. As I said in a pp, never trust any entity registered there.

Doria's wee enterprise is a rather curious thing, isn't it?

Re Invictus, I have read similar - it's a scandal waiting to explode. Quite sickening considering the good intentions of its originators and those who should be the beneficiaries. I wonder if they have had the Netflix money yet? I do hope the Royal Foundation stops paying into it, and sends the money to Hope For Heroes instead.

I do think the jig is up with these two, thank to Scobie's own goal. I'm sure the press, and commentators like Tom Bower, are sitting on all manner of information and investigation that will now trickle out.

OP posts:
thenightsky · 12/12/2023 15:58

@Raincloudsonasunnyday Thank you for the explanation.

diddl · 12/12/2023 16:06

And they wanted to live in Windsor Castle .

I've read this before.

I always thought (perhaps wrongly) that WC is an official residence of the Monarch.

That they can live in it or not but not necessarily designate it for someone else?

Why did they think that they would live with HMQ-after all, no one else did?

Cosywintertime · 12/12/2023 16:12

Last year there were only two major donors giving around $1million (£795,210) each.

yeah I also wonder if that was Harry and Megan and then offset against tax. And used to then expense their costs for invictus. As in I wonder if it is them keeping it afloat.

AliceOlive · 12/12/2023 16:15

oh I totally get the Delaware thing. As I said in a pp, never trust any entity registered there.

I am sorry, but this is just not correct. Many highly reputable charities and non-profits are registered there.

jeffgoldblum · 12/12/2023 16:18

Apologies for the daily record link !
Just saw this story about the royals releasing a video of Edward shaking hands ( without gloves) apparently the D R believes this is to refute scoobies claim he is a germaphobe !

apple.news/AhYyUyVReRbyCLX7lNaZQuw

BoohooWoohoo · 12/12/2023 16:26

Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar · 12/12/2023 15:05

Wasn't there a rumour about one of the Getty family being a friend of M's and possible source of the big donation?

I thought that it might be Oprah in lieu of not paying them for the interview with her.

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