Prince William and Kate Middleton really play in the big leagues, unlike Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. A recent report revealed how well their respective non-profit organisations did in the funds department in 2024.
The Earthshot Prize was started by Prince William and natural historian David Attenborough in 2020. It is an initiative described as a global environmental award and is supposed to go on until 2030. The Earthshot Prize goes to 5 winners every year who receive £1 million. The winners are picked by the Earthshot Prize Council. The five categories that the award focuses on are ‘restoration and protection of nature’, ‘air cleanliness’, ‘ocean revival’, ‘waste-free living’ and ‘climate action’.
The Prince of Wales started the award to appreciate and encourage environmentalists who are trying their best to find solutions to environmental problems. William shared how he felt that our planet was at a “tipping point.”
“Africa has been a big part of my life since I was a young boy, I feel spiritually connected to the place”
Prince William makes the above statement at the Green Carpet at The Earthshot Prize Awards 2024 which was held on Wednesday, 6th November 2024
He called Africa a “Home… pic.twitter.com/xPKGXabGQ7
— Business Insider Africa (@BusInsiderSSA) December 20, 2024
The Archewell Foundation was started by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in October 2020. The official website of the foundation explains the meaning behind its name. The ‘Arche’ stands for the Greek word meaning “source of action” and the ‘well’ signifies a plentiful source or supply; a place we go to dig deep.
The foundation aims at partnering with key organizations to identify and help with immediate needs. A prime example is when the Archewell Foundation partnered up with the Giants of Africa in May 2024. The two entities came together to build a basketball court in Abuja.
In the same year, the foundation launched an initiative called Parents’ Network. The initiative was to aid parents whose children had been harmed through exposure to social media which involved cases like cyber bullying.
Meghan visited Altadena Girl with some staff of the Archewell Foundation volunteering and donating clothes, beauty products, and essentials to the Altadena Girls Fire Recovery Fund, founded by 14 year old Avery Colvert, to help young local girls impacted by #lafires 🙏💗🥺 pic.twitter.com/CTsq9Wat3q
— Rebecca 🤎 (@rebecca_sussex) January 15, 2025
The Daily Mail recently reported how much funds the two initiatives were able to raise in 2024. The vast gap in the funds has left people shocked. Earthshot’s funds came up to a total of £23.5million which was 4% higher than the previous year.
Prince William’s cause received a 68% donation hike than previous year. “The founding partners gave £14.4million,” the report suggested. It continued, “But perhaps even more intriguing is the contribution made by The American Friends of The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.”
#TheEarthshotReport takes a deep dive into previous Earthshot Finalist stories, looking at the global picture and showing how we are progressing towards a sustainable future.
Introduced by Prince William and hosted by @hanwaddingham from 15 Dec on #BBCiPlayer. pic.twitter.com/RpJvm1vVL9
— The Earthshot Prize (@EarthshotPrize) December 2, 2024
The report noted that the royal family’s American Friends donated £6.1 million to the cause which was a massive step up from last year’s £2.7million donation. Safe to say, William and Kate’s initiative has had a very successful year when it came to the fundraising aspect of it.
The report also revealed just how much Harry and Meghan’s foundation, Archewell, managed to raise in the same year. “To put that in perspective, Meghan and Harry raised a total of £4.67million,” it read. The stated funds according to the report came from “all sources” combined.
This report comes after Kate Middleton made headlines after her first public appearance of the year. The Princess of Wales recently visited the hospital in West Chelsea where she received treatment for cancer. The royal met up with patients who are battling cancer. In a clip released from the day, she could be heard urging a woman to keep a “positive attitude.”
Prince Harry and Meghan were recently spotted doing their part of the community following the California fires. The couple who are based out of Montecito, California partnered up with chef José Andrés to donate meals to families in need. The couple was brutally trolled by actress Justine Bateman for visiting José’s World Central Kitchen.