The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 9: August 2023 - July 2024


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:previous: You've made some good points, Toledo. The blurring between the Archewell Foundation and Production business side is concerning especially when there appears to be "organizational collaboration".

Also, of interest, in the US there is the "5% rule"... the U.S. government expects foundations to use their assets to benefit society and it enforces this through section 4942 of the Internal Revenue Code, which requires private foundations to distribute 5% of the fair market value of their endowment each year for charitable purposes. Depending on the size of each endowment 5% may or may not be a lot of $, i.e. 5% of 1 million dollars is $50,000.

It has been my understanding a charity can easily fall into the tax free, misappropriation grifter trap, 95% for me 5% for you. Hopefully Harry and Meghan have found someone(s) who is experienced to run the various branches of Archewell. It is a fairly new organization/charity. It's my understanding it takes at least 3 years of data to rate a charity so we should be hearing more soon.

FYI, my sister was a special programs dept head of a large US charity prior to her death. If it's done right a charitable organization can be life saving and amazing.

www.charitywatch.org

Charity Rating Process

Learn how CharityWatch analysts simplify complex charity financial reporting to give you easy to digest charity reports.
www.charitywatch.org www.charitywatch.org
 
The Invictus Games CEO will be stepping down.

www.forces.net

Prince Harry's right-hand man to step down as CEO of the Invictus Games Foundation

Dominic Reid helped deliver the first Invictus Games in London as event director, with the Duke of Sussex paying tribute.
www.forces.net www.forces.net

The man who was responsible for delivering the first Invictus Games is stepping down as CEO of the foundation.
Dominic Reid has served in the post for a decade since the first games were held in London in 2014.
Alongside Prince Harry, Dominic Reid was behind the first games as event director.
Click to expand...
 
The thread has been reopened, and several posts being unnecessarily insulting or argumentative with other posters have been removed.

Treat fellow members with respect and remember that the more toxic aspects of social media commentary are not in keeping with forum rules.
 
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An event like that can't be covered by city or town funds, I assume they will ask for external funding to balance out expenses.

Here in the USA town funds are for services, like the police, fire dept. roads and city administration. With a major event a city relies on help from the state itself because crowd traffic benefits everyone near the venue from restaurants, hotels and stores.

The Invictus Games are now taking the shape of the old Goodwill Games from years and years ago created by Ted Turner, the founder of CNN.
 
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Birmingham hosted the last Commonwealth Games, so has all the infrastructure in place for hosting a sporting event, especially one which is likely to be on a much smaller scale than the 2022 Commonwealth Games were. Birmingham City Council did indeed get themselves in a mess, but it's expected that the necessary finding will come from the private sector. Sporting events are not funded by city councils anyway: as in the US, local government funds are spent largely on things like repairing the roads (well, supposedly!), emptying bins, etc!
 
I believe the MOD contributes then after that it is private donations and sponsorship.
 
Leopoldine said:
The 2027 Invictus games are scheduled to be held in a city with a bankrupt council. The local people, from what I have read, are concerned that their basic services will suffer so the city looks pretty for the Games.
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Yep, it's a genuine concern. Is this the article you saw?

www.dailymail.co.uk

Brummies fear Invictus Games could inflict more financial misery

Birmingham was today revealed as the 2027 host city for Prince Harry's sporting competition for wounded, injured and sick military personnel and veterans.
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk

The irony is that the NEC is on the far eastern outskirts of the city and the airport is very close by with a dedicated train station so anyone wishing to visit the games may do so without even seeing anything of Birmingham itself; for example if travelling by train to the NEC from London via Coventry.

Still, as HRH Hermione says, a lot can change in three years...
 
The Games are some time away, and a lot can change in that time. That said , it will be interesting to see if the BRF are present at the games in some way, and if so, who is chosen to represent the BRF. My guess it could be any of Edward, Sophie or Anne.
 
muriel said:
The Games are some time away, and a lot can change in that time. That said , it will be interesting to see if the BRF are present at the games in some way, and if so, who is chosen to represent the BRF. My guess it could be any of Edward, Sophie or Anne.
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If the tense relations continue, I assume only the Yorks and Spencer family will be providing support to Harry. Hope the lack of interest from his wife to reunite with her in-laws takes a turn and we get to see the family united for once.

Unfortunately, this reunion, and King Charles meeting with his Montecito grandchildren, seems to be under the control of one person's attitude only that is neither Harry nor anyone on his family.
 
Its certainly worth noting the financial state of Birmingham City Council - and I assume as its Invictus that made the final choice between Birmingham & Washington DC it would have done so aware of the issues in Birmingham City Council and is confident it can manage without more money from the council. It is well set up having hosted the Commonwealth Games and many other large scale events in recent years.

What I will say is, it will certainly be something the media refers to time and time again. I assume Invictus has a plan to combat that and to show it isn't using local taxpayers money to fund the games.
 
tommy100 said:
Its certainly worth noting the financial state of Birmingham City Council - and I assume as its Invictus that made the final choice between Birmingham & Washington DC it would have done so aware of the issues in Birmingham City Council and is confident it can manage without more money from the council. It is well set up having hosted the Commonwealth Games and many other large scale events in recent years.

What I will say is, it will certainly be something the media refers to time and time again. I assume Invictus has a plan to combat that and to show it isn't using local taxpayers money to fund the games.
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I don't know much about the Commonwealth games but that they involved every nation associated under the benefits of the Commonwealth organization that now has allowed in countries that were not part of the UK before. I assume expenses are easier to find funding for since it's a series of games involving many nations already part of an economic and defense treaty, right?

Harry's Invictus Games can't be compared to the same level, because I see it as a private money-making enterprise focused on war veterans as its primary theme. It's similar to the Special Olympics, but Invictus is more to profile and promote the head of the business that in this case would be Harry and by, association, his wife and what is she wearing that day.

A bit to me like following the Elon Musk and/or Bezos or Bill Gates' line of administering their companies. They do a lot of charity investment and social causes but in the end it all feels as an ego trip for a billionaire. Yes, Invictus, like Tesla and Space X, is for a greater good but we have to make sure at all times to thank Musk, Bezos, Gates or in this case the Sussex first and foremost.

As I often say, I call it as I see it. Good intentions 100%, self-promotion to highlight on the side money-making business ventures 101%. Nothing wrong with that, but don't play saint and holy podium rhetoric with me until I see you do three miracles that don't show it's all about making money for the mortgage and the lifestyle. :unsure:
 
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It would be interesting to see which of the BRF come to the Birmingham Invictus Games. Three years is a long time, so anything is possible.

Eugenie has always been close to Harry, so I wouldn't be surprised if she came. And of course Anne and Zara have always been very sporty, so they would probably be interested too. Mike would probably love the atmosphere of sport amongst everyday people. George and Charlotte would be 14 and 12, and their parents often bring them to sporting events as low-stress appearances, so maybe they'll be there as well. Heck, maybe Charles and Kate may in support of veterans like Amanda Sands who also are cancer survivors (Cancer patient: The Invictus Games is giving me 'purpose').

Then again, the Invictus Games will be fine even if no other member of the BRF comes. They didn't really come even when it was a royal patronage, so it's not that big of a deal if they continue not to come.
 
I suspect we can rule out Camilla or the Wales attending. Beatrice and Eugenie probably would, Zara and Mike are sporty and attended last time it was in the UK. Charles maybe would.
I guess it all depends on what the next three years bring… another interview, memoir or attacks in the media and any appearance is probably out.
Wouldn’t be surprised though if a state visit overseas is suddenly on the cards for the same time
 
It was Harry’s patronage so the others wouldn’t step on his toes other than the inaugural, the Birmingham event is different, as it is the host I would expect some additional royal support, Three years is a while away, let’s see what happens,
 
muriel said:
Charles, Camilla and William attended the inaugural Invictus Games.
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That's true, but other than this has any British Royal Family attended the Invictus Games in the last nine years, even when it was a royal patronage, besides Harry and later Meghan? Queen Elizabeth helped promote it one year, but I don't remember her attending.

I'm not saying that they should attend or it implies anything that they haven't attended much before. I'm only pointing out that the lack of other BRF members at the Invictus Games will not be what makes or breaks it because them not being there is more common than them being there.

ETA: I see above that Zara and Mike have attended before as well. Anyone else?
 
My feeling is that Invictus Games are for the veterans and not some propaganda money making scheme for Harry and Meghan. Maybe the royals will come maybe not. Three years is a long time for the family to make amends.
 
The issue is the games have only been held in the UK once - the inaugural one in 2014.

It is highly unlikely that other senior royals would fly around the world to support it as they wouldn't do that for anything IMO. Even for the Commonwealth Games you usually only had QE2 and Prince Philip, with Prince Edward in his role as Vice-Patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation accompanying them once he took up that role in 1990. Today we wouldn't expect Charles or Camilla or Anne or Edward to have flown out to Singapore to show up for William's Earthshot Prize Awards.

The difference is now they are in the UK so in theory it would be easier for some or all of the royals to attend. If they do it suggests they see it as when its in the UK they will attend, if they don't they attended the inaugural ones and thats it no matter where future games may be held.

A huge amount will also depend on family relations and what they are like by 2027 as well. I can't say I'd blame the royals for swerving it tbh and if they do attend I'd be impressed by them putting the veterans first by doing so.
 
Maryrose said:
My feeling is that Invictus Games are for the veterans and not some propaganda money making scheme for Harry and Meghan. Maybe the royals will come maybe not. Three years is a long time for the family to make amends.
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It would be a great family reunion moment, but my fear is Meghan controls the narrative, and Harry's decisions, so if anything happens and there's a reconciliation moment is because she authorized Harry to grow a spine. If she is a no-show, and that includes the king's grandkids not authorized by her to travel to the UK, I don't think anything will change in this Meghxican Standoff going on now for years.

Let's hope for the best, but it's all on her attitude toward reuniting with the family without the drama, or Netflix TV cameras.
 
Do you think it will be a household name/ celebrity/ sportsman that will be the CEO of Invictus or more a business man or woman with the required kudos to move things along to the next stage with possibly financial expertise, allowing them to explore funding opportunities etc.
 
Do these games attract a very large audience, and is it decreasing or increasing as time goes on? I ask in all seriousness, since I know very little about sports.
 
Mirabel said:
Do these games attract a very large audience, and is it decreasing or increasing as time goes on? I ask in all seriousness, since I know very little about sports.
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I am not sure but I would say it is becoming more a talking point , more discussed than when it first started. It is costly to put on anything like this but other countries are becoming involved, I do not think it actually has enough media / tv coverage of the actual events.
Maybe even become integrated with other big events, say for example the Olympic games, the Para Olympics are part of the bigger games so why not Invictus. It would surely reduce costs if they are using the same facilities, it might attract visitors that are there for the other games. It could still come under the Invictus banner for ex servicemen.
Just something for discussion, not saying it should or should not but in these days of ever increasing costs it might be a thought on how to pool resources.
 
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