Meghan and Harry’s “Long-Term Partnership” with World Central Kitchen: A One-Time Deal?
Meghan and Harry—the self-proclaimed champions of humanitarian causes—are back in the spotlight, this time for their so-called “long-term partnership” with World Central Kitchen (WCK). But is their partnership as enduring as it sounds? Let’s dig in.
Back in 2021, the couple made headlines for a generous $300,000 donation to WCK through their Archewell Foundation. This contribution was supposed to fund four relief centers worldwide, helping people in need. Cue the press releases, glowing headlines, and perhaps even some confetti.
The problem? That $300,000 seems to have been both the beginning and the end of their financial support. According to Archewell’s IRS filings (Form 990s), there were no donations to WCK in 2022 or 2023. That’s right—zero, nada, zilch.
While Meghan and Harry continue to tout their “long-term partnership” with WCK, it seems more like a one-off dinner date: splashy, attention-grabbing, and promptly forgotten. Meanwhile, WCK has been tirelessly working on the front lines, providing aid to the Dominican Republic, supporting COVID relief in India, assisting Ukrainian refugees, and most recently, helping California wildfire victims.
You’d think this would be the perfect moment for Meghan and Harry to step up and offer more support, right? Apparently not.
Interestingly, it wasn’t Meghan and Harry, but their fans who stepped up for WCK. Inspired by their daughter Lilibet’s birthday, regular folks donated their hard-earned money to WCK while the couple seemingly watched from the sidelines, lattes in hand.
This pattern of behavior isn’t new. Meghan and Harry seem to favor a “one and done” approach to donations: make a big splashy contribution, milk the PR for as long as possible, and let everyone assume the giving continues. It’s like they bought a “lifetime humanitarian membership” at Costco—except the card expired in 2021.
Remember when celebrities pledged millions for disaster relief but raised the money from the public instead of donating it themselves? This feels eerily similar. WCK got their flashy upfront donation and some glowing PR, but the long-term support never materialized.
If Archewell had donated more than $5,000 to WCK in 2022 or 2023, the IRS would have required it to be disclosed. Instead, the foundation’s giving pattern appears to align more with strategic PR opportunities than genuine philanthropy.
For example, Archewell donated $250,000 to Ashley Biden’s charity—coincidentally around the time the couple was reportedly trying to hitch a ride on Air Force One after Queen Elizabeth’s funeral. (That request, by the way, was denied.) Other donations appear linked to high-profile events like the NAACP Awards and the Ripple of Hope Gala.
And then there’s the now-infamous Time Magazine cover, where WCK’s founder gushed about Meghan and Harry “running toward the struggle.” Ironically, the couple allegedly ghosted him shortly after securing the spotlight for themselves.
For comparison, Jeff Bezos donated $100 million to WCK without feeling the need to issue daily press releases. Meghan and Harry, on the other hand, seem to treat every small gesture as an opportunity for maximum PR mileage. Their promotion of WCK looks less like a genuine effort to help and more like a way to bolster their image.
Will Archewell’s 2024 filings reveal a surprise donation to WCK? Don’t hold your breath. The odds of that happening are about as slim as Meghan’s Netflix cooking show becoming a blockbuster hit.
In the end, Meghan and Harry seem more interested in looking like humanitarians than actually being humanitarians. While others do the hard work, donate real money, and make tangible differences, the Sussexes appear content to bask in the glow of borrowed credit.
