Meghan Markle and Prince Harry defend £198,000 donation to Ashley Biden's charity in fresh statement

The Foundation made a $250,000 (£198,000) donation to a charity established by Ashley Biden, daughter of former US President Joe Biden, in 2023, as reported by the New York Post.

The donation to Ashley Biden's Women's Wellness Space, aimed at helping women impacted by trauma, was made the year before the charity opened its doors.

This was the largest single donation in a series of payments made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Foundation in recent years.

The timing and size of the donation drew some scrutiny, given the Foundation's connections to the Biden family.

However, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess defended the spending, stating: “It's important to note The Duke and Duchess did not endorse any candidate in the [2024 presidential] election, and to suggest they're trying to curry favour with the Democratic Party - simply because a donation went to Ashley Biden's nonpartisan nonprofit focused on women's mental health, or because they hired a consultant specialising in digital safety - is misguided."

They continued to tell the New York Post: “The Duke and Duchess are committed to investing in people and initiatives that truly make a difference.”

A further $146,500 (£116,000) was paid to Democratic Party "disinformation expert" Joire Craig, according to documents seen by the publication.

Craig, 33, has been described as the Democrats' preferred operative for countering disinformation, having received $120,000 (£95,000) from Archewell the previous year.

She previously served as Vice President at Greenberg, Quinlan and Rosner, a Washington DC research firm specialising in elections.

According to reports, her former company's digital strategies focused on addressing negative perceptions about Joe Biden's age and family during the last election.

LATEST ROYAL NEWS:

• Michael Bublé makes his feelings clear on Meghan and Harry
• Harry makes risque joke to veteran just days after Meghan returns to US
• Victoria Beckham is 'desperate' to succeed as Meghan gears up for latest move

Her LinkedIn profile states she is an expert in designing social listening strategies for political candidates and public officials.

The Archewell Foundation also donated $90,000 (£71,000) to Markup News Inc., a non-profit established by Democratic megadonor George Soros' Open Society Foundation and Craigslist founder Craig Newmark.

A sum of $155,050 (£123,000) was paid to Herlihy Loughran, a consultancy created by former Buckingham Palace aides Beth Herlihy and Clara Loughran, for what documents describe as "programmatic strategic services".

The Foundation made a further $25,000 (£19,800) donation to the Mercy Lab School in Brooklyn, where Craig had joined the board last year.