Is relaunch of US charity one other signal that Kate is on the mend?
The Prince and Princess of Wales have set their sights on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s home turf as they relaunch plans for their charitable foundation in the US.
The royal couple were so keen to win the necessary approval for registering the foundation’s brand from the American trademark authorities that they broke into their summer holiday to complete vital paperwork, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Their foundation’s focus is now on mental health.
Insiders say that the ambitious move is further evidence that the Princess, 42, is ‘on the road to recovery’ from cancer as she prepares for a return to ‘light duties’ after completing chemotherapy.
It raises the prospect of a trip to the US,where Prince Harry and Meghan live in California, although it is stressed there are no immediate plans to travel overseas. The couple last crossed the Atlantic in 2022 for William’s environmental project The Earthshot Prize.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are relaunching their charitable foundation in the US with a focus on mental health
Kate at the Wimbledon men’s final. Insiders say the move is further evidence that the Princess, 42, is on the mend from cancer as she prepares to resume ‘light duties’ after finishing chemotherapy
Kate last week demonstrated how charity work is her priority. Her first private meeting since finishing treatment focused on her Early Years initiative. The importance of nurturing under-fives has long been a cornerstone of the Princess’s charitable work.
Her only other engagements on the court circular this year were her attendance at Trooping the Colour in June and presenting the men’s trophy at Wimbledon. Last year, the Royal Foundation applied for a new US trademark centred on mental health projects, but the plans lay dormant after Kate’s cancer diagnosis.
Now the MoS can reveal a US lawyer acting for Kensington Palace has reignited the proposals. American projects previously focused on the illegal wildlife trade.
But an application to the US Patent and Trademark Office last year instead emphasised ‘campaigning’ and ‘fundraising’ linked to ‘mental health initiatives’.
It also included an unusual request for ‘printed race numbers, clothing, footwear, headgear’, prompting speculation the couple, both keen runners, were planning to host a charity fun run in the US.
In March, their trademark was refused over technicalities. It was the same month the Princess revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer, and the application has lain dormant for five months.
Kate’s attendance at Trooping the Colour in June was one of just two public engagements this year
But after good news about her progress, a lawyer restarted the process . Palace sources say the trademark is ‘internal housekeeping’ and the Royal Foundation has no immediate plans to launch a US mental health initiative.
But Royal commentator Richard Palmer said: ‘Given speculation that the Princess might never return to full-time work, this is a positive sign that she and William have hopes of expanding the Royal Foundation in the US. Perhaps [it]wants to raise its profile to tap into American philanthropists?’
Joe Little, of Majesty Magazine, added: ‘It’s another sign that the Princess is on the road to recovery. Clearly a lot of thought and planning has gone into this application, and we can only interpret this as a positive step.’
Kensington Palace has declined to comment.
