The Archwell office found itself in a troubling predicament when it was abruptly closed down by the Beverly Hills Police in a surprising raid.
What makes this situation even more puzzling is that the office was linked to a seemingly non-existent company with no visible employees.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry encountered a significant setback in their efforts to trademark Archwell in the United States.
Their application was turned down due to its lack of clarity and the absence of their signatures, as well as failure to meet all required fees.
According to documents obtained by The Sun, the trademark application was filed on March 3 under the name of Cobblestone Lane, LLC, which is registered in Delaware but connected to the Beverly Hills offices of a well-known Hollywood personality who has collaborated with Meghan in the past.
However, things took a bizarre turn when authorities investigated the Beverly Hills office only to discover it completely deserted, devoid of any staff, computers, or paperwork, leading to suspicions of it being a phantom company.
Adding to the intrigue, French journalists who ventured into the vacant Beverly Hills office space found no evidence of any operational activities.
A video recording of their visit portrayed Archwell as a project potentially involved in dubious financial dealings.
Despite this, Prince Harry did not seem to funnel substantial resources into it, opting instead to take on roles at other questionable organizations like BetterUp, without drawing connections to his successful Invictus initiative.
An examiner assigned to review their trademark application on May 26 issued a notice of irregularity from the U.S. Department of Commerce, pointing out numerous errors.
These errors included the vagueness of their plans, prompting the couple's attorney, Marjorie Winter Norman, to make necessary revisions by August 22 to prevent the application from being discarded.
The International Bureau also found the list of goods and services associated with the non-profit too ambiguous for proper classification.
Moreover, the notice emphasized the need for clarification regarding the content displayed on their website, particularly concerning philanthropic activities, financial contributions, volunteer opportunities, career prospects, and International Class 35.
Meghan and Harry were also directed to submit additional fees for the processing of their application.
A non-final action was issued on June 2, allowing the trademark to remain inactive until the required amendments were made, including rectifying the absence of a signature on the initial application.
It is worth noting that even meticulously prepared trademark applications may face initial rejection by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), with approximately one in five applications failing their first review.
In a separate revelation, leaked tax filings for the Archwell Foundation in 2021 unveiled that less than a quarter of its income was allocated to charitable causes.
Additionally, Meghan and Harry reportedly devoted just one hour per week to their charitable foundation, despite it amassing a total income of $13 million in 2021, primarily from two significant one-time donations.
