Harry and Meghan’s fans raise thousands in ‘honour of Archie and Lilibet’ to ‘uplift youth in need’ in LA

Donors from around the globe have raised $14,300 (£10,800) for charity in honour of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s children.

Assistance League Los Angeles, a non-profit striving to improve the lives of vulnerable children, has invited people to donate in light of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s birthdays.

The post started, ‘Welcome Global Sussex Supporters to this year’s birthday celebrations of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in support of Assistance League of Los Angeles, a charitable campaign by the Sussex Community Event.’

‘From May 4 to July 4, 2025, we invite you to make a donation in honour of the Royal Children of Sussex to uplift youth in need.’

While Princess Lilibet’s fourth birthday isn’t until June 4, Prince Archie marked his sixth birthday recently on May 6. On the day, Meghan, 43, took to her official Instagram page to share a tribute to her and Prince Harry’s son.

The picture, taken at dusk, showed Archie watching the sunset over the ocean at an exclusive resort in Mexico built by a wealthy family with links to Princess Diana.

Less than a week since the campaign commenced, the charity has already raised $14,300 (£10,800) of the $25,000 (£18,848) goal.

To help raise funds, the post highlighted Meghan and Harry’s 2020 trip to Assistance League of Los Angeles’s Preschool Learning Centre.

During the visit, the couple planted forget-me-nots in honour of Princess Diana on the 23rd anniversary of her death.

The couple dug with trowels into dirt and planted flowers as they visited the at risk children in Los Angeles.

The charity website explained, ‘While these blooms were laid in memoriam, they symbolized seeds of hope for the young children of low-income families who attend the school.’

The post continued, ‘For more than a century, Assistance League of Los Angeles’s dedicated members and community supporters have worked tirelessly to uplift the lives of those in need. 

‘The challenges faced by children experiencing homelessness, foster care, and poverty are more pressing than ever.

‘Through five key programmes – Operation School Bell, Assistance League of Los Angeles College Scholarship Programme, Foster Children’s Resource Center, Preschool Learning Center, and Theatre for Children – the League helps 22,000 underserved youth annually. 

‘League programmes play a vital role in enhancing the quality of life of these children, offering them opportunities they might not otherwise have.’

The post concluded, ‘We are honored to receive your generous donation in celebration of the birthdays of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet of Sussex – Thank you!’ 

Meanwhile, when Meghan marked her eldest child’s birthday on Instagram this week, she did not use his title.

Sharing an image of her son standing on a balcony while looking at the sea during sunset, the mother-of-two revealed the couple hosted an ‘incredibly special’ party for Archie last weekend.

In a caption accompanying the snap, the Duchess of Sussex wrote: ‘Our son. Our sun. Happy 6th birthday to Archie! Thank you for all of the love, prayers, and warm wishes for our sweet boy. He’s six! Where did the time go?

‘(And for all of you who came to celebrate with us at his party last weekend, thank you for making his birthday so incredibly special).’

Her post comes after it was revealed that Meghan still calls herself Her Royal Highness to friends. At the end of last month, the 43-year-old sparked controversy after her friend Jamie Kern Lima shared a picture of a food hamper with a note that said it was ‘With the compliments of HRH The Duchess of Sussex’.

However, a spokesperson for the Sussexes denied she is flouting the Megxit deal agreed with the late Queen.

Although no laws were passed or documents signed to prevent their use, Harry and Meghan’s agreement with the late Queen and senior officials was that they would stop using the word ‘Royal’ and their HRH titles after they quit duties and emigrated to the US to become ‘financially independent’ from the Crown.

Critics have said that the image of the note with some organic ice cream and jam, published, was a tacit plug for Meghan’s As Ever lifestyle range, while also promoting her new podcast episode with her friend Jamie.

A source close to the royal couple suggested that the image shared by Jamie Kern Lima was taken before the Duchess launched her As Ever brand in early March.

They added that while Meghan and Harry do not publicly use ‘HRH’, their titles remain.

In the podcast, Jamie Kern Lima claimed that she had been sent the jam last year.

The Sussexes have never had their HRH taken away by Queen Elizabeth II or King Charles.

A spokesman for the Sussexes told MailOnline that they do not use HRH titles for commercial purposes.

However, Jamie’s hamper image suggests that Meghan does use it with friends and in personal correspondence.

The ‘HRH, The Duchess of Sussex’ note was spotted on a card by eagle-eyed royal fans last month.

The gift basket was sent to Meghan’s friend, CEO of IT Cosmetics Jamie, when she had in-laws staying and the Duchess wanted to help out.

A screenshot of the hamper has since circulated online after featuring on Jamie’s podcast – and appears to feature the Duchess’ homemade strawberry spread.

The basket also included two jars of Straus organic ice cream, some flowers, mint, and the note with Meghan’s royal title embellished on it.

Some royal fans reacted angrily, with one writing on X: ‘I thought they couldn’t use HRH?’

Another said: ‘She’s not to [use] it per the Queen!’

Buckingham Palace released a statement after Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior royals in January 2020 to embark on a new life together in California.

The statement said: ‘The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family.’

HRH, an abbreviation of His/Her Royal Highness, is used as part of the title of some members of the royal family.