Meghan Markle reveals she has sponsored a dog kennel in Archie's name during coronavirus pandemic
Meghan Markle says she has sponsored a dog kennel in the name of her son, Archie, to help provide a home for a “pet in need” during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Duchess of Sussex is a patron of Mayhew, an animal welfare charity, and has written the foreword for the organisation as it releases its annual report for 2019.
The duchess, who is no longer a working royal but retained her patronages when she stepped back from the role, said she was proud of the changes Mayhew had made to adapt during the pandemic.
Meghan, 38, wrote: “What I am even prouder of is that Mayhew’s mission was made for moments like these. It’s not just about cats and dogs; it’s about all of us, about our ability to come together as a community.
“In the wake of COVID, we are reminded that our need to take care of one another is a vital part of the human spirit. Mayhew has always understood this.”
She praised Mayhew for its work providing care and support to pets of the homeless, saying it “makes people more resilient”.
And she added that the “TheraPaws animal assisted intervention programme delivered to nursing homes, elderly wards, mental health centres and beyond promotes physical, social and emotional wellbeing”.
As a mark of her own support for the charity, she said she had continued to sponsor a dog kennel in the name of her son Archie, who turned one in May saying it would “create an interim home for a pet in need”.
Encouraging people to support the charity, Meghan said: “When you do, you will be contributing not just to animal welfare but to the shared welfare of us all.”
Meghan appears to have been sponsoring the kennel pre-COVID-19, as she mentions the donation is a renewal. It’s not known when she might have started the sponsorship.
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Royal Family members rarely discuss private donations to charities, but during the pandemic, both Prince Charles and Prince William confirmed some of their private donations.
Meghan is a dog-lover and had two rescue dogs when she lived in Canada, called Guy and Bogart.
Meghan and her husband Prince Harry got a dog together, believed to be a labrador, when they lived in Kensington, and took him and one of her other dogs to Canada when they went to Vancouver Island in late 2019.
The duchess is thought to have had to leave one of her rescue dogs in Canada when she moved to the UK to live with Harry because he wasn’t well enough to make the journey.
