Prince Harry and Meghan Markle land in LA after 18-hour flight from Nigeria: Sussexes are back in California following semi-royal three-day visit to Duchess’s ancestral home amid Archewell ‘delinquency’ row

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been spotted arriving in Los Angeles after a marathon 18-hour flight from Nigeria amidst a row over their charity’s operating status in California.

The couple, who left Abuja yesterday following a three-day visit, were pictured being whisked away by a car at Los Angeles International Airport’s ‘Private Suites’ facility. 

The Duke and Duchess have called the semi-royal tour ‘fantastic’ and said it will be the ‘first of many memorable trips’ – which included a moment where Meghan hailed Nigeria as ‘her country’ after a DNA test suggested she was part-Nigerian.

They landed back in the United States a few hours before Californian authorities confirmed a ‘delinquency’ row involving their charitable endeavour, the Archewell Foundation, had been resolved following confusion over an unprocessed cheque.

California‘s Department of Justice listed the charity, which brought in around $9million (£7.1million) less in donations in 2022 than it did the year before, as ‘not in good standing’ because of an alleged failure to pay a $200 renewal fee.

Meghan hopped into a waiting SUV wearing a brown coat, matching pumps and white trousers while Harry wore understated dark trousers and a dark jacket paired with a green shirt. 

There have been eight press releases on Sussex.com about the couple’s visit to Nigeria, which took them to Abuja and Lagos and ran last week from Friday until Sunday. None mentioned the issues with the Archewell foundation.

In a press release about their trip coming to end, the Sussexes referred to the reception they received in Lagos and their attendance at a polo match.

The statement said: ‘Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex concluded their unforgettable trip to Nigeria with a cultural reception in Lagos and a polo match fundraiser for Nigeria: Unconquered.

‘The couple was greeted with a beautiful pre-game parade – a vibrant display of young enthusiasts in polo gear, proudly waving the green and white flags of Nigeria – followed by a procession of older children on horseback, setting the tone for a day filled with sport and spirit.

‘The friendly rivalry between the teams, aptly named Duke vs Duchess, added a layer of excitement to the event, with the Duchess’s team claiming victory with a score of 5-3. The day was capped off with the couple presenting medals, a gesture of appreciation for the players’ prolific talent and dedication.

‘The Duke and Duchess would like to extend their deepest gratitude to all the event organisers, military officials and the whole Nigerian community for their tremendous hospitality and the first of many memorable trips.’

But as they landed, Archewell was involved in a row over its charitable status after it was accused of failing to send a $200 renewal fee cheque to California’s Registry of Charities and Fundraisers.

The registry said Archewell had failed to submit its annual report or renewal fees, while sources close to the Sussexes insisted it was because the Attorney General’s office did not process a $200 cheque they previously thought lost in the post.

Since then, the charity says it has been in touch with California’s Department of Justice (DoJ), which operates the registry, to clear up the confusion. 

The DoJ says it considers the matter closed and that, as of now, the Archewell Foundation is ‘current and in good standing’ with Californian authorities.

A spokesperson for the Archewell Foundation said: ‘We have diligently investigated the situation and can confirm that The Archewell Foundation remains fully compliant and in good standing. 

‘Due payments were made promptly and in accordance with the IRS’s processes and procedures. Furthermore, all necessary paperwork had been filed by the Foundation without error or wrongdoing.’

A letter from California’s Registry of Charities and Fundraisers had previously warned: ‘An organisation that is listed as delinquent is not in good standing and is prohibited from engaging in conduct for which registration is required, including soliciting or disbursing charitable funds.

‘The organisation may also be subject to penalties and its registration may be suspended or revoked by the Registry.

‘Once you submit the delinquent record(s), you will be notified of the amount of any late fees that are owed.’

But Sussex sources claimed the ‘delinquency notice’ was actually issued because Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office did not process the $200 cheque.

This was a different explanation to the one offered by the same Sussex sources last night, who claimed that the paperwork was filed on time but the discrepancy was down to a cheque which accompanied the documents going missing in the post.

It is understood that conflicting claims regarding what had happened coming from Archewell this week over the Department of Justice’s issuing of a notice of ‘delinquency’ was in part down to many of the Sussexes team travelling in Nigeria. 

The sources say payments were made promptly and ‘in accordance with’ the IRS’s processes and procedures and paperwork filed correctly, ‘without error or wrongdoing’.

They added that records proved the required payment of $200 was delivered last November via tracked post. 

A search of the registry confirms the organisation’s status with the DoJ is ‘current’. Its most recent renewal documents were marked as being received today. 

In a written statement issued to MailOnline, the California DoJ said: ‘After being in touch with our Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, the organization is current and in good standing.’ 

The $200 cheque was for an annual registration renewal fee, which is determined by a sliding scale based on an organisation’s total revenue. 

In Archewell’s case, its most recent revenue was about $2million – putting it within the ‘between $1,000,001 and $5 million’ section of the sliding scale.

The $200 figure has been confirmed to MailOnline by a source close to the Sussexes. 

Harry and Meghan’s three-day visit to Abuja and Lagos in Nigeria was dubbed a royal tour in all but name, with the couple given the VIP treatment by the Nigerian authorities.

The tour, from Friday until Sunday, saw the couple visiting with charities and initiatives that promote looking after the mental health and wellbeing of soldiers and empower young people. 

The couple were invited to the West African nation by its military, and attended events related to Harry’s Invictus Games, which Nigeria is seeking to host in future.

The trip saw them attend a lunch with Nigeria’s chief of defence staff, General Christopher Musa, at the country’s defence headquarters in the capital city Abuja.

Meghan also hailed Nigeria as ‘my country’ after revealing on her Archetypes podcast two years ago that a DNA-based test showed she was ’43 per cent Nigerian’.

Appearing at an event on women in leadership without Harry, in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, the duchess said: ‘I want to start by saying thank you very much for just how gracious you’ve all been in welcoming my husband and I to this country… my country.’

The visit also saw the Duke visit Kaduna to meet wounded and injured service members at a military hospital – including two men seen at last year’s Invictus Games.

And the couple visited Nigeria: Unconquered, the charity supported by the friendly polo match, which supports wounded, injured and sick service members in Nigeria that is partnered with the Invictus Games Foundation.

Harry even had time to join in a game of sitting volleyball – one of a number of modified sports that forms part of the Invictus Games programme.

The final day of the visit saw Harry and Meghan visit a school in Lagos with Giants of Africa, a sports charity set up to build basketball courts and promote youth initiatives across the continent.

During the trip the Sussexes announced a partnership between the Archewell Foundation and the Geanco Foundation, a charity in Nigeria which leads surgical missions, promotes maternal health and provides scholarships to young female victims of terrorism.

The Archewell Foundation is a non-profit organisation created by Harry and Meghan when they moved to the US after stepping down as senior royals in 2020.

On its website, it says its mission is to ‘show up, do good’, adding: ‘We meet the moment by showing up, taking action and using our unparalleled spotlight to uplift and unite communities – local and global – through acts of service and compassion.’

The foundation is separate from the couple’s Archewell media and business divisions which have been involved in the Netflix and Spotify productions. 

According to tax filings disclosed by Archewell last December, the organisation had suffered an $11million (£9million) decline in donations in 2022 compared to the previous year.

The records showed that the charity received just over $2million (£1.6million) in charitable donations in 2022 compared to $13million (£10million) in 2021.

And while in 2021 Archewell had reported a revenue of more than $9million (£7million), the December 2023 filings showed that by 2022 it had recorded a loss of more than $674,000 (£537,000) due to costs of $2.67million (£2.13million).