He was Prince Harry’s right-hand man, his private secretary for five years, and involved with the Invictus Games from the start. And it’s said he is the only friend who might be able to help the Duke of Sussex reconcile with his family – and return to the UK.
Yet it can be revealed that Edward Lane Fox, a former captain in the Household Cavalry, is among those who have stepped away from Harry’s charity Invictus this year.
He left quietly on February 28, on the same day as another trustee, Patrick Nicoll, who had been on the board since 2018.
Since then, another of the duke’s closest supporters, JJ Chalmers, the Royal Marine reservist and Invictus Games gold medallist, has followed them out of the door.
It brings to mind the abrupt departures from the board which preceded Harry quitting his charity Sentebale this spring.
While the Sussex office isn’t commenting on the departures, an Invictus source said the trustees had simply ‘moved on’ as they had served their maximum term and new financial figures reveal that the charity is in rude health, with £3.8million of income in 2024, up from £2.7million in 2023.
Some £1.6million of that comes from donations from a cadre of wealthy benefactors.
And yet the falling away of old friends seems significant, particularly of Lane Fox.
The pair are said to have been genuinely close, with Lane Fox a bridge between Harry’s old life and new. Now, his last tie to the prince has gone.
What’s more, the departures come amid reports that some of those involved with Invictus think it might be time for Harry to step away, too.
The reason? Following years of attacks on the Royal Family, he is perceived in some quarters as a ‘toxic’ personality.
One source says: ‘It seems it is hard to convince people that you are a philanthropic force for good when there are so many unresolved issues with your own family, who you have accused of being racist and uncaring.’
And, of course, in the case of Invictus, there is the added military connection which runs deep for the Royal Family.
When the Invictus Games launched in 2014, Charles, Camilla and Prince William were among those who attended.
Following Harry’s public attacks on his family, it seems doubtful any of them would want to be seen alongside him in Birmingham where the next Games are due to be held in 2027. A royal source added: ‘If Harry were to resign as patron of Invictus, I’m sure they would have no trouble finding a new royal patron.’
This would be anathema to Harry, who is visiting the UK this week to present the WellChild Awards. Because if he can’t make his charity work, then what is the point of him?
For the past couple of years, he and Meghan have separated their brands to the point where he is focused on philanthropy, and she on money.
He has two paid consultancies – for eco travel company Travalyst (whose CEO has just stepped down) and the coaching organisation BetterUp – which help to sustain their gilded lifestyle in Montecito. But his charity work is his focus.
Meghan has launched herself as a ‘female founder’ with her lifestyle brand, As Ever, and as a media figure with her podcasts and Netflix show With Love, Meghan.
Harry has tried to continue the philanthropic work he did while in the Royal Family – but there are two big problems. He lacks the lustre of being a working member of the family and the kind of fortune you need to be a philanthropist.
He and Meghan front the Archewell Foundation, a small, grant-making organisation, based in California and funded by modest private benefactors.
Until earlier this year, Harry also had Sentebale, but left after a row with its chairwoman Sophie Chandauka, who said the charity had suffered a drop in donations because of the prince’s ‘toxic brand’.
Invictus chief executive Rob Owen this week insisted Harry is going nowhere. ‘We are proud to have the Duke of Sussex as a patron and founder,’ he said. ‘The spotlight he brings to the community, and to our work, has changed the perceptions of mental health, of military personnel and of disability worldwide.’
This much may well be true. However, a close look at the charity’s accounts shows that what Harry brings to the table is the ability to persuade billionaire benefactors to donate money to his causes.
Netflix, which has a deal with Harry and Meghan, is among the donors thanked by Invictus. But now their arrangement has been significantly downgraded, will their donations continue?
BetterUp, which hired Harry as its chief impact officer and is said to pay him $1million a year, is also a donor.
Investment company BlackRock is also involved with Invictus. It seems to have come on board thanks to Mark Wilson, a member of the UN’s Business and Sustainable Development Commission, who was on the Royal Foundation’s development board when the ‘Fab Four’ (William, Harry, Kate and Meghan) were a team there.
But perhaps the most significant donor of all is Amazon.
The tech giant didn’t respond when asked how much of the charity’s £1.6million income it stumps up. However, if Harry can attract money from its billionaire founder Jeff Bezos, it could be the best possible news for him and the charities he supports.
As his isolation from the UK continues, this connection to wealth will be important – as he may find himself reliant on a handful of billionaires to pull off his avowed purpose of a ‘life of service’. And just now, it’s looking like a rather lonely task.
