Prince Harry's latest move foiled in embarrassing blow just hours before Invictus speech

By Grace Piercy, News Reporter

Prince Harry has run into trademark trouble with his African charity (Image: Getty)

Prince Harry's latest plot has been foiled in the US, as he prepares for his Invictus Games speech in London.

The Duke of Sussex has been attempting to get a trademark in America for his charity Sentebale, which he founded alongside Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006.

It aims to support children and adolescents in Lesotho and Botswana, including those with HIV/AIDs, covering healthcare, life skills, education, advocacy, vocational training and climate resilience.

Royal commentator Richard Eden said in the Daily Mail that the Prince’s plans have “fallen into trademark difficulties in the USA – thwarting, for now at least, plans to expand its operations in America”.

Harry had hoped to secure a trademark for Sentebale in numerous categories. Among these were 'mental healthcare services' and 'psychological and mental health counselling services', not to mention 'provision of immunisations', 'campaigning' and 'organising of conferences, seminars, courses, workshops and other events', and 'production of audio and/or video recordings'.

Prince Harry founded Sentebale with the Prince Seeiso of Lesotho (Image: Getty)

But the US Patent and Trademark Office, while acknowledging that there are “no conflicting [trade] marks”, has given the application the thumbs-down.

In the ruling, it says that many of the categories are inadequately defined, frequently writing that they are “considered too vague”, it also rejects the use of “and/or” as a term “generally not accepted”.

Explaining that these deficiencies must be rectified within six months – it says: “An application must specify, in an explicit manner, the particular goods and services on or in connection with which the applicant uses, or has a bona fide intention to use, the [trade] mark in commerce.”

In addition, accounts filed in the UK last week with the Charity Commission show that donations to the charity from the American Friends of Sentebale Foundation halved over the last year – down from more than £1.2million to £610,000.

This comes as Prince Harry returns to the UK for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. He will be giving a reading at St Paul’s Cathedral for the celebration service.

Yesterday, he joined Invictus CEO Dominic Reid OBE at the Honourable Artillery Company in London. His spokesman confirmed he won’t be meeting with his father, the King, while here and will join his wife Meghan in Nigeria later this week.