Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have asked that wedding guests and people of the public who wish to send them a gift instead donate to charities.
The couple have announced seven different charities which they support and which they welcome people to send their donations to.
A statement from Kensington Palace said the soon-to-wed couple, “Are incredibly grateful for the goodwill shown to them since the announcement of their engagement and are keen that as many people as possible benefit from this generosity of spirit.”
The charities which the couple has chosen are; Children’s HIV Association (CHIVA), Crisis, Myna Mahila Foundation, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, StreetGames, Surfers Against Sewage and The Wilderness Foundation UK. The organisations were selected on the basis that they are small charities that could see more attention in the lead up to the wedding.
The Founder of Scotty’s Little Soldiers, Nikki Scott, said, “To have been personally chosen by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is an incredible honour for Scotty’s Little Soldiers and we are extremely grateful for the opportunity.
“Having met Prince Harry at Buckingham Palace last year, I know that the Armed Forces and looking after the children our heroes have left behind, is close to his heart.”
The charities represent a range of issues that Prince Harry and Markle are most passionate about, including sport for social change, women’s empowerment, conservation, the environment, homelessness, HIV and the armed forces.
Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis, a charity that works to end homelessness, said, “We are delighted to be one of the charities chosen to benefit from donations marking the wedding of Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle.”
“Donations will help us to support more people to leave homelessness behind through our housing, employment, education and advice services across the country, and to campaign for the changes needed to solve the homelessness crisis once and for all.”
The Myna Mahila Foundation is one that Markle has worked closely with in the past, speaking about how hygiene has stopped women from seeking an education.
“Imagine a world where the female leaders we revere never achieved their full potential because they dropped out of school at the age of thirteen,” Markle told The Times. “In the Western world this is challenging to fathom, but for millions of young women globally, this remains their harsh reality for a staggering reason.”
“For sub-Saharan Africa to India, Iran, and several other countries, the stigma surrounding menstruation and lack of access to proper sanitation directly inhibit young women from pursing an education.”
Almost 1.8 million Australian dollars was raised when Prince William and Kate Middleton asked the public to donate when they wed in 2011.