Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to Take 'Full Lead' of Archewell Amid Mandana Dayani Exit

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex founded the organization in 2020.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell organization has undergone a change. In a statement to ET, it has been confirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are now the full leads of the organization after former president Mandana Dayani’s planned exit. 

"Ms. Dayani has been an integral part of Archewell and we are grateful for her passion, commitment and leadership," the statement read. "Ms. Dayani was brought on during their parental leave to move the company and its projects forward. She has continued to shape its vision and future successfully. Her transition was mutually planned, with intent for The Duke and Duchess to now take full lead of their company."

The statement concluded, "There will be no replacement for this position, and Ms. Dayani is fully supportive of The Duke and Duchess in their new leadership roles, and they remain friends."

Archewell was founded by Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, in 2020 following their decision to step down as senior working royals. The name of the organization not only has Greek roots, but is a call-out to their 3-year-old son, Archie Harrison. 

Meghan and Harry are also the parents of Lilibet Diana, 1.  

According to the mission statement, "Archewell Foundation is an impact-driven non-profit created by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Our core purpose is to uplift and unite communities — local and global, online and offline — one act of compassion at a time."

In addition to the foundation, the organization also houses Archewell Audio (home to Meghan Markle’s Archetypes podcast on Spotify), and Archewell Productions -- which is their partnership with Netflix. 

The change comes ahead of the release of the couple's first Archewell Productions project, Harry & Meghan. The Netflix docuseries will be comprised of six episodes released in two parts and will show their side "of their high-profile love story." 

"Across six episodes, the series explores the clandestine days of their early courtship and the challenges that led to them feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution," the description of the docuseries reads. "With commentary from friends and family, most of whom have never spoken publicly before about what they witnessed, and historians who discuss the state of the British Commonwealth today and the royal family’s relationship with the press, the series does more than illuminate one couple’s love story, it paints a picture of our world and how we treat each other." 

Netflix has announced that series will be released as volume I and volume II, with the first dropping on Dec. 8 and the second on Dec. 15. 

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