Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Partner with Ashley Biden to Empower Women Impacted by Trauma (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

(Left) Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the 2024 ESPY Awards in Hollywood, California on July 11, 2024; (Right) Ashley Biden at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois on Aug. 19, 2024.Photo:Kevin Mazur/Getty; MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty

Kevin Mazur/Getty; MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty

On Dec. 2, the Archewell Foundation published its Impact Report for the 2023-2024 year, showcasing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s ongoing philanthropic efforts through the organization they founded in 2020, while also highlighting their support for Ashley’s women’s wellness center.

(Left) Ashley Biden at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois on Aug. 19, 2024; (Right) Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Abuja, Nigeria on May 11, 2024.Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty; Emmanuel Osodi/Anadolu via Getty

Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty; Emmanuel Osodi/Anadolu via Getty

PEOPLE understands that the Women’s Wellness (Spa)ce closely aligns with Archewell Foundation’s mission to elevate mental health, a core belief of the organization’s work. As founding partners, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex resonated with the center’s commitment to supporting women in need.

Meghan, 43, has long made uplifting women and girls a priority of her public work, with a focus on programs promoting empowerment, well-being and social justice. ALinktreedescribes the Women’s Wellness (Spa)ce as “a mindfully designed drop-in wellness center for women in Philadelphia, PA.” A photo shared in the Impact Report shows a group sitting in a circle in a sunlit room with plants, a glowing votive on a center table.

Ashley Biden’s Womens Wellness (Spa)ce in Philadelphia.Archewell

Archewell

TheElleinterview said that the First Daughter imagined the center as “a drop-in space where women can eat a healthy meal, hit the treadmill or box, listen to guided meditation, and access therapies including EMDR and infrared saunas, which Ashley herself has found effective and wants to share with others.”

“I was able to get great treatment, and so I’ve been able to take some of those things that I’ve learned in therapy and use them as well,” Ashley said at the time. “EMDR [eye movement desensitization and reprocessing] did wonders for me when it came to my brother’s death," she said, explaining that she navigated PTSD after the death of her brother, Beau Biden, who died in 2015 at age 46 after being diagnosed with brain cancer.

Joe Biden, then senator of Delaware, alongside wife Jill, daughter Ashley and sons Beau and Hunter.Bettmann Archive

Bettmann Archive

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

“If you have money and something happens, you can go to the best therapist you can find,” she toldElle. “That doesn’t happen for people who are living in poverty.”

News of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s support for Ashley’s Women’s Wellness (Spa)ce was included in the portion of the report titled Uplifting Women and Girls. The three other focuses of the 16-page Impact Report were Community Wellbeing, Investing in Information Integrity and Collaborating for Impact, looking back at Harry and Meghan’s work in these themes through the year. The report called the Archewell Foundation’sParents NetworkandThe Welcome Projectas its “principal programs,” and the Archewell Foundation’s co-executive directors, James Holt and Shauna Nep, reiterated its motto: “Show Up, Do Good.”

“In a world that often feels fractured, there are moments that cut through the noise, reminding us of our strength when we stand together: resilience, courage, and a commitment to something greater than ourselves,” Holt and Nep said. “This year, at The Archewell Foundation, we’ve witnessed the transformative power of human connection — of people reaching across divides to uplift one another.”

source: people.com