RICHARD EDEN: William and Kate quietly boost their charity with a TV bigwig while Harry and Meghan desperately try to establish themselves as a Hollywood ‘power couple’

While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle desperately try to establish themselves as a Hollywood ‘power couple’, the Prince and Princess of Wales are quietly boosting their own showbusiness links.

I can disclose that Prince William and Catherine have appointed the producer of hit BBC drama Call the Midwife as a director of their Royal Foundation. Dame Pippa Harris will also be a director of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund Trustee Company.

‘This is a big appointment,’ a royal source tells me. ‘Dame Pippa knows everyone and is an expert at getting things done.’

Dame Pippa, 56, founded the hugely successful film company Neal Street Productions with the Oscar-winning director Sir Sam Mendes 58. As well as creating Call the Midwife together, they have produced acclaimed films including Revolutionary Road, starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, and most recently the World War I epic 1917, for which they received two Bafta awards and a Golden Globe.

Dame Pippa is also a chairperson of Bafta, of which Prince William is the royal patron.

Dame Pippa Harris will also be a director of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund Trustee Company

While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle desperately try to establish themselves as a Hollywood ‘power couple’, the Prince and Princess of Wales are quietly boosting their own showbusiness links

The Royal Foundation originally included Prince Harry and there were concerns that it would suffer after he and Meghan quit in 2020. In fact, the opposite seems to have been the case.

It enjoyed a surge in income the following year, to a staggering £11.78million. That’s almost double the £6.68 million raised in 2019, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were still involved. Last year’s income was £10.1million, according to newly published accounts.

The foundation develops programmes and initiatives based on the Prince and Princess’s interests, particularly in the areas of early childhood, mental health and the environment.

Last year, Lord (William) Hague, the former Tory leader, quit politics to concentrate on his work as chairman of the Royal Foundation. He formed a warm relationship with Prince William and Catherine while he was Foreign Secretary, working with them to combat the illegal wildlife trade. As chairman of the foundation, Hague replaced Prince George’s godfather, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, who was William’s right-hand man for 15 years.