Duchess of Sussex's cookbook sells 130,000 copies to make £557,638 for Grenfell community kitchen

The Duchess of Sussex works in the Al Manaar kitchen in an image from the Together cookbook - PA
The Duchess of Sussex works in the Al Manaar kitchen in an image from the Together cookbook - PA

The Duchess of Sussex’s Together cookbook has made £557,638 for the Grenfell survivors of the Hubb Community Kitchen, it has emerged, after the royal charity invested £232,551 to help them.

The cookbook has sold 130,000 copies worldwide, with the income raised for the Al Manaar mosque made public by coincidence on the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire.

The annual financial report for the Royal Foundation, the first complete version since the Duchess of Sussex joined her husband and inlaws as a patron, details the money dedicated to the project, unveiled by Meghan in September 2018.

The royal charity spent £204,031 on refurbishing the kitchen of Al Manaar, the Muslim Cultural Heritage Trust, and a further £28,520 on training and development schemes.

Sales of the Together cookbook have made £557,638 - held by the Royal Foundation to reinvest - with the women who worked on it gaining 23 qualifications.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and her mother Doria launched the cookbook in September - Credit: AFP
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and her mother Doria launched the cookbook in September Credit: AFP

The report states: “In her first programme with The Royal Foundation, The Duchess of Sussex worked closely with the women she’d met at the Hubb Community Kitchen.

“As she established her new home in London, Her Royal Highness saw the power and vibrancy of this community and suggested they create a cookbook together to raise money.

“The proceeds have already provided funding to renovate the kitchen and enable it to open throughout the week.

“By March 2019, 130,000 copies of the Together Cookbook had been sold worldwide.

“The women have been working with the social enterprise charity, UnLtd to develop their own plans and ideas to support others in the wider community.”

The women of the Hubb Community Kitchen at the Al Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre in West London - Credit: PA
The women of the Hubb Community Kitchen at the Al Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre in West London Credit: PA

This year’s Foundation income also includes £145,168 for “the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s engagement gift fund”, understood to have come via one or several major American donors ahead of the couple’s chosen wedding charities being announced.

The report confirmed imminent changes to the shared charity, after the Cambridges and Sussexes went their separate ways into two households.

“In light of recent changes in the lives of Their Royal Highnesses, including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex setting up their own household, a review is currently underway to assess the implications these changes may have for the Royal Foundation,” it said.

“It is likely there will be changes to the current structure of the Royal Foundation.”

The report confirms changes to the Royal Foundation - Credit: Eddie Mulholland
The report confirms changes to the Royal Foundation Credit: Eddie Mulholland

It also revealed details of how the young members of the Royal Family have quietly funded a modern day version of the famous Guinea Pig Club, continuing their legacy to “ a new generation of wounded warriors”  from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

The Royal Foundation, the charity of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Duke and Duchess of Sussex, gave a £15,000 seed fund for the launch of a new club for seriously injured members of the Armed Forces which now has 130 members.

While the CASEVAC Club has been running under the radar for more than a year, its royal links can now be fully reported after they were included in the charity’s annual financial review.

“The CASEVAC Club is inspired by The Guinea Pig Club, a social club that began in 1941 as a support network for British aircrew and allies that had been severely injured in World War 2,” it explains.

Surviving members of the Guinea Pig Club photographed in 2016 - Credit: Guzelian
Surviving members of the Guinea Pig Club photographed in 2016 Credit: Guzelian

“The members had all undergone experimental reconstructive plastic surgery after receiving life-changing burns and other injuries, which gave the club its name.

“The men and women in The CASEVAC Club will follow in their forebears example by maintaining a close-knit community through a lifetime of cohesion, during which they will assist in the advancement of medical science and help others experiencing traumatic injury.”

The club is receiving ongoing operational support from the Royal Foundation.

Members of the Guinea Pig Club, who underwent specialist plastic surgery with Sir Archibald McIndoe to treat their injuries in World War Two  - Credit: Alamy
Members of the Guinea Pig Club, who underwent specialist plastic surgery with Sir Archibald McIndoe to treat their injuries in World War Two Credit: Alamy

Writing a foreword to a book about the Guinea Pig Club, quoted in the report, the Duke of Sussex said: “Today's CASEVAC Club will help us to once again recognise the success and most importantly, the pertinence of the Guinea Pig Club –far beyond the lives of its original members – and continue to build on a vital legacy that continues to benefit many generations to come.”

Financial aid assigned under the category “those who serve”, previously known as the “military”, grew by 15 per cent to £1.3m, the report said.