Meghan and Harry reportedly in 'charity-off' with Kate and William

There's reportedly a "charity-off" between the Cambridges and the Sussexes.

In the months since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially parted ways with the Royal Foundation, which they had been running with Prince William and Kate Middleton, the couple has since registered Sussex Royal as the name of their own new charity venture, while William and Kate have made some telling shuffles in the ranks of their foundation.

Several weeks ago, Meghan and Harry poached the Royal Foundation's director, Natalie Campbell, who, Vanity Fair's Katie Nicholl reports, Kate and William had "relied heavily on" for "insight and innovation." In response, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge replaced their CEO Lorraine Heggessey with their recently-appointed special advisor, Jason Knauf. The replacement is supposed to go into effect this fall.

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The Cambridges "very much look forward to working with Mr. Knauf in his new role," the couple said in a statement on Tuesday. An insider added that they're "thrilled" with the development.

"The Cambridges have put a lot of thought into the forum and how it should be structured now that it is solely theirs," a source told Vanity Fair. "Their decision to promote Jason, who has always been their guy, is quite significant. This is about taking it in the direction they want and putting their stamp on it and Jason’s the man to do that. He has a genuine connection with the couple and understands the direction they want to go in."

"Jason is very popular and well liked at the palace both by the couple and staff," the source said of the change. "He’s a safe pair of hands and a brilliant strategist."

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"In his advisory role he was focused very much on the couple’s charity initiatives and how their different ventures are being structured. Jason is very much their guy and there’s a feeling that this is quite a territorial move and William and Kate surrounding themselves with their people," another source said. "Harry and Meghan will be hiring their own staff to run their foundation which they plan to operate quite differently. It’s a bit of a charity-off, both couples are really investing their time and energy into their charity work."

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