Prince Harry and Meghan Markle unveil non-profit after step back from royal family

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex unveiled their future plans after officially stepping back from their roles as senior members of the royal family last month.

Monday, a spokesperson for the couple confirmed to TODAY they plan to launch a non-profit endeavor named Archewell.

"Before SussexRoyal, came the idea of 'Arche' — the Greek word meaning 'source of action'. We connected to this concept for the charitable organisation we hoped to build one day, and it became the inspiration for our son's name," the couple said in a statement. "To do something of meaning, to do something that matters. Archewell is a name that combines an ancient word for strength and action, and another that evokes the deep resources we each must draw upon."

They added their focus is currently "on supporting efforts to tackle" the new coronavirus, "but faced with this information coming to light we felt compelled to share the story of how this came to be."

Harry and Meghan made the announcement as part of a response to a Telegraph news story about their planned endeavor. That story indicated the couple has plans for "emotional support groups, a multi-media educational empire, and even (to) launch a wellbeing website," citing trademark filings for Archewell.

A spokesperson disputed those claims, adding many of those trademark filings were for "protection purposes only" and "some of the things picked out by the Telegraph are rather exaggerated."

"We don't have plans for support groups and the like, but we'll have more to say about Archewell in due course," the couple said in the statement.

As of March 31, Harry and Meghan officially stepped back from their roles and ceased to use the Sussex Royal brand they had curated over the years.

People magazine reported that the couple relocated from Canada to Los Angeles ahead of the coronavirus pandemic, bringing them much closer to Hollywood and Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland.

The report prompted President Donald Trump to tweet that the U.S. government wouldn't provide security to Harry and Meghan. A spokesperson for the couple then said that they have no plans to seek security protection from the U.S. government.

The former Meghan Markle also narrated a Disneynature documentary, "Elephant," which debuted earlier this month on Disney Plus.