Meghan Markle backed charity One Young World is being investigated over its salaries

A charity championed by the Duchess of Sussex is facing an investigation after it emerged the mother and daughter at the helm have paid nearly £2 million in less than five years.

In a dramatic move, the Charity Commission launched the investigation into One Young World just days after the portraits of Meghan and the Duke of Sussex, taken at the annual charity summit in Manchester in September, were published.

Describing itself as a ‘global forum’ for young leaders, One Young World has gained a huge public profile thanks to the Duchess, who became one of her ‘advisors’ in 2014.

Meghan told delegates in Manchester she was “excited” that Harry could join her to “witness firsthand my respect for this organisation”.

But The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the regulator has stepped in amid concerns over the dazzling pay and benefits packages handed over to senior bosses at the charity.

DAUGHTER: Ella McKay, a director of the charity

There’s no suggestion that Meghan and Harry — who are among a range of famous charity donors, including Richard Branson, Bob Geldof and Emma Watson — knew about wage levels.

One Young World CEO Kate Robertson was awarded a £440,000 compensation package for the 18 months to June 2021, despite the pandemic disrupting the peaks, the largest source of income. Her daughter Ella McKay, 33, one of the charity’s two directors, enjoyed a pay and benefits package of £194,543 during the same period.

In response to questions from this newspaper, the Charity Commission announced this weekend that it had “opened a regulatory case to investigate pay concerns at One Young World.”

In a statement, a spokesperson said: “All charities should be able to look donors and volunteers in the eye and say how their reward decisions affect the cause they pursue or the people they help.”

The Commission said opening a compliance case is not a finding of wrongdoing, but is the first step it can take in investigating possible malpractice.

A spokesperson for One Young World said it was working with the Commission “to answer all their questions”, adding: “We are confident there has been absolutely no wrongdoing.”

Founded in 2009 by top advertising executives Ms Robertson and David Jones, One Young World says it has created a network of more than 13,700 young leaders.

The annual summits have attracted a large number of celebrities. At this year’s four-day summit, Harry and Meghan gave a speech at the two-hour opening ceremony at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall after being flown to the UK.

The annual summits have attracted a large number of celebrities. At this year’s four-day summit, Harry and Meghan gave a speech at the two-hour opening ceremony at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall after being flown to the UK

Attending the One Young World summits doesn’t come cheap: delegates pay £3,150 for a pass that includes lunch and dinner. A pass that also includes accommodation costs £4,210. Those fees — and separate fees for exhibition space — are the charity’s main sources of funding, but revenues plummeted after a summit to be held in Munich was postponed to July 2021 due to the pandemic.

The charity’s accounts show that despite the fact that no summit was held between 2020 and 2021, the top five bosses, including Ms Robertson and Ms McKay, received nearly £1.4 million in pay and benefits.

The charity said 84 percent of total pay and benefits were deferred to the next accounting period, but confirmed executives will still receive the full amount.

It said its leadership team salaries had been independently audited and approved by its administrators. Both Kate Robertson and Ella McKay’s salaries are set by the board independently of any involvement from Ms Robertson, it added.

There’s no suggestion that Meghan and Harry – who are among a range of famous donors to the charity, including Richard Branson, Bob Geldof and Emma Watson – knew about wage levels

Ms Robertson, 67, one of the charity’s four trustees, was appointed chief executive in May 2016 with a total pay package of £126,666. The charity admitted last night that it didn’t realize until 2017 that it needed permission from the Charity Commission to pay Ms Robertson because she was also a trustee.

The regulator granted permission the following year. Accounts show she received £1.3 million in wages and perks between January 2017 and June 2021.

As the leader of an organization that employs just 33 staff, Ms Robertson’s pro-rata compensation of £293,333 in 2020/21 was noticeably higher than some of the larger UK charities. It was £60,000 more than the pay package of the head of Cancer Research UK, which employs 3,873 staff.

One Young World said Ms Robertson’s salary has remained £190,000 since 2016. Ms McKay has received over £580,000 in compensation and benefits between 2017 and 2021. Trustee David Jones said the charity “complied with Charity Commission regulations.” He said management salaries “are lower than the charities and NGOs we compare ourselves to.”