1/7
Since Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan stepped down from their duties as high-ranking royals, they have had to provide for their own income.
Swimming pool, tennis court, nine bedrooms, home cinema and more than a dozen bathrooms: The villa in which Prince Harry (38) and Duchess Meghan (41) live in Montecito, California leaves nothing to be desired. The property with an area of 1350 square meters and a spacious garden is said to have cost the equivalent of almost 13.9 million francs. Nevertheless, the Sussexes chose an even more spacious property in neighboring Santa Barbara as the location for their Netflix documentary, which was released just before Christmas.
The British newspaper Telegraph speculated that the couple might want to present themselves as wealthier than they are. In Montecito they are “comparative paupers”, i.e. comparatively poor people. Hollywood giants and tech billionaires, who are said to have far more money than the royal dropouts, cavort in the community of around 8,000 souls. The “Telegraph” added the smug remark that Montecito is so exclusive that the couple may soon no longer be able to afford to live there.
40% of Brits believe Harry wrote memoirs just for money
In any case, it is a widely held view in the United Kingdom that the two have been focusing on money in their publicity campaign over the past few weeks. According to a recent poll by polling firm Yougov, more than 40 percent of people in the UK believe financial interest is the main motive behind the publication of Prince Harry’s autobiography, entitled “Spare”. In it he reveals many spicy details from the private life of the royals.
But how much money do Harry and Meghan, who share their villa with their two children Archie (3) and Lilibet (1) and three dogs, really have? There is no reliable knowledge about this.
Fortune inherited from Diana
According to reports, after the death of his mother Princess Diana (1961-1997), Harry inherited most of her fortune together with his brother Prince William (40). According to the Telegraph, that was said to have amounted to £20 million (CHF 22.7 million) at the time of the payout – but had to be shared in half with William. In addition, his father Charles III. (74) transferred a large amount as start-up aid to say goodbye to the royal family, British media reported. However, the flow of money from the palace subsequently dried up.
Meghan is said to have brought millions into the marriage as well. The US magazine “Forbes” estimated her net income from working as an actress, especially in the lawyer series “Suits”, at the equivalent of two million US dollars (1.9 million francs).
Income from Netflix and Apple TV
But all that has been dwarfed by the couple’s alleged earnings since leaving the royal circle in early 2020. Although there are no reliable findings here either, the deal is said to be with the streaming service Netflix, which also includes the belonged to the six-part documentary series “Harry & Meghan”, brought in 100 million US dollars (92.7 million Swiss francs). There are also other contracts such as the one with Spotify for $ 30 million (CHF 27.8 million). The couple wants to produce audio podcasts for the streaming service with their production company Archewell. A season of Meghan’s “Archetypes” podcast has already been released.
Harry is said to have received 20 million US dollars (18.5 million francs) alone as an advance for his memoirs. Whether this is true is unclear. In any case, it doesn’t seem entirely unrealistic. According to the BBC, ex-President Barack Obama (61) and his wife Michelle (58) are said to have received $ 60 million (55.6 million francs) for a similar agreement. And the book is selling well. The English edition of the autobiography alone was sold a total of 1.4 million times on the first day of its publication on Tuesday, or in the online shopping cart, according to the publisher Penguin Random House in the USA. Harry wants to have donated the equivalent of 1.8 million Swiss francs from his income.
Another source of income is Harry’s cooperation with talk show legend Oprah Winfrey (68). The pair co-produced a six-part mental health documentary series for the Apple TV+ streaming service called The Me You Can’t See. In addition, Harry has had a job as Chief Impact Officer at the coaching company BetterUp since 2021.
Pay millions back to the royal family
On the expenditure side, the couple had paid back the Sovereign Grant, the royal taxpayer-funded coffers, for the £2.4million refurbishment of their Frogmore Cottage estate in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
In addition to expenses for employees, travel, childcare and vehicles, the costs for the safety of Harry and his family should also be taken into account. With retirement from the inner circle of royals, Harry lost his right to police protection in the UK. A court is currently to decide whether he can use it for money. That he for the coronation of his father King Charles III. travels to London on May 6 is unclear. Apparently, peace talks are to take place beforehand.
Two million for security
But the ex-royal is also dependent on professional bodyguards around the clock in the USA and elsewhere. “Forbes” estimated the annual bill for this at two to three million US dollars. The amount is unlikely to decrease after his candid confession that he killed 25 Taliban fighters in the war in Afghanistan.
Given the high income, it seems unlikely that Harry and Meghan could soon run out of money. But it is questionable whether they can keep the cash flows generated by insights into their private lives flowing in the long term. (SDA/lob)