Why did Harry and Meghan leave the Royal Family and where do they get their money?

Posted by Patria Henriques on Friday, August 23, 2024
Reuters Meghan Markle and Prince HarryReuters

The Duke of Sussex told US TV that he "jumped on a plane" as soon he could to see King Charles after his father's cancer diagnosis.

Prince Harry had a 45-minute meeting with the King, but did not see his brother, the Prince of Wales, during his brief visit to the UK.

The duke and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, live in California.

Why did Harry and Meghan leave the Royal Family?

Harry and Meghan met in 2016 and married in 2018. They stepped down as senior royals in January 2020.

They were angry about media intrusion, and frustrated that Buckingham Palace stopped them developing their "SussexRoyal" brand.

Harry remains a prince and is fifth in line to the throne.

Getty Images The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a carriage on their wedding dayGetty ImagesHarry and Meghan were married in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle

The couple kept their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles, but are no longer addressed as his or her royal highness (HRH). Prince Harry also gave up his military titles.

When Charles became King, the couple's two children became Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet of Sussex.

Where do Harry and Meghan live and do they still come to the UK?

The couple moved to California in June 2020, saying they wanted space to raise Archie. Lilibet was born in 2021.

They returned to the UK for the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, and her funeral in September of that year.

Harry attended the King's coronation in May 2023 without his wife.

And in February 2024, he flew back for a 45-minute meeting with his father, after the King's cancer diagnosis.

He has also visited London as part of legal action he is taking against a number of publishers.

Carly b. talbot Frogmore CottageCarly b. talbotFrogmore Cottage had been a gift from the late Queen Elizabeth

Harry and Meghan no longer have an official residence in the UK.

In early 2023, they were asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, a Grade-II listed property which they had used as their UK base.

How do Meghan and Harry earn their money?

As working royals they received 95% of their annual income from Harry's father, then Prince of Wales. The taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant made up the other 5%.

When they stepped down as senior royals, King Charles gave them "a substantial sum" to support their transition to financial independence.

They set up the Archewell charitable foundation and entered into a number of commercial arrangements with private companies.

In February 2024, the couple launched their Sussex.com website, which says they are "shaping the future through business and philanthropy".

Television and podcasts

The Sussexes' media company, Archewell Productions, has made programmes for Netflix, under a deal thought to be worth millions of dollars.

These include the Harry & Meghan documentary series in which the couple talked about life in the Royal Family. The Heart of Invictus series discussed Harry's emotional "unravelling" after military service in Afghanistan.

Netflix Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of SussexNetflixThe Netflix documentaries have featured previously unseen photographs of the couple

Archewell also made podcasts for Spotify under a contract thought to be worth $25m (£18m). The arrangement ended in June 2023.

In February 2024, Ms Markle announced a new podcast deal with Lemonada Media.

No details about her forthcoming programme have been released, but the company confirmed it would also distribute the Archetypes series which the duchess made for Spotify.

The deal is thought to be worth significantly less than the Spotify contract.

Books

Harry's memoir, Spare, was published in January 2023.

It discussed his relationship with his brother and father, as well as his grief over the death of his mother, Princess Diana.

AFP Professor Chris Imafidon holds three copies of the book Spare at the WHSmith bookstore, at Victoria Station in London, on 9 January, 2023AFPThe Prince's much-publicised memoir sold 467,183 copies in its first week

The book's publishers promised $1.5m (£1.25m) and £300,000 would be given to the Sentebale and WellChild charities.

Meghan wrote a children's book called The Bench in 2021.

Other

William and Harry received the bulk of Princess Diana's £13m fortune when she died in 1997.

In an interview, Harry told Oprah Winfrey this inheritance funded his family's move to the US.

He is also thought to have inherited millions from his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother.

It is not known whether the late Queen left him any money.

Getty Images The Duchess of Sussex played Rachel Zane in Suits from 2011 to 2018Getty ImagesMeghan Markle pictured with her Suits co-stars in 2012

During her acting career, the Duchess of Sussex was reportedly paid $50,000 (£40,000) for each episode of the legal drama Suits.

She appeared in more than 100 episodes.

Does Harry have police protection in the UK?

After stepping back from official duties, the duke and duchess were no longer covered by the security arrangements for senior royals.

When Harry first left the UK, he said it would be too dangerous to bring his family back without adequate police protection.

In May 2023, a judge rejected the prince's request to be allowed pay privately for it.

He took his legal challenge against the decision to downgrade his security status to the High Court.

A decision is expected in early 2024.

What are Harry's other court cases?

Prince Harry settled a phone hacking claim against Mirror Group Newspapers on 9 February.

His lawyer said the duke had been awarded "substantial" damages. He was also granted £140,600 in damages in another part of the case in December 2023.

A number of other court cases are ongoing, including:

  • Claims from the duke and others that the Daily Mail-publisher Associated Newspapers unlawfully obtained information about him
  • Claims that The Sun's publisher used illegal methods to gather information on him

What's next in Prince Harry's war against the media?

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