How rich are Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan?

LONDON – How rich are Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan?

Six years ago, when they stepped back from their royal roles and expressed hopes of becoming financially independent, they quickly felt the repercussions. Within months of moving to the US, they were cut off from the royal payroll. They also lost their taxpayer-funded protection.

But that didn't slow the Sussexes, who went on to land lucrative deals. Harry published his record-breaking memoir, Meghan launched a whimsical lifestyle brand and legal drama "Suits", which she played a star role in, found a whole new audience thanks to Netflix. There were legal wins and on his 40th birthday, Harry received millions in royal inheritance.

The problem, though, lies in their expenses, according to royal commentator Ian Lloyd, who cites private security, mortgages and staff payroll as some of their most expensive overheads. USA TODAY understands that the couple are entirely self-funded and finance all aspects of their private and professional life. But is cash dwindling?

We take a look at Harry and Meghan's sprawling financial ecosystem – including legal wins and losses, private security costs, school fees and household finances – a landscape which is as impressive as it is complex.

When Princess Diana died unexpectedly in 1997, she left her £21 million (approximately £49 million today or $28 million) fortune to sons Prince William and Prince Harry. According to the BBC, more than £8 million was paid in inheritance tax, leaving £13 million which was split equally by the princes and invested by royal advisers.

William and Harry reportedly had to wait until they were 30 years old to be able to access the full sum of money left to them.

“I have what my mum left me and without that we wouldn’t have been able to do this,” Harry told Oprah Winfrey during an explosive interview in 2021 as he discussed his move to the US. “It’s like she saw it coming," he said.

The Queen Mother, Harry's great-grandmother who was also named Elizabeth, did leave the duke a considerable amount of inheritance which he received on his 40th birthday. The late monarch put a reported $25 million into a trust fund for her grandchildren. While details of the trust fund are not public, royal experts suggest Harry received more than William as compensation for not being a sovereign.

The Telegraph claims the brothers received $8 million between them at 21 and a further $10 million when they turned 40.

Following Harry and Meghan's 2020 announcement that they would be stepping back from their royal roles and relocating, Charles allocated the Sussexes "a substantial sum to support them," according to Clarence House, though the figure was never publicly shared.

Two years later, Queen Elizabeth died. It remains unclear if she left the duke any money. Some British media outlets reported that it was solely King Charles who inherited her eye-popping private fortune, which according to Forbes was more than $530 million.

Harry's controversial 2023 memoir "Spare," which lifted the lid off life inside royal walls, became an instant No. 1 global bestseller, with more than 6 million copies sold in all formats around the world, according to publisher Penguin Random House.

The duke reportedly received a $20 million advance for the 400-plus page book, which set a Guinness World Record at the time as the fastest-selling non-fiction book ever.

Harry donated $1.5 million to Sentebale the African youth organization he co-founded in 2006 but has since stepped away from. The duke also gave $400,000 to the non-profit organization WellChild, according to the book's official website.

In September 2020, the Sussexes signed a multiyear production deal with Netflix to produce scripted series, docuseries, documentaries, features and children’s programming. The deal was believed to be worth around $100 million.

Their six-part docuseries "Harry & Meghan" premiered in December 2022, with the pair's account of royal life proving a major hit with viewers, though some pounced on the moment the duchess reenacted how she curtsied for the queen, deeming her disrespectful.

In 2025, the couple announced they were extending their Netflix deal for films and TV shows. Meghan's lifestyle brand As Ever launched alongside Meghan's lifestyle and cookery show, "With Love, Meghan" which ran for two seasons and a Christmas special. Despite being nominated for an Emmy, the show's viewership ratings were soft.

In March, As Ever ended its partnership with Netflix which had been supporting the brand financially. Both partners said it was time for the duchess's brand to become fully independent.

In 2020, the pair also signed an exclusive $20 million deal with Spotify to produce podcasts under their brand Archewell Audio. Three years later, they parted ways with Spotify.

A statement to USA TODAY at the time said the partners had "mutually agreed" to part ways. No reason was given for the split, though several reports cited unproductivity with the couple releasing just one 12-episode podcast called "Archetypes," in that time and a 30-minute holiday special.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the couple hadn’t “met the productivity benchmarks required to receive the full payout from the deal."

Shortly after the deal ended prematurely, Spotify executive Bill Simmons appeared to confirm reports that the pair did not work hard enough. Simmons went viral for deeming Harry and Meghan "grifters," a word used to describe con artists, adding: “I have got to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea."

Harry and Meghan have repeatedly taken legal action against Britain's notorious tabloids, sometimes resulting in victory, but also resulting in expensive losses.

In 2022, Meghan was awarded undisclosed damages after a court ruled in 2021 that the Mail on Sunday had invaded her privacy. The long-running lawsuit was filed after the newspaper published a series of stories in 2019 containing excerpts of a personal letter she had written to her estranged father, Thomas Markle.

Meghan sued Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday and MailOnline, for misuse of private information and copyright infringement. While the sum she received is believed to have been substantial, Meghan said she would donate any money she receives to an anti-bullying charity.

In 2023, Harry settled his lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper group, with the publisher apologizing and agreeing to pay him substantial damages. The BBC reported that he was awarded more than $187,000 in damages.

In July 2026, however, Harry lost a separate privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited, and he was ordered, along with several other high profile claimants to pay almost $13 million to Associated Newspapers.

One of Prince Harry’s biggest expenses is around-the-clock security for himself, Meghan, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. He reportedly spends $2 million annually on security alone.

After stepping back from their royal roles, the Sussexes also lost their taxpayer-funded protection, a huge blow for Harry who wrote in his memoir Spare that he never thought could happen.

“Never. Not in this climate of hate," he told Meghan when she asked if their security could be pulled. "Not after what happened to my mother," Harry recalled telling her.

Since relocating back to Britain with his wife and children, the prince's security is being reviewed, though he is currently still paying for his own private protection and has already been forced to pull the children out of their new school amid ongoing security concerns.

In 2020, after leaving Britain, Meghan and Harry moved into a sprawling mansion in Santa Barbara, California. The Montecito property, which features nine bedrooms, a wine cellar, tennis courts and a swimming pool, cost the couple $14.65 million.

The Daily Mail reported the Sussexes bought the property after securing a $9.5 million mortgage, implying that they made a down-payment of more than $5 million on the Mediterranean-style home. The picturesque town is famed for providing privacy to high profile residents including Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry and Jennifer Aniston.

Last year, annual property taxes were just over $152,000 – or $12,667 a month – according to Realtor.com.

While it's expected that Harry and Meghan will retain the property while living in the UK, if they do want to sell it, they should expect a profit. According to Realtor.com, the pair's property is now worth $16.73 million. Industry experts say that due to the high profile owners, the house could fetch up to $50 million.

They are estimated to be paying around $40,000 a month or $480,000 a year in order to repay the mortgage on a standard 30-year term, based on typical interest rates, according to the Daily Mail.

Their new home in Britain, believed to be in the Cotswolds area, is not a royal residence, meaning the pair are paying out their own pockets for their accommodation.

The couple also own a home in Melides, Portugal, in an area nicknamed the "European Hamptons." According to The Sun, the pair purchased the home for more than $8 million in 2023.

Then there's Archie and Lilibet's new British school fees. While the name of the school has not been shared publicly amid security fears, fees for both children per year are estimated to be about $70,000.

Meghan is broadly known for playing Rachel Zane in the legal drama "Suits" from 2011-2018. She was reportedly paid $50,000 for each episode and in total starred in over 100 episodes.

While Meghan's final episodes aired in April 2018, just weeks before she married Prince Harry, the duchess still reportedly receives residuals. In 2023, Netflix acquired the streaming rights to "Suits," renewing interest in the drama, which found a new fan base.

The drama, which originally ran on network TV, was watched for a total of 57.7 billion minutes on Netflix in 2024, breaking a record, according to Nielsen.

Various reports placed the licensing deal at around $37.5 million, with the main cast members sharing a portion of that fee. "Suits" was also bought by BBC iPlayer. The Daily Mail estimated that Meghan earned nearly $200,000 from the global broadcasting deals.

As Ever was born in 2025, selling jams, flower sprinkles candles, teas and wine. The online business has not publicly shared sales data, though a website glitch earlier this year exposed stock valued at around $21.8 million.

Meghan has expressed hope to take the brand global, something her move to the UK might help with. At present, As Ever only ships within the US.

In a 2025 interview with Bloomberg Originals, Meghan declined to share sales figures but said that much of As Ever's inventory sold out quickly, including its debut rosé, which sold out in 44 minutes. As she prepared for her second seasonal drop, the duchess multiplied stock by 10, she said, which also sold out in a couple of hours.

"Suddenly the conversation goes from at the start of this year, talking about a few thousands jars and lids to, 'We need to do a purchase order of a million,'" she said.

Royal commentator Lloyd told USA TODAY "it is impossible to put an accurate figure on royal finances," given the vast and often ambiguous nature of their outgoings and earnings. With the couple now living back in Britain several theories are swirling about why they returned. While some outlets have reported the pair may have returned to the UK amid money woes, "by most people's standards they have considerable wealth," Lloyd said.