CELEBRITY
Prince Harry is set to inherit billions on his 40th birthday. how he and Meghan Markle make and spend their money shocks Royal family
Prince Harry will reportedly inherit millions from a trust fund set up by the Queen Mother when he turns 40 on Sunday.
However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the fortune he and his wife, Meghan Markle, have amassed since their decision to become financially independent from the royal family in 2020.
From lucrative deals with Netflix and Spotify to both of their book deals, the couple have made a fortune profiting from public interest in their post-royal lives. However, they have also run into controversy over the years.
In June 2023, reports emerged that Markle and Harry had ended their partnership with Spotify and that they would not receive the full $20 million payout from their Spotify deal.
Here’s a look at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s combined net worth, and how they spend their money.
In January 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared their decision to be “financially independent” from the royal family.
“We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen,” their January 2020 statement read. “We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honor our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.”
In the couple’s interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Prince Harry said the primary reasons for their leaving their royal roles was a “lack of support and lack of understanding” from both the media and the royal family.
Harry told Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 that the royal family cut him off financially after he and Meghan “stepped back” from being senior royals.
Harry said he stopped receiving any financial support from his family in “the first quarter of 2020,” the same time that the couple released their statement that they were working toward becoming financially independent.
According to King Charles III’s financial report from 2021, the offices of Prince William and Kate Middleton continued to be paid for from His Royal Highness’s private income.
A senior Clarence House spokesperson said that Harry and Meghan received a “substantial sum” from Charles to make their transition to financial independence easier.
However, the spokesperson also told the BBC that the couple officially stopped receiving funding in the summer of 2020.
There’s no officially recognized figure for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s worth in 2024. Business Insider reported in 2020 that the couple was worth at least $30 million, citing 2018 estimates from Money.com, which were made before the couple inked their Netflix deal.
In February 2021, several months after the Netflix deal was announced, Forbes put their estimated net worth at $10 million.
Harry and Meghan have also relied on inheritance from his mother’s estate.
Prince Harry inherited an estimated $10 million from Princess Diana’s estate after her death on August 31, 1997, Forbes reported.
“I’ve got what my mum left me and without that, we wouldn’t have been able to do this,” Harry told Winfrey in March 2021. “She saw it coming, and I certainly felt her presence throughout this whole process.”
Harry will also reportedly receive millions from a trust fund when he turns 40 on September 15, 2024.