Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stand to lose £2m a year from Royal purse – but we’ll still pay £600k security bill
PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle could lose out on £2million a year from the royal purse as they move out of the UK and quit as senior royals.
But British taxpayers could still front the £600,000 security bill for the family despite their bombshell pledge tonight to be “financially independent”.
The Duke, 35, and Duchess, 38, along with baby son Archie, will split their time between Britain and North America – most likely Canada where ex-Suits star Meghan used to live.
The taxpayer currently funds their reported six police bodyguards at a cost of £600,000 a year.
And the Sussex household currently gets an estimated £2million a year from the Queen’s Sovereign Grant.
By quitting their senior roles and moving abroad for long periods, it is thought they are likely to lose the grant.
They also get about another £2million annually from Prince Charles’ Duchy Of Lancaster estate – which could continue if Charles chooses not to cut off his son.
But the pair are extraordinarily wealthy in their own right, and are worth around £33million.
Prince Harry inherited most of his £30million personal fortune from his mum, Princess Diana, and from the Queen Mother.
RICH LIST
The BBC reports Harry and his brother share about £14million from their late great-grandmother’s estate.
And both brothers inherited three-quarters of their mother’s £21million estate, with the final quarter going to her godchildren.
Harry also got an annual salary of a reported £45,000-a-year as a British Army Officer.
Before becoming a member of the royal family, Meghan was worth around £3.8million.
As a successful actress she made around £37,000 per episode of Suits, which would put her annual pay at about £333,000.
She also earned more money by appearing in a few films and from two Canadian fashion brands.
Her old lifestyle blog “The Tig” is said to have earned her more than £61,000 each year.
They also have expensive tastes, as shown when Meghan jetted to New York for a baby shower costing £300,000.
They moved there after a lavish refurbishment of their apartments at Kensington Palace.
The announcement came after The Sun revealed they were due to discuss plans to move abroad, and Meghan today visited The National’s Dorfman Theatre in London.
The couple had reportedly told close friends they want to spend some of the next two months working out of Canada after a six-week trial holiday over Christmas and New Year was deemed highly successful.
Friends of the couple in Canada and the US are supportive of the move, which they say comes after the couple have been sidelined by the monarchy.
Yesterday, as they returned to duties, the smiling couple held hands as they greeted well-wishers and met staff at Canada House.
They laughed and joked around, visibly relaxed after their break at a rented $14.1million home in Vancouver Island.
