Prince Harry & Meghan Markle 'Bleeding Money' To Maintain Lavish Lifestyle Post-Royal Family Split: Sources
While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appear to be unbothered by King Charles III's decision to vacate their last remaining U.K. home, their friends believe the couple is far more upset than they're letting on — and their massive bills and shattered dreams of making it big in the U.S. after leaving the royal family is causing trouble in their marriage, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Harry and Meghan have certainly made some power moves since stepping back from their official royal duties and relocating across the pond. They signed lucrative multiyear deals with Netflix and with Spotify, said to be worth $100 million and $25 million respectively.
But their A-list lifestyle is expensive, and it's draining their bank accounts.
They took out a $10 million mortgage on their $14.6 million six-bedroom Montecito, CA, spread and have to shell out big bucks on upkeep. "Then there are the staffing and security bills," said the source.
While Harry's memoir, Spare — in which he spilled secrets about the royal family — is a bestseller, the profits "may not be enough to carry" the parents of Archie, 3, and Lili, 1, for much longer given his hefty bills, the insider shared.
His four-book deal with Penguin Random House is worth a reported $35 million, but insiders wonder whether he has enough dirt to fill three more tomes.
Harry is used to having the finer things in life. "When Harry was a royal, he'd go on huge shopping sprees, glamorous vacations, and buy everyone drinks and dinner at expensive London restaurants," recalled one source. "Charles funded everything, so Harry didn't have to think about money."
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That all changed after being cut off financially by his father — said to be inspired by a desire to "slim down" the royal family, though some also suspect a bit of revenge — has been a rude awakening for Harry.
The source said the pair had been holding out hope that Charles, 74, would come around and offer them financial assistance.
"They never imagined they would be totally cut off," the insider shared. Even before Charles closed his coffers, however, a source claimed Meghan was shocked at how little money Harry had.
They've had to get creative to generate income, RadarOnline.com has discovered.
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In late February, Meghan appeared in an Instagram ad for the coffee brand Clevr Blends. In it, the brand's founder revealed the duchess had invested in Clevr in 2020 as a gesture of goodwill, but to some the clip reeked of sponsored content.
"Yes, Meghan wants to support women entrepreneurs like herself," an insider stated, "but don't think she's doing it for nothing."
Harry, meanwhile, is charging people $39.95 to view a live-stream event of a therapy session with a trauma expert. "Harry's goal is to promote therapy as a way to help with mental health issues, but charging people to watch seems tacky," the source said, adding it's "just another example of how low he'll go to make a buck."