The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have faced repeated questions about their finances following a string of business setbacks and the end of some major corporate partnerships. While the couple is believed to still have ties with Netflix, uncertainty remains over the future of that arrangement.
Meghan’s lifestyle brand, As Ever, is also said to be undergoing a strategic rethink after its partnership with the streaming giant ended.
Amid the speculation, reports have claimed that Harry is considering a possible return to the UK as a backup plan if the couple’s ventures in America fail to deliver the results they had hoped for. However, Harry and Meghan have not publicly commented on these claims or officially addressed the reports.
Now, a source cited by The Mirror, who claims to be close to the Sussexes, has offered insight into the couple’s financial reality.
The insider said that “in some respects, it is undoubtedly more challenging” for Harry and Meghan to maintain their life in Montecito. The source noted that the couple “no longer have a Sovereign Grant to support them, nor access to multiple homes maintained at public expense, whether through rent-free arrangements or nominal rents”.
The comments appear to point to the financial shift Harry and Meghan experienced after stepping back from their roles as senior working royals in 2020. Since then, the couple has pursued independent commercial deals, media projects, and brand ventures while living in California with their two children.
However, the source also stressed that the arrangement gives the Sussexes a level of freedom they would not have had as working members of the Royal family.
According to the insider, Harry and Meghan now have “an independent and entirely self-funded life,” meaning they are not answerable to the Palace or the Firm over how they earn or spend their money.
The remarks come as working members of the Royal family face growing public scrutiny over their own financial arrangements. Recent reports about peppercorn rents and publicly supported royal homes have sparked debate about whether the monarchy’s finances should be more transparent.
The insider said the royals “should have their finances scrutinised” and “should be treated the same as any other public institution or body”.
The Sussexes’ financial position remains the subject of public interest, but the couple have continued to present themselves as independent from royal funding while building their lives outside the UK.