Inside Harry and Meghan’s ‘difficult’ funds as Royal Family faces Crown Estate audit
Sources close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have broken their silence on the couple’s finances as the Royal Family faces a formal Public Accounts Committee audit
Harry and Meghan could face a challenging financial future (Image: Peter Dejong/AP/REX/Shutterstock)
An inside close to Harry and Meghan has spoken out about the couple’s finances claiming they are in a “challenging” predicament.
The development comes as the House of Windsor confronts a financial examination this summer into its property portfolios and systems for renting enormous estate at below-market rates.
An insider close to the Duke and Duchess has said “in some respects, it is undoubtedly more challenging,” for the pair since they achieved monetary independence and departed from the establishment. They continued: “[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,” reports the Mirror.
“But what they do have is an independent and entirely self-funded life – one that nobody else has to pay for and nobody else needs to worry about funding…unlike the Royal Family. Is it right that they, that working members of the Royal Family should have their finances scrutinised, absolutely. They should be treated the same as any other public institution or body,” the source added.
When Harry and Meghan decided to step down as working royals in 2020, their exit sparked a significant public backlash over the taxpayer funds used to refurbish their UK residence, Frogmore Cottage. During the uproar, the couple reimbursed the reported £2.4 million spent on the property and paid market rent for it.
By 2023, a Palace spokesperson confirmed the couple had “fulfilled their financial obligations in relation to the property.” Now, insiders close to the couple claim they had already budgeted for repaying the renovation costs before anyone requested them to.
Sources speaking to the Mirror claim: “Harry and Meghan always believed that repaying the money for Frogmore was the right thing to do. Many people have suggested they had to be pressured into it, but the reality is that they had already factored repayment into their plans when they decided to step away from the institution.”
This week, reports suggest Frogmore Cottage may soon be divided again, reverting to its previous format before Harry and Meghan transformed it into a single family home.
Since their exit, the property has remained largely unoccupied, with a disgraced former Prince Andrew reportedly declining to relocate there.
The development comes as a woman has claimed to have suffered inappropriate behaviour from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor at Royal Ascot while working as a waitress. Police are probing the claims as part of a wider investigation into the royal, 66, over the offence of misconduct in public office.
Andrew is accused of behaving inappropriately towards her at the swanky racing festival in 2002. His mum Queen Elizabeth was at the Berkshire do with other top royals during her Golden Jubilee year.
A Thames Valley spokeswoman said: “We cannot go into specifics of our ongoing investigation, but we are following all reasonable lines of inquiry.” Police have not revealed when they were first made aware of the allegation. Andrew attended at least two of the five days of the festival in 2002 and was snapped with his brothers King Charles and Prince Edward.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters .
