Insiders have claimed Meghan Markle is ‘craving’ fame and a jet-set billionaire lifestyle she thought she would marry into.
Those in royal circles claimed the Duchess ‘wants to be a billionaire’ and was shocked to realise William and Kate would ‘ultimately be in charge of her allowance’.
This is said to have lead to the couple moving abroad for sunnier skies and launching one business venture after another in a bid to fund their lavish lifestyle abroad.
Meghan and Harry signed a £80million five-year Netflix deal in 2021, which includes her recent show. She also recently announced she is launching a new podcast on smaller start-up Limonada on April 8.
This is Confessions Of A Female Founder, in which she promises to discuss turning ‘small ideas into billion-dollar businesses’.
Those in royal circles are also said to be concerned about Meghan’s increasing use of the couple’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to promote her business.
Meghan posted a glossy picture of her cuddling them on both her personal and official As Ever sites.
Just one hour after posting the image, she revealed she now has a ‘ShopMy page’ which experts say she is likely to cash in on.
It is expected she will rake in ‘millions’ with her online shop selling fashion items she endorses in a commercial tie-up.
Insiders have claimed Meghan Markle is ‘craving’ fame and a jet-set billionaire lifestyle she thought she would marry into
Meghan recently announced she is launching a new podcast on smaller start-up Limonada on April 8. This is Confessions Of A Female Founder, in which she promises to discuss turning ‘small ideas into billion-dollar businesses’
Meghan Markle was labelled as tacky amid growing discomfort around the Duchess seemingly using her children to promote business ventures
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, gave her 2.6million Instagram followers a closer look inside her wardrobe when she launched an online shop
A royal insider told The Sun: ‘She wants to be a billionaire. She wants a private jet. She wants to live a certain life.
‘The assumption is if you marry a Prince of England then you end up with a private jet and the lifestyle she craves.
‘But when she realised William and Kate would ultimately be in charge of how much they got in terms of their allowance, she was saying, ‘We gotta get out of here’.’
When Meghan married the Prince, although Harry had savings and an inheritance, the purse strings were held by Charles via the Duchy of Cornwall.
This gave around £5million to share between his sons.
But when Charles became King in 2022, control of the funds passed to William.
One of the reasons Meghan and Prince Harry parted ways with the Royal Family was the monarchy’s refusal to accept commercial endorsements by the couple.
The Duchess, 43, who stepped back from frontline royal duties alongside her husband in 2020, wrote over a screen-recorded video of her new online store: ‘Many of you have asked, so here you go! A little shopping to start the week.’
The link opens to a ShopMy storefront and Meghan’s first drop includes a £148 white linen shirt and Heidi Merrick’s ‘Windsor’ gown for an eye-watering £1,068
The Duchess of Sussex has faced a critical backlash recently for her Netflix cookery series
Her Netflix show was panned by critics, but the Duchess of Sussex is still confident that people want a slice of what she is selling.
Meghan has doubled down by launching an Instagram ‘shop’ flogging clothing and accessories that she has ‘hand-picked’, earning commission on each item sold.
The ShopMy site features 32 items ‘curated’ by the duchess with ‘affiliated’ links to the brands’ websites.
While there are a few affordable items, including a £99 Uniqlo trenchcoat, many seem way out of the average shopper’s budget. Others appear to shamelessly highlight her royal links or endorse her well-connected friends’ ventures.
It came as Graydon Carter, the former editor of Vanity Fair, said the duchess was ‘adrift on facts and reality’.
Meghan was the star of one of Mr Carter’s final editions as editor, in October 2017, with the cover line: ‘She’s just wild about Harry.’
He admitted that he had ‘no idea’ who Meghan was when one of his team suggested her for the cover, asking them: ‘Why should we do a story on her?’ His colleague replied: ‘Because she’s going to marry Prince Harry.’
This crossbody bag linked on Meghan’s ShopMy site costs £712
This oversized linen shirt from the brand Reformation costs £128. White linen pants by J Crew come with a £123 price tag
But when a Vanity Fair reporter interviewed Meghan, she apparently snapped: ‘Excuse me, is this going to all be about Prince Harry? Because I thought we were going to be talking about my charities and my philanthropy.’
One of the most expensive items on her ShopMy site is a £1,070 ivory ‘Windsor’ Heidi Merrick gown – the name of the royal estate in Berkshire where she and Prince Harry married and once lived.
Then there are the Ariel Gordon £215 ‘royal signet’ stud earrings and a £595 pair of tan Saint Laurent slides.
A £271 black ‘Storie’ linen dress is sourced from California-based designer Tracy James, a new and good friend of Meghan who is helpfully married to the CEO of Paramount Pictures, Brian Robbins.
Meghan’s Instagram site was launched at the start of the year in advance of her ‘With Love, Meghan’ lifestyle programme and her soon-to-come As Ever range of merchandise.
It now contains a ShopMy link with the message: ‘A hand-picked and curated collection of the things I love – I hope you enjoy them! Please note, some products may contain commissionable links.’
Under the terms of Harry and Meghan’s agreement with Buckingham Palace when they acrimoniously quit royal duties, there is nothing to stop her selling products as long as she doesn’t nakedly cash in on her royal links.
However, it is notable that the new scheme has been launched using her full title, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.