King Charles has informed Meghan Markle and Prince Harry they will remain “private citizens” with no working role in the Royal Family as the couple reportedly plan a UK return.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who stepped back from senior royal duties in 2020, are said to be relocating to England with their children enrolled to start school in September. Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, have spent the past six years in Montecito, California, where they built a lucrative post-royal career through media deals.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, the couple now hold a combined fortune of $60 million. Meghan entered the marriage with $5 million earned from her acting career, including seven seasons on “Suits” where her salary reportedly jumped to $50,000 per episode in the final two seasons. She also ran lifestyle blog The Tig from 2014 to 2017. Harry brought $20 million to the union, including inheritance from Princess Diana’s estate and funds from Queen Elizabeth.
Harry addressed their financial situation during his 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey. “I have what my mum left me and without that we wouldn’t have been able to do this,” he said of their move to America. “It’s like she saw it coming and she’s been with us through this whole process.”
Reports said Diana left an estate of £21 million, reduced to £13 million after inheritance tax, split equally between Harry and Prince William. Her assets included stocks, jewelry, her divorce settlement, and personal items. Queen Elizabeth also reportedly left roughly £14 million for the brothers to share.
The couple’s wealth surged dramatically after losing access to The Sovereign Grant, which stands at £86.3 million annually as of 2025. Harry’s 2023 memoir “Spare” brought a reported $20 million upfront payment from Penguin Random House as part of a multi-book deal. Their 2022 Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan” fueled speculation of a partnership worth between $60 million and $100 million.
Their financial independence came at a cost. Harry launched legal action against News Group Newspapers and Mirror Group Newspapers over alleged phone hacking, later testifying in court as the first senior British royal to give evidence in more than 130 years. In 2024, Mirror Group settled with a £140,600 damages award, while News Group Newspapers offered what Harry’s team called a “full and unequivocal apology” for “serious intrusion” between 1996 and 2011, agreeing to pay “substantial damages.”
Security disputes have dominated Harry’s post-royal legal battles. The committee responsible for royal security removed his taxpayer-funded protection in 2020 after he ceased being a “working royal.” Harry challenged the decision as “unlawful and unfair,” but the High Court dismissed his case in 2024. Three Court of Appeal judges rejected his appeal, ruling the case-by-case protection arrangement “lawful and rational.”
Harry said he “would love a reconciliation” with his family but claimed his father “won’t speak to me because of this security stuff,” He added: “I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.”
Despite those words, the couple reportedly met with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House earlier this year. Harry also joined his father for a private tea at Clarence House in London, their first face-to-face meeting in 19 months, following the King’s cancer announcement.
The couple’s relationship with the Royal Family fractured publicly in 2021 when Meghan told Oprah she experienced suicidal thoughts while pregnant with Archie, and the couple alleged “concerns and conversations” within the family about “how dark” their son’s skin might be. The Palace responded that “some recollections may vary” but called the issues “concerning” and said they would be “addressed by the family privately.”
Earlier tensions included Harry’s 2016 statement condemning media treatment of Meghan, when his communications secretary detailed “the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.”
The Sussexes married at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in May 2018. Their son Archie was born in London in 2019, followed by daughter Lilibet in California in 2021. They announced their step-back from senior roles in January 2020, stating they planned to “balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America” while launching a “new charitable entity.”
Harry attended King Charles’ 2023 coronation alone, seated two rows behind William, and departed within hours. The family appeared together at Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 but were excluded from the Buckingham Palace balcony appearance.
The couple’s reported September school enrollment timeline suggests an imminent permanent return to British soil.