Duchess Meghan: $PENDING MILLIONS!
BETWEEN A NEW BABY AND RENOVATIONS TO FROGMORE COTTAGE, THE DUCHESS OF SUSSEX IS SPARING NO EXPENSE.
JUST a year after joining the royal family, Duchess Meghan has gotten mighty comfortable with her new lifestyle at the palace — and has the shopping-spree receipts to prove it. A Star source reports that after marrying Prince Harry last May, Meghan, 37, immediately started dipping into the royal coffers to fund her taste for the high life — and her pregnancy with newborn son Archie, who arrived in May, and subsequent first weeks of motherhood have only ramped up her habits. The source says the Duchess of Sussex splashed more than $600,000 on her pregnancy wardrobe, said to be several times the amount sister-in-law and mom of three Duchess Kate spent on her own maternity wear. Her lavish New York City trip for a baby shower in February also cost a pretty penny: She took a private chartered jet across the pond, stayed in a five-star hotel and hosted A-list guests, including Serena Williams and Amal Clooney — whom she dazzled with copious flowers, a cotton candy machine, a mandarin tree and expensive favors — which totaled an estimated $430,000. And while Meghan “insists that most, if not everything, she buys for herself is out of her own money,” says an insider, “everyone knows there’s a gray area now that she’s a duchess. Meghan’s ultimately using a lot of the royal cash at her disposal.”
ON A ROLL
Despite a break from the public eye — and from the royal duties that require extravagant travel and attire — while on maternity leave, the source says Meghan has only continued to splurge. While Harry, 34, has been off on engagements since Archie’s May 6 birth — jetting to Rome for a charity polo match on May 24 and then back to Buckingham Palace to attend back-to-back events — Meghan has been “cooped up at home with some muchneeded time to decompress,” explains the i “And for Meghan, nothing is more relaxi online retail therapy. She’s spending a for baby clothes and decorations for the royal crib, as well as treats for herself.” Since she’s avoiding wine and snacks to get back into shape after giving birth, the insider spills that shopping has become her biggest vice: “The only trouble is, Meghan’s got extremely expensive tastes!” Given her tendency to brush off royal protocol, Meghan’s spending sprees come at no surprise. But with new plans to extensively renovate her and Harry’s home (see sidebar), Meghan may push her in-laws past their comfort zone. “Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles will be keeping close watch,” says a palace insider, “so she’d better rein in her spending fast and show some humility if she wants to avoid a massive conflict.”