Under Pressure
AS BILLS TO SUPPORT THEIR LAVISH LIFESTYLE CONTINUE TO MOUNT, HARRY AND MEGHAN ARE RESORTING TO CHEESY ENDORSEMENT DEALS.
PRINCE HARRY and wife Meghan Markle looked carefree as they made their way out of their car and into the ultraposh Los Angeles eatery San Vicente Bungalows on March 1. Harry, looking put-together in dark jeans and a wool jacket, led the way into the $4,200 a year private dinner club as Meghan — wearing sleek black leather leggings, matching heels and a beige sweater coat — followed closely behind. Photographers, who regularly park outside the VIP-friendly spot, were on hand to snap the couple.
Notably, the outing came just hours after news broke that the couple had been ordered by King Charles III to vacate their last remaining U.K. home, Frogmore Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle, reportedly so Charles’ disgraced brother Prince Andrew can move in. “It was obviously a strategic move on Meghan and Harry’s part,” says a palace insider of the high-profile date night, noting that Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, were “clearly putting on a show to prove they couldn’t care less about the eviction.”
The photos didn’t tell the full story. According to the source, the couple is far more upset than they’re letting on, and stress over their strained finances and shattered dreams of making it big in the U.S. after leaving the royal family is causing trouble in their marriage. “When Meghan and Harry made the move to California in 2020, they had big plans,” the source tells Star. “But the feeling among their friends is that they’re spending more than they’re bringing in, and it’s going to land them in the hole.”
BLEEDING MONEY
Harry and Meghan have certainly made some power moves since stepping back from their official royal duties and relocating across the pond. They signed lucrative multiyear deals with Netflix (their 2022 documentary, Harry & Meghan, was a streaming hit) and with Spotify, said to be worth $100 million and $25 million respectively.
But their A-list lifestyle is expensive, and it’s left them with what insiders say is crushing debt. They took out a $10 million mortgage on their $14.6 million six-bedroom Montecito spread and have to shell out big bucks on upkeep. “Then there’s the staffing and security bills,”
says the source. While Harry’s memoir, Spare — in which he spilled secrets about the royal family — is a bestseller, the profits “may not be enough to carry” the parents of Archie, 3, and Lili, 21 months, through another year “of living high on the hog,” says the source. (His four-book deal with Penguin Random House is worth a reported $35 million; insiders wonder whether he has enough dirt to fill three more tomes.)
Harry is used to having the finer things in life. “When Harry was a royal, he’d go on huge shopping sprees, glamorous vacations and buy everyone drinks and dinner at expensive London restaurants,” an insider previously told Star. “Charles funded everything, so Harry didn’t have to think about money.” Being cut off financially by his father — said to be inspired by a desire to “slim down” the royal family, though some also suspect a bit of revenge — has been a rude awakening for Harry. The source says the pair had been holding out hope that Charles, 74, would come around and offer them some financial assistance. “They never imagined they would be totally cut off,” says the source. Even before Charles closed his coffers, however, a source says Meghan was shocked at how little money Harry had. “After they were married, all they could afford was furniture from IKEA,” says the source.
CASH GRAB
They’ve had to get creative to generate income. In late February, Meghan appeared in an Instagram ad for the coffee brand Clevr Blends. In it, the brand’s founder revealed the duchess had invested in Clevr in 2020 as a gesture of goodwill,
but to some the clip reeked of sponsored content. “Yes, Meghan wants to support women entrepreneurs like herself,” says the source, “but don’t think she’s doing it for nothing.” Harry, meanwhile, is charging people $39.95 to view a live-stream event of a therapy session with trauma
expert Dr. Gabor Maté. “Harry’s goal is to promote therapy as a way to help with mental health issues, but charging people to watch seems tacky,” says the source, “and is just another example of how low he’ll go to make a buck.”
ROYAL TIES
The Frogmore Cottage eviction was a huge blow, especially considering the fact that the pair were forced to pay back the $3.2 million in taxpayer money they’d used to renovate the property before moving in. A source says Meghan may urge Harry to demand a multi-million dollar settlement from Charles.
Yet many believe Charles will never relent after Harry’s tell-all. “Harry
doesn’t regret writing it, but he’s faced some serious consequences as a result,” says the source. His rift with his older brother, Prince William, “may never be repaired and Harry will have to live with that,” adds the source. “But what Charles has done with Frogmore seems petty. Harry and Meghan will have to stay in hotels when they’re in the U.K.”
HITTING BACK
Harry may get the last laugh. When the paperback edition of Spare comes out, the plan is to include a new chapter. “Harry could very well spill more details about the royal family,” says the source, “and they could prove to be quite devastating.” H