Why did Harry and Meghan leave the Royal Family, and where do they get their money?

The couple has since launched various commercial ventures, including a new lifestyle brand headed by Meghan Markle called American Riviera Orchard. Harry and Meghan met in 2016 and married in 2018. They stepped down as senior royals in January 2020.

Angry about media intrusion, they were frustrated that Buckingham Palace stopped them developing their “SussexRoyal” brand. Harry remains a prince and is fifth in line to the throne. The couple kept their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles, but are no longer addressed as his or her royal highness (HRH). Harry also gave up his military titles. When Harry’s father Charles became King, the couple’s two children became Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet of Sussex.

Harry and Meghan moved to California in June 2020, saying they wanted space to raise Archie. Lilibet was born there in 2021. The couple no longer has an official UK residence. In early 2023, they were asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage, a Grade-II listed property on the Windsor estate. In April 2024, documents filed to Companies House listed the US as the country where Harry is usually resident, instead of the UK.

The change was dated 29 June 2023, thought to be the date the couple formally left Frogmore Cottage. The conservative US think tank The Heritage Foundation has raised questions about Harry’s immigration status because of his previous comments about taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms. The duke and duchess returned to the UK for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, and her funeral in September of that year.

Harry attended the King’s coronation in May 2023 without Meghan. In February 2024, he flew back for a 45-minute meeting with Charles, after Buckingham Palace announced that the King was being treated for cancer. He has also returned to London for his various court cases against newspaper publishers. On 8 May, the duke will attend a service at St Paul’s Cathedral in London to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.

Harry launched the sporting event for military personnel who have been wounded in action after his own time serving in the armed forces.
After stepping back from official duties, the duke and duchess were no longer afforded the security arrangements provided for senior royals. When Harry first left the UK, he said it would be too dangerous to bring his family back without adequate police protection and took the government to the High Court. Home Office lawyers said the duke would still have publicly-funded police security in the UK, under “bespoke arrangements”.

In late February 2024, the High Court ruled that the chosen approach “was, and is, legally sound”. An earlier separate court ruling rejected the prince’s request to be allowed to pay privately for more substantial protection. In April 2024, Harry’s legal team said he would seek permission from the Court of Appeal to challenge the High Court decision. As working royals, they received 95% of their annual income from Harry’s father, then Prince of Wales. The taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant made up the other 5%.

When they stepped down as senior royals, King Charles gave them “a substantial sum” to help establish their new life. Harry and Meghan set up the Archewell charitable foundation, and entered into a number of commercial arrangements with private companies. In February 2024 the couple launched their Sussex.com website, which says they are “shaping the future through business and philanthropy”. In March 2024, Meghan launched what appeared to be a new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard.

Little is known about the new venture, but in April 2024, pictures of branded jam jars circulated on social media, suggesting it may sell food products. The Sussexes’ media company, Archewell Productions, has made programmes for Netflix, under a deal thought to be worth millions of dollars. These include the Harry and Meghan documentary series, in which the couple talked about life in the Royal Family. The Heart of Invictus series discussed Harry’s emotional “unravelling” after military service in Afghanistan.

Archewell also made podcasts for Spotify under a contract thought to be worth $25m (£19.7m). The arrangement ended in June 2023. In February 2024, Meghan announced a new podcast deal with Lemonada Media. Harry’s memoir, Spare, was published in January 2023. It discussed his relationship with his brother and father, as well as his grief over the death of his mother, Princess Diana. The book’s publishers promised $1.5m (£1.18m) and £300,000 would be given to the Sentebale and WellChild charities. Meghan wrote a children’s book called The Bench in 2021.