The ridiculous claim by Meghan and Harry that they will be financially independent

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry say they plan to make themselves financially independent. But the idea of these two big spenders achieving that goal is laughable, writes Sophie Elsworth.

• Why Prince Harry turned his back on the Queen
• Harry, Meghan share ‘happy’ post
• Meghan’s post-royal career revealed
• Meghan and Harry’s big move will be anything but easy

Meghan Markle and her under-the-thumb husband Prince Harry clearly don’t understand the definition of financial independence.

According to the Collins dictionary, “if someone is independent they do not need help or money from anyone else”.

But this duo don’t seem to get that.

The greedy pair have lapped up insane expenses at the cost of the British taxpayer and happily accepted massive handouts from the royal family.

When “Megxit” was revealed this week – Meghan and Harry dropped the bombshell right in time to destroy their sister-in-law’s Kate Middleton’s 38th birthday celebrations – it left the world asking all sorts of questions.

They tossed in the towel, well sort of, but said they would still support the Queen yet reduce their roles of being in the royal limelight.

In the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Instagram post they wrote, “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen”.

Sorry Meghan and Harry, but I don’t think financial independence includes letting the British taxpayer foot your whopping $A1.1 million annual security bill that you still won’t have to shell out a cent for.

You still want this bill picked up by someone else.

And throw on top of this the fact Prince Charles is expected to keep paying them up to $A4 million a year through his property investment fund until they get on their feet financially.

Let’s not let slide the fact they did not have to fork out a cent for their lavish $A60 million wedding back in 2018.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been big spenders – so how will they achieve their goal of financial independence? Picture: Ben Birchall – WPA Pool / Getty Images

And then grandma, the Queen, allowed them to renovate Frogmore Cottage which cost a massive $A5.3 million to spruce up, after their previous residence of Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace “could not accommodate their growing family”.

But again, this wasn’t paid for by their own money; it was a handout to do up a property owned by the Queen.

They obviously don’t realise that multi-million handouts and expenses paid for does not equate to being financially independent.

This couple want their cake and to eat it too.

They want to toss out their royal duties, yet keep their titles, their handouts and still happily let British taxpayers foot some of their bills.

What an insult.

And considering they are supposedly ecowarriors, the amount of money they waste is quite astounding.

Meghan racked up a wardrobe bill that cost a massive $A750,000 in 2018 alone – again a cost to the British taxpayer.

And they weren’t short of flying around on private jets either, amassing huge bills and goodness knows how much damage to the planet they are supposedly trying to save.

Perhaps they could save a few bucks and do what Kate and William do, that is haul their suitcases and three small children onto a budget airline FlyBe plane to get to Balmoral at just $A140 a head.

How can Meghan and Harry possibly believe their own rubbish they will be financially independent defies belief.

Continuing to sponge of the British taxpayer and the royal family yet declaring they will be financially independent makes no sense.

As Meghan’s half-sister Samantha Markle said on Sunrise on Friday their claim to be financially independent was “really insulting and quite hurtful”.

“You abscond with multi million dollars from the royal wedding on, to now saying all of a sudden we quit, we are taking all this money and we are going to be independent,” she told Kochie and Sam Armytage.

Samantha Markle has been a trenchant critic of her half-sister Meghan. Picture: Fox13

But Meghan and Harry have declared they will no longer receive funding from the Sovereign Grant – which is the money where the royal family is paid from – so time will tell what happens here.

How are the two going to earn a buck like the rest of us?

They have declared they are going to earn a professional income which under the existing royal structure they cannot do.

So will they scroll through job ads and be like the rest of us, going to work each day?

If their new Royal Sussex website – launched immediately after their website, sussexroyal.com was created – is anything to go by, they are setting up their own charity which is likely to be their main source of financial income.

They’ve already trademarked the brand Sussex Royal on more than 100 goods and services so this should be a nice little money spinner for them too.

But as for being financially independent, it seems a very long way off.

@sophieelsworth