Sussexit: Harry and Meghan face being forced to pay rent after going it alone

Harry and Meghan face losing significant income, police protection and even their royal titles.

The Queen is said to be deeply upset at the decision by Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex. Picture: AP.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex could see their lives turned upside down by the decision to go their own way as they face losing significant income, police protection and even their royal titles.

With Buckingham Palace reeling from Harry and Meghan’s decision to announce that they planned to step down as senior royals before any of the details had been thrashed out, they could even face having to pay rent on Frogmore Cottage, their Windsor home which was recently renovated at taxpayers’ expense.

Talks between the couple and Buckingham Palace about how their future will be managed started only over Christmas. But, as the Buckingham Palace statement made clear, nothing has been agreed yet.

At the moment, most of their money supporting their official duties comes from the Prince of Wales. Palace officials were unable to say whether Charles would continue to support them. Neither was it clear how they would earn money. A statement on their new website said: “Under the current structure and financing arrangements, they are prohibited from earning income in any form.”

That, it is clear, will change. But if they are no longer working members of the royal family – a big if – and if they embrace commercial ventures in a way the Palace deems unsuitable, everything could change.

They could be obliged to pay rent on Frogmore Cottage. They could lose their taxpayer-funded Scotland Yard protection officers. And, depending on how far they go down the commercial route, they could even lose their titles. Prince Andrew’s former wife Sarah lost her HRH after her divorce.

The Daily Mail’s front page story on the split.

The Sun’s front page story.

The couple’s income from the public purse has always been limited to the expenditure on their official offices and expenses incurred from carrying out royal duties.

They said on Thursday (AEDT) that only 5 per cent of the costs of their office (the exact sum was not disclosed) came from the sovereign grant, the official state £82 million per year funding stream for the Queen and royal family members who carry out official duties.

The Sussexes will no longer receive that money but questions remain about whether they will still be supported by the Prince of Wales through his Duchy of Cornwall income which provides for the other 95 per cent of their official expenditure.

Prince Charles is understood to have financed the official duties of his two sons through the duchy at a cost of about £5 million per year. In the light of Harry and Meghan’s abrupt decision, he may well reconsider his support.

They said on their website that any private travel would be paid for privately. However any official overseas visits in support of the Queen and at the request of the Foreign Office would be paid for by the sovereign grant.

The Sussexes also made clear that they expect taxpayers to continue to finance their security costs – never disclosed – in their capacity as “internationally protected people”.

Police sources have previously raised eyebrows at the couple’s security costs, including the shipping of a fleet of secure cars to South Africa for their recent official visit there. There are longstanding concerns in Scotland Yard at the costs incurred by the number of royals who qualify for and request police protection.

The Sussexes emphasised that they want “financial autonomy” and in reality they already have it through significant private and inherited wealth.

Prince Harry’s personal fortune has been estimated at £30 million. The Queen Mother is thought to have left about £70 million in trust for her great-grandchildren, with Harry and his brother sharing around £14 million from her estate.

The brothers also inherited 75 per cent of the £21 million estate left by their mother Diana, Princess of Wales. She also left her jewellery to her sons.

Meghan is independently wealthy from her successful career as an actress that preceded her marriage to Harry. It has been reported that she was paid £333,000 per season for the US television drama Suits in which she starred for seven series. She has also earned six-figure sums for feature films and designed fashion collections.

“They are the only genuine A-list celebrities in the royal line-up,” one former aide said. “Obviously they will need to act with some decorum but they could make a lot of money.”

The Times