LONDON — As Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, prepare to relocate to Britain after six years in California, one question has followed the couple since they first stepped back from royal duties in 2020: how do they support themselves, and what happens to that income once they are living in the U.K. again?
The short answer, according to years of financial reporting on the couple, is that their money no longer comes from the British taxpayer. It comes from entertainment deals, a growing consumer products business, book royalties, speaking fees and private wealth — a commercial operation that is expected to continue largely unchanged regardless of which country they call home.
No public funding, no working-royal income
When Harry and Meghan gave up their roles as working members of the royal family, they also gave up funding from the Sovereign Grant, the public money that supports the monarch’s official duties. They likewise lost government-funded police protection for their U.K. visits, a separate issue that has required them to rely on private security. None of that changes with a move back to Britain; the couple are returning as private citizens, not as working royals, and are not expected to receive royal income or automatic police protection.
Netflix remains the anchor deal
The single largest driver of the couple’s income has been their partnership with Netflix. The original agreement, signed through their Archewell Productions banner in 2020, was reported at the time to be worth roughly $100 million, according to multiple outlets including Euronews. The deal produced the 2022 docuseries “Harry & Meghan,” which drew more than 23 million viewers in its opening weeks, along with other titles such as “Heart of Invictus,” “Live to Lead” and “Polo.”
Not every project has landed with audiences. Meghan’s 2025 lifestyle series “With Love, Meghan” received a mixed reception, and Netflix ultimately opted not to renew the original overall agreement. The couple has since moved to a narrower, “first-look” arrangement with the streamer for future film and television projects, according to the Independent. Even so, Netflix has continued working with the Sussexes; announcing an extended multi-year agreement, chief content officer Bela Bajaria said Harry and Meghan “are influential voices whose stories resonate with audiences everywhere.”
Meghan’s As Ever brand has grown into a real business
Increasingly, the couple’s income is tilting away from streaming and toward Meghan’s consumer products company, As Ever, launched last year as a food and lifestyle brand. The label started with jam-style fruit spreads and has since expanded into wine, candles, tea and limited-edition items such as a hand-stamped leather bookmark that sold out within minutes of its launch, according to People magazine.
Reporting on the brand’s performance has varied widely. A stock inventory glitch on the company’s website suggested close to a million units of its signature fruit spread gift box had been produced, with industry estimates placing revenue from that single product line at roughly $36 million, according to Luxurylaunches. Other reporting, including from Newsweek using Similarweb data, found the brand’s website traffic fell sharply in the first half of 2026. As Ever also recently ended its distribution partnership with Netflix, with a company spokesperson saying the brand had reached a stage where it was ready “to stand on its own.” Speaking about the venture generally, Meghan has said, “As Ever is a brand that I created and poured my heart into.”
Book royalties and speaking fees add to the total
Harry’s 2023 memoir, “Spare,” became one of the fastest-selling nonfiction books in publishing history and remains a continuing source of royalty income. The couple also earns money through paid speaking engagements; Harry was reported to be paid around $50,000 for an appearance at the 2026 IAPP Global Summit in Washington, though neither he nor Meghan publicly list standard speaking fees.
Earlier ventures have also contributed to the couple’s finances over time, including a Spotify podcasting deal reported to be worth about $20 million to $25 million when it was signed in 2020, though that partnership ended in 2023.
Private wealth and real estate
Beyond entertainment and commercial deals, Harry holds private wealth tied to his family, including inheritance connected to his late mother, Princess Diana, and other royal family sources built up over decades. The couple’s primary residence, a roughly $14.65 million estate in Montecito, California, purchased in 2020, is expected to remain in the family’s hands even as they establish a base in Britain, according to the Royal Observer, alongside a holiday property in Portugal.
Estimates of the couple’s combined net worth vary considerably depending on the source and how much of Harry’s family wealth is included, ranging from tens of millions of dollars up to $60 million or more in some reporting, according to NewsNation. Because Netflix’s payment schedule, As Ever’s finances and the couple’s other holdings are private, no single verified figure has been publicly confirmed.
New costs are also part of the picture
The couple’s finances are not moving in only one direction. In August, Prince Harry and co-claimants including Elton John were ordered to pay roughly $13 million in legal costs after losing a privacy case against the Daily Mail over allegations of unlawful information-gathering, according to Parade. That financial hit has been cited by some reports as a factor in the timing of the couple’s decision to return to Britain.
Income stream, not royal funding, going forward
Taken together, the picture that emerges is of a couple whose income in Britain will look much as it has in California: a mix of media deals, a growing product business, book royalties, appearance fees and private family wealth, entirely separate from the funding structures that support working members of the royal family. Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not issued a public accounting of their finances, and neither Buckingham Palace nor Archewell has commented specifically on how the couple’s income arrangements might change now that they are relocating to the U.K.
