How Rich Is Meghan Markle?
With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, it was reported that Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, would initially not be traveling to be with the family in Balmoral upon her death, and would instead stay in England at least initially.
Explore: How Much is Prince Harry Worth?
See Our List: 100 Most Influential Money Experts
According to the BBC, her absence was confirmed by royal reporter Omid Scobie via Twitter, who shared that Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, would also not be in attendance as she cared for her three children in Windsor.
In the final few months of 2021, Markle’s lawyer, Jenny Afia, defended allegations that Markle bullied staff members at Kensington Palace. Markle also wrote a letter trying to make amends with her estranged father. And the mother of two and wife of Prince Harry appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” with a performance that one royal author said “embarrassed the royal family.” For all of those reasons and more, Markle’s knack for controversy was rumored as why she may not have initially traveled with the family upon the Queen’s death, especially as it had put a strain on her relationships with family members like Prince William and Prince Charles, according to ELLE.
Meghan Markle’s Net Worth
Amid multiple controversies, Markle has maintained a net worth of $60 million between herself and her husband, Prince Harry, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Although her marriage to the prince gave her the titles of Duchess of Sussex, Countess of Dumbarton and Baroness Kilkeel, Markle came into the marriage with her own money and career — and a net worth of $2 million when they walked down the aisle. The couple, who separated from the royal family in early 2020, gave away their rights to the money Harry received through his royal lineage.
In March 2020, Prince Harry told Oprah Winfrey that he and Markle had been cut off financially from the royal family and were relying on a reported $13 million trust Prince Harry inherited from the estate of Princess Diana. Since then, however, the couple has amassed incredible wealth of their own.
After leaving the royal family and moving to Markle’s home state of California, they signed a five-year, $100 million production deal with Netflix to produce feature films, children’s programming and documentaries, Celebrity Net Worth reported. They also signed a deal with Spotify for $18 million to expand their creative endeavors into podcast production and hosting. While contract terms were not announced, the deal could be worth as much as $35 million, one industry expert told Newsweek.
Book Contracts
In June, Markle’s first book, “The Bench,” was released, and it wound up as a New York Times bestseller. British media reported she could have received an advance of as much as $700,000 for the book, which is a story about fathers and sons.
Publisher Penguin Random House announced in July 2021 that it had purchased the rights to Price Harry’s “literary memoir” and that it was tentatively scheduled for a late 2022 publication. The company did not confirm reports in the British press that the deal is for four books, one of which will be a “wellness guide” penned by Markle. The Daily Mail reported the book contract could be worth as much as $40 million.
Career Before Meeting Prince Harry
Markle grew up in Hollywood, where her mother was a yoga instructor and her father was an Emmy-winning lighting director. Markle attended private schools and graduated from Northwestern University with degrees in theater and international studies. She went on to pursue a career as an actress, first appearing in small roles on “General Hospital,” “Century City,” “CSI: NY” and “Fringe” in the early 2000s. She earned extra income as a model, appearing for a brief stint on “Deal or No Deal.”
In July 2011, after a few movie appearances including the film “Horrible Bosses,” Markle joined the cast of “Suits,” reportedly earning $50,000 per episode, or an annual salary of $450,000, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Appearing on the TV show until 2017, she brought in a total of roughly $4 million.
While she was filming “Suits,” she also launched a lifestyle website The Tig and positioned herself as an influencer, eventually amassing three million Instagram followers, 800,000 Facebook followers and 350,000 Twitter followers, Celebrity Net Worth reported. The site estimates she brought in roughly $80,000 per year from the blog before taking down the site and archiving the materials in 2017.
Learn: Prince Philip’s Fortune After His Passing at Age 99
Find: How Rich Are King Charles III and the Rest of the British Royal Family?
Meghan Markle Real Estate
Using the money from their new media contracts in 2020, Meghan and Prince Harry purchased a $14.7 million Montecito, California estate, where they live with their two children. To purchase the property, they made a down payment of $5 million in cash and financed the rest with a $10 million mortgage, according to Celebrity Net Worth. They also paid back $3 million they used to remodel their home in Frogmore, U.K.
More From GOBankingRates
Jami Farkas and Sam DiSalvo contributed to the reporting for this article.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Rich Is Meghan Markle?
