It was January 8, 2020, when, through the official Instagram profile of the Dukes of Sussex, Prince Harry of England and Meghan Markle announced that they would become independent from the British royal family and live in North America. With the recent news of their return to the United Kingdom six years later, which was made public last August 20, it is almost inevitable to look back and check if the couple achieved that independence from Buckingham; not only the one that came from putting miles between them and the Windsors, but also the “financial independence” they aspired to in that post, in which they clearly stated their firm intention to “take a step forward and start to progressively forge a new role within this institution [the Crown].”
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During their American adventure, with that Instagram profile frozen in time since March 2020 (like someone running away and leaving the door open), Harry of England and Meghan Markle doubled their headlines — now adding those from across the pond — but their hefty contracts have not all been equally successful. During the Megxit, as the British press dubiously named the couple’s exit from the UK, there was everything: from the launch of the duchess’s lifestyle brand, As Ever, to the publication of Spare, the biography written by her husband giving (juicy) free rein to his family dramas.
To the successes and failures that come with any business venture, you have to add the costs they have faced during this time. According to Page Six, these include two mortgages on their $14.5 million mansion in Montecito, California, staff costs, and a vacation home in Portugal, as well as around three million dollars a year in private security expenses. The American magazine points out that their financial situation became so precarious that they had to reduce staff, now having four full-time employees, far from the 18 they once had. They were also forced to cut back on their Archewell Foundation, which, after losing millions in donations, ended up on California’s delinquent list.
Page Six explains that the foundation finally closed its doors after laying off all staff and took on the name Archewell Philanthropies, adopting a fiscal sponsorship model that outsources most administrative operations. Additionally, the couple now faces a multimillion-dollar legal bill after losing Prince Harry’s lawsuit against the Daily Mail (which he accused of illegally obtaining information) last July. According to reports published this Friday, the presiding judge considered that they presented a “highly unreasonable” case and ordered the prince and those accompanying him in the case to pay a multimillion-dollar sum within just seven days.
Arrival in the United States
Although they did not arrive exactly empty-handed, by the time the Dukes of Sussex set foot in Los Angeles, where they moved from Canada — Markle had already started her solo life there during the filming of Suits — in March 2020, they no longer had the financial backing of the royal family: “I have what my mother left me, and without that, we wouldn’t have been able to [move to the United States],” the prince told Oprah Winfrey in an explosive interview.
In her will, Princess Diana left her two sons £6.5 million (about €7.5 million at current exchange rates) to be managed in trusts until they turned 30. Harry’s, The Telegraph reported, ended up generating interest that brought him £10 million (almost €12 million) by that age. Other British media such as Daily Mail also suggest that the youngest son of Charles III of England may have received around £19 million (more than €22 million) in inheritance from his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
September 2020, Netflix deal
It is estimated that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have earned more than $100 million during this time thanks to publishing contracts and deals with Netflix and Spotify. These were undoubtedly the most lucrative of their stay in the United States, when upon arrival their royal allure was still irresistible to the press and the public of that country, who welcomed them with curiosity and enthusiasm.
The five-year deal with Netflix was signed in September 2020, practically just after landing. According to numerous media reports, sources close to the deal said it was around $60 million, a large part allocated to overhead costs and the rest to their coffers. The crown jewel of that contract was the six-episode series Harry & Meghan, The Documentary, in which they were expected to reveal the details of their estrangement from the royal family. They did, but the premiere had to wait for the two installments released in December 2022, by which time they had already sat down to talk about the same with Oprah, the first to have them exclusively, in March 2021.
Another major project for Netflix was the documentary about the Invictus Games, the international sporting competition for war veterans wounded in action that Lady Di’s youngest son founded in 2014 and one of the causes closest to his heart. Titled Heart of Invictus, the five-episode series premiered in August 2023, with the Duke of Sussex as executive producer.
In April 2024, the couple announced two new projects with Netflix. The first, produced by their company Archewell, was conceived as a docuseries starring Markle, which, they said, would “celebrate the joys of cooking, gardening, hosting at home, and friendship.” The second focused on one of Prince Harry’s great passions, polo. This premiered in December 2024 with executive production by Archewell Productions, the Sussexes’ production company.
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In March 2025, Markle’s major solo project arrived on the platform, finally titled Heart of Invictus (and whose launch had to be delayed after the devastating California wildfires that year). Premiered on March 4, her new lifestyle show on Netflix ended up with eight episodes in which she shared her culinary, beauty, and decorating tips. After two seasons and a Christmas special, Markle’s series closed in January 2026, with a considerable drop in viewership.
After the end of their contract with the streaming platform, in August 2025 they announced new projects under a new, much less lucrative deal — although the amount has never been disclosed. Since then, Netflix has what is known as a “first look” deal, meaning they must present their ideas to the streaming giant, which has the power to reject them. As an example, in May 2022 the platform decided to cancel the production of Pearl, the feminist animated series Markle was preparing and which they had already announced together.
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December 2020, collaboration with Spotify
In December 2020, the Dukes of Sussex announced their $20 million collaboration (about €17 million at current exchange rates) with Spotify, although it proved less fruitful than at least one party expected. In June 2023, after two and a half years (they had signed for five), the agreement between the platform and Archewell Audio, the couple’s company, ended “by mutual agreement” with only one project aired: the 12 episodes of the first season of the podcast Archetypes.
When the deal dissolved, it became known that the lack of ideas weighed heavily on Spotify’s decision not to renew. In October 2023, during an interview with the BBC, Daniel Ek, the platform’s CEO, diplomatically explained that they thought there would be “more innovation” and more “happiness” in the royal couple’s talks.
January 2023, memoir release
Prince Harry’s most anticipated project — aside from the documentary with his wife on Netflix — was for years his memoir, first announced in July 2021 and for which he pocketed $20 million. Under the title Spare [En la sombra], the memoir was finally published on January 10, 2023.
The exiled prince’s biography did not disappoint those expecting big headlines: fights with his brother, cocaine at 17, and denial of Diana’s death were some of the past details Harry shared in this book published by Penguin Random House. It became a publishing phenomenon, selling more than six million copies worldwide and becoming the fastest-selling nonfiction book in history.
One couple, two profiles
Since arriving in America, the youngest son of Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, has maintained a public profile very focused on mental health and philanthropic causes. In March 2021, he joined BetterUp, a Silicon Valley mental health start-up, as director of impact, with an annual salary reportedly reaching one million dollars. The prince has also been co-creator and executive producer of the Apple TV+ mental health series The Me You Can’t See, alongside Oprah Winfrey.
And while the duke has focused on more philanthropic work, the Duchess of Sussex has left few stones unturned in doing business in her home country. In March 2024, the former actress returned to Instagram after more than three years of silence on social media to present her new lifestyle brand, initially called American Riviera Orchard and focused on kitchen items, later expanding to bedding, creams, dog shampoo, and even gardening scissors. After patent office issues, in February 2025 it became known that the duchess had to relaunch the project as As Ever, which finally launched in April, with Netflix as a brand partner. The success of her jams, edible flowers, and honey was immediate: once launched, all As Ever products — which, of course, she showcased on her show — sold out in less than 30 minutes.
In March 2026, it became known that Meghan Markle and Netflix had ended their partnership, and thus, after five years of collaboration, the entertainment giant left the Duchess of Sussex alone with her lifestyle brand, just two months after her series was canceled on the platform. According to Daily Mail, a data leak suggested there was an unsold stock of jam possibly amounting to 220,000 jars, with an estimated value of $10 million (€8.5 million). After the announcement of her return to British territory, many media outlets wonder if that will also mean the arrival of her brand.
After her poor collaboration with Spotify, in April 2025 Markle launched a second podcast, Confessions of a Founder Woman: a series of interviews in collaboration with Lemonada Media, in which the duchess interviewed, among others, Spanx founder Sara Blakely and Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder of Bumble. It is unknown if there will be a second season.
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Besides her foray into lifestyle, in June 2021 Markle ventured into publishing. She published the children’s book The Bench with Duomo Ediciones, a story about fatherhood written by her featuring illustrations dedicated to her family (her second daughter, Lilibet, was born that year) and which made the The New York Times bestseller list. On a less creative front, the duchess has a considerable investment portfolio in her home country, from the healthy beverage company Clevr Blends to the luxury handbag brand Cesta Collective, as well as the hair care company Highbrow Hippie, the menopause-focused start-up Midi Health, and OneOff, a fashion company based on artificial intelligence. Alongside her husband, in October 2021 she joined the investment firm Ethic as impact partners, contributing part of their own capital.
Although the Dukes of Sussex have not yet made any statement about their plans once settled near London, it seems Meghan Markle already has a plan laid out. This Friday, British media reported that she has been offered a role in a UK production, something also confirmed by Variety, the US industry-specialized outlet, and journalist Tina Brown in her newsletter: “I can confirm Meghan has a job. It is not yet clear what show it is, but it finally allows Harry to get support for his growing desire to leave this paradise and return home, to the world he knows,” she says. Already in November 2025, there were rumors when she visited the set of the film Close Personal Friends, still in post-production, in which the duchess will have a small role playing herself.
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