Prince Harry entered a new chapter of his life when he married Suits actress Meghan Markle. In a lot of ways, the couple has taken big steps away from the royal family as they welcomed Prince Archie in 2019 and Princess Lilibet in 2021, and moved to a new home in Montecito, California in 2020. Now, amid frequent reports about the Duke of Sussex’s turbulent relationship with his family, he’s apparently inherited millions from them for his 40th birthday.
Now, that the British royal family member has turned 40, according to the London Times (via Page Six), he has inherited more than $10 million. The money came from his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, who passed away in 2002. She put $25 million in a trust fund for her great-grandchildren back in 1994, and according to a former palace aid, this was to ensure some of the Queen Mother’s estate “could be ring-fenced for them.”
Prince Harry and his older brother, Prince William, got the money in two installments on their 21st and 40th birthdays. The two siblings received $7.9 million when they turned 21. However, it looks like the younger brother will receive a more impressive payday than Prince William got. This was because Prince Harry was not in line to be king and would not benefit from the Duchy of Cornwall with his older brother being in ownership of it.
To celebrate the big 4-0 milestone, Markle threw her husband a party in their Montecito home. Despite being estranged from the Royal Family, Prince Harry still received birthday wishes from his father King Charles III, his brother Prince William, and his sister-in-law Kate Middleton on the official Royal Family X account as well. The Post reported that the Duke of Sussex also received a phone call from some of his relatives. So, it looks like the Invictus Games founder received a whole lotta love as well as a whole lotta money from his family on his big day.
Now, the questions turn to how he’ll use it. While I doubt we’ll ever really know, I can’t help but think about how it could help Prince Harry’s upcoming projects and activist work.
For example, the prince and Meghan Markle’s Spotify deal may have ended, but they still plan to have two docuseries that will eventually be available with a Netflix subscription. One will be about Markle’s cooking and gardening journey and the other was shot on location in Florida and is about the world of professional polo.
So, while the Duke celebrates his milestone birthday and this big payday, we’ll keep you posted on updates regarding this inheritance and his upcoming projects.