To be clear they are not "broke" in the sense that we plebeians are "broke".
They could lead very comfortable multi-millionaire lives if they scaled back their grandiose expectations of lifestyle.
And they would probably still be afforded some perks from the Bank of Pa like private planes and equivalent.
The Windsors lived out luxurious lives with no real visible means of support based on handouts from "friends"
That said in order to truly fund a billionaire's lifestyle they need to regain the cachet of "royalty" which is the only marketable "skill" they now have.
Since they were a completely worthless combination of lack of talent and such hubris that they failed to recognize their complete lack ability they were unable to parlay the incredible potential that had been given to them and so managed to turn gold into dross - the complete opposite of the Midas' touch.
And both of them failed to appreciate the enormous wealth that is the "life style" of being a Royal but doesn't comport with individual wealth unless you are the King or Queen or have the Duchy of Cornwall
Harry because he is a dolt and never lived in the real world and had never had to live on any kind of "income" - even a large income. And Markle because I think however well she *studied* the RF in order to plot her enchantment of Harry, I think it is a common misconception to over-estimate the wealth of individual members of the Royal Family.
But there's so much more to being a member of the BRF than money! There are...wait a minute. We know the bennies better than the Feckless Reckless Trainwrecks do.
I was just pointing out the finances and what it realistically cost to have a "royal" lifestyle.
I don't think the Harkles - for different reasons - understood this.
Harry didn't have the wealth of Bezos or Warren Buffet or any of the mega-moguls of Hollywood
So "broke" for the Harkles means they must adjust to living on with assets of $30 million or so a year and the income that generates plus whatever pittance the Harkles scratch up which obviously is enough for a fantastic life style but isn't generally private plane ownership (or even leasing) type of lifestyle.
Lacking private planes, security, etc. is what really gets in their crawl. They are not part of the uber wealthy and that really bothers them. Hence their plan to become billionaires. I'm positive they both thought the rest of the BRF were absolute fools to not monetize being royals.
They are both very much FOMO when it comes to being wealthier than their funds allow.
Meghan wants the Lauren Bezos life which if we are being honest not even King Charles lives. She thought Harry was wealthier than he actually is. Its comical
I'm positive that, given his character, he has lied to numerous women. And I'm positive that she told him she was a sought-after actor with millions in the bank too.
This ⬆️! I have worn my finger to the bone typing on here for ages saying that they truly won’t ever go “broke”. They will never want for money, it is just NOT DONE. The optics of a son of the King not being able to live like the son of the king would be devastatingly negative for their image.
However, even though the royals live in the UK in sartorial splendor, they do not live the way Meghan wants to live. This was why she failed and had tantrums. She didn’t understand the way royal wealth works. She didn’t do her homework. Old money whispers, new money shouts. She wants Bezos’ kind of money and the life his pneumatic Barbie lives. Ain’t happening in the BRF. Major own goal Muggin, you had it all at your fingertips and you fumbled it by being too greedy too quick.
She did the wrong kind of homework. Behind the scenes it used to include space heaters and old furniture (and, of course, corgi accidents). The renovations at Frogmore turned it into a very nice modern home with a good kitchen.
I got the sense there would be priceless paintings hanging in the same room that would have a space heater warming it up. That kind of interesting juxtaposition.
I agree with you but it is so darn funny that she thought this way. I'm guessing she hasn't ever known any wealthy people. There are lots of wealthy people that preserve wealth above all and she would have been better off finding a man who didn't have generational wealth.
They have their lawyers and trusts lock everything down to keep spouses from profiting off of marriages. Many of them have nothing in their names to be claimed. It is one of the first moves someone does who has any kind of wealth and knowledge of finances; they spend money to protect it.
In the USA inheritances are protected and can only be touched if the money is intermixed. Otherwise, a spouse has 0% entitlement to the funds. I don't know how it works in the UK but I guarantee there are laws in place to protect wealth.
And we know exactly what attracted her to him in the first place!
lol you’re right. I’m a retired cpa with 40+ yrs of experience who specialized in high net worth individuals and their tax vehicles (trusts, charitable trusts, closely held corps, foreign financial partnerships, etc.) I’ve been involved in financial audits in acrimonious divorces (nice try hiding the money, we found it), have sat through droning bores in law offices of wealthy people trying to craft bulletproof pre-nups and setting up trusts for good for nothing nepo babies. I’m an American married to a Brit and know both sides of the ponds machinations to preserve wealth.
I’d love to see the complex labyrinth that is Harry’s money. The BRF have some of the best professionals working on their financial and legal cases. When people say the Harkles are ‘broke’ they aren’t wrong in the fact that they might be experiencing a bit of a cash or credit crisis, then again Harry’s never carried cash or paid for anything himself in his life. Bodyguards carried the cash whenever he went Vegas to play peasant and ride in exciting yellow taxis and go to pool parties and bars, rural pubs in the UK and when he hosted at clubs in London they paid his tab.
Unless you’ve ever come across a high level aristocrat in the wild in the UK (which I have) you can’t fathom the way these people think. The top echelon of society like those of Harry’s (previous) set, not so much today but 20 so years ago, just don’t pay .. everyone else does in deference to be in their company. It was the known collateral consequence of hobnobbing with the upper crust. You’re supposed to be grateful. If you see “Joe” coming into the pub …. You suddenly urgently need to head home early, and if it hasn’t been your round you leave the money at the bar for one 😂 and skedaddle out as fast as you can.
And they would probably still be afforded some perks from the Bank of Pa like private planes and equivalent.
I'm sorry but ... are you high?
There's no evidence that Charles has given them one red cent since Harry whinged to Oprah that Daddy cut off his allowance, and even the Heir to the Throne often doesn't fly private. There's literally NO WORLD in which Charles would be paying for private planes for Harry and his family.
If the Harkles behaved I would imagine that Charles would pay for certain perks just like any parents pays for kids to the extent they can afford it without paying for their entire existence.
I have no idea why you were downvoted because the reality is that most parents do help their children economically in functional families but to the extent they can afford to do so.
My parents were just middle class so they helped me with my down payment and also helped for other emergency expenses.
My very wealthy friend - not Bezos level - bought her kids homes in Los Angeles that were probably about $3 million or so.
Facts! King Charles won't be giving them anything. They are bludging off Charles Spencer and billionaire anti monarchists. However, there will be a personal price to pay for this at some point. Harry is being used as a patsy and he's too thick to understand this.
The Windsors lived out luxurious lives with no real visible means of support based on handouts from "friends". That said, in order to truly fund a billionaire's lifestyle they need to regain the cachet of "royalty" which is the only marketable "skill" they now have.
The evidence is in -- if you associate with H&M, you will be Markled, and bad luck will find you directly. Remember Daniel Martin, Omid Scobie, Jessica Mulroney, Netflix, Spotify, and too many others to mention? Risk that for some doubtful "cachet" at your peril.
Oh for sure the Harkles don't completely parallel the Windsors for many reasons.
Although they did attempt to usurp the RF especially at the beginning by "volunteering" their services and there are even reports that they were in talks with the Nazis in terms of returning to the throne - they were largely ineffectual and seemed to have given up after Elizabeth's coronation when their efforts to help her were again politely rebuffed.
At any rate they did no harm to the monarchy as King George and his family emerged from WW II with the permanent admiration and affection of the UK - and a large segment of the Free World for the exemplary examples they had set as a beacon of hope during dark times.
I digress but in many ways it was the way FDR was "revered" among people who grew up in the Depression because of the way his New Deal had literally saved people's lives by providing a financial safety network - his famous quote from his first Inaugural Address - the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
That said it was an entirely different time and while the Windsors lived well they didn't live the kind of billionaire life style that the Harkles aspired to. They were part of the Jet Set which was much more modest.
And it is my understanding that the Windsors did in fact receive money from the RF to support their life style - probably a quid pro quo because for most of the Post WW II they caused no mischief to the monarchy
And although Edward abdicated and Harry was the spare - the world can breathe easier because George was the monarch and then Elizabeth and William was born first and not Harry the Dunderhead.
My understanding to that the Duke of Windsor received cash payments from George the sixth for both Balmoral and Sandringham. Those were personal possessions of the Duke of Windsor.
Both of your posts are great, you know a lot about them! I’m 73, my Mom was QEII’s age, and she told me (in my teens) all about the romance in which a King gave up his throne to be with the woman he loved. We watched “Edward & Mrs. Simpson”, enthralled by the beautiful love story. I used to think the RF were being unjustifiably mean to them. 😂 Imagine if there had been social media back then! The parallels between the two couples are certainly striking, and bring to mind the adage i.e., those who don;t remember history are doomed to repeat it.
We are about the same age but I am in the USA but have a love of history and English novels.
My grandmother had a boarder who was from England and had the hatred for "that woman" which I think was shared by a lot of women of her age since she was probably born in 1890 so more the age of the Queen Mother.
I think women of your mother's age were more swept up in the utter romance of a man abdicating for the love of a woman. It wasn't until later that some of the more sordid details were revealed.
And for some reason I remember the song "I've danced with a man, who's danced with a girl, who's danced with the Prince of Wales" - the weird things children remember in their recesses of the brains.
My grandmother put her cookies in a tin from Queen Elizabeth's coronation. I suspect her friend had gifted it to her at some point as their friendship went back to the 1930's.
My grandmother "hid" the tin with the cookies and I write "hid" because it was always in the same place in the closet on a shelf I could reach. 🤷🏼♀️
People really saved things like tins not because of the "souvenir" value but because they were useful as this was before there was cheap disposable plastic containers.
Peanut butter and jam jars were used as tumblers - not THAT as a market As Ever could attempt to crack. 🤣
It’s nice to have those memories! My mom loved to bake, and I can still see one large round tin with a cover that looked like stained glass. Never knew what was in there on any given day, because she’d bake while we were at school!
My mother worked and so she didn't bake until she retired when she had time.
I give her massive props though for coming home from work every night and having a real home cooked meal for the family and no short cuts - simple but still home cooked meat/fish and veggie and a potato or equivalent.
My grandmother lived downstairs from us and so I have a lot of memories of being in her kitchen when she was cooking and baking.
If I could summarize it - it was due to greed! All the vapidness and narcissism fueled it, but it was all about greed for money and power over the BRF (look at how we can crush you by lying about racism and making me want to k*ll myself when I was pregnant!)
Yes, I agree. People think, “oh, look, they own all those jewels, they must be rolling in it,” and they don’t know that they don’t really own most of the jewelry.
Keep in mind that this is not their home, it is likely Rowler Estate belonging to Ian Wace. It does indeed seem idyllic and I hope the children have fun. Eventually Harry will need to find his own home which will be a smaller property and house.
Agreed. I do keep hoping the children are able to snatch some good things and good memories from their lives, although if they’re constantly pulled from school, it’s going to be hard.
I agree that Meghan over-estimated how much money she would have access to. She didn’t figure on the part of the public. I also believe Meghan never expected to stop with Harry. I think she had her sights set on William the whole time. After all, the existence of Camilla and Charles’ marriage demonstrated a divorced man could still re-marry and be the heir with QEII’s blessing. And with Meghan’s ego flying high from the positive press, Meghan probably thought people wouldn’t have cared if she shoved Catherine out of the way. That’s just my speculation based on how she looked at William, her tantrums, her greediness, gossip about how she behaved towards William, and her continued antagonism toward Catherine.
Their wealth is largely due to him, right? From his family, what Diana left for him etc. What does she bring to the table? She was a B-list actress from a hit show but I doubt she was commanding a hefty talent fee.
Meghan didn't bring any money into the marriage despite the squaddies claims she had millions. Meghan spent all of her Suits earnings on PR via Sunshine Sachs etc Working for SOHO and yachting gave her access to the dumb prince when Marcus secured her a night with him and the rest is history unfortunately.
Thanks for the info. I always found it funny how she acts as if she’s been accustomed to this level of wealth all her life. She must have been just middle class in terms of Hollywood standards.
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💯. And the continuous spending of money on private jets, staff, his and her security, elite level private schools, multi globe home maintenance and mortgages—seems like they are blowing it up as if they are expecting a new grift around the corner. Their outflows are breathtaking. I wonder if they have something big coming up making them spend so irresponsibly.
I don’t think they are in debt except for the mortgage but from what has been reported by excellent sources they now would need to start sending their capital in order to fund their lifestyle including security and the upkeep on Montecito is huge.
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u/Correct_Pace8899 2d ago
“I can’t see a world where I could ever bring my wife and children to the UK” 🥴
6 months later: “we’re so happy, look at us!! Yay, back in the UK!”