Many questions have been asked about Meghan Markle‘s life, but thinking she was marrying up into billions is a new one.

The Duchess of Sussex’s expectations reportedly fell short when she married into the royal family and discovered her husband, Prince Harry, is a humble millionaire.

Meghan Markle’s life has been under intense scrutiny since she left the United States to marry the future king’s younger sibling in the United Kingdom. 

Tom Quinn, in his book “Yes, Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants,” notes that Meghan was allegedly taken aback when she learned that Prince Harry, despite being the brother of a future king, was not as wealthy as she had anticipated.

Despite leaving her flourishing acting career behind to move to the UK, the mother-of-two reportedly faced an unexpected reality. 

Quinn shared that Meghan had expected Prince Harry to be a billionaire but found out he was worth around £20 million. This revelation prompted her to reassess her assumptions about her new royal family. 

Furthermore, it was shocking for Meghan to discover that, unlike her ex-husband, Trevor Engelson, who married a multi-millionaire heiress, she would not be residing in grand royal locations like Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle.

Instead, the couple lived in the modest Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace, with no live-in staff to cater to their needs. According to the Daily Mail, Quinn shared that Meghan’s net worth was about $5 million when she married the prince.

Quinn commented on Meghan’s dissatisfaction when she and Harry were expected to live in the modest Nottingham Cottage, which she perceived as a slight against her husband, especially when compared to the accommodations of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

A member of Palace staff suggested that Meghan’s troubles began with this small living situation, as she felt it signified how the Royal Family viewed Harry. Meghan’s perspective also illuminated Harry’s position as the “spare” to William, a realization that seemed to deepen after their marriage.

According to an insider, she quickly recognized that Harry was not as central to royal matters as his brother, which sparked a sense of grievance. While Harry had not considered his role as a spare before, Meghan’s sensitivity on his behalf led her to believe he was being treated as less important.

Prince Harry’s 40th birthday last year made him richer by millions when he received an $8.5 million inheritance, a gift arranged by his late great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. 

As noted by the New York Post, this inheritance comes from a $90 million trust fund established for the family, which stipulated that Harry could access his share upon turning 40.

Initially, there were concerns that he might need to pay taxes on this inheritance. However, investment experts from Stocklytics have clarified that this inheritance will not be subject to tax due to how the Queen Mother’s estate was managed. 

The firm noted that inheritance tax applied only to trusts established within seven years of an individual’s death. Since the Queen Mother’s passing in 2002, the trust has remained exempt from inheritance tax.

Had the trust been created within that seven-year window, it could have incurred a tax liability of up to $9.7 million for HM Revenue & Customs. As it stands, Harry’s inheritance is not expected to be taxed, allowing him to receive the full amount.

Following Harry’s deafening loss at the court, the couple’s finances became public knowledge, which included the debt left behind by the legal proceedings. According to The Mirror, Harry will now have to settle $2 million in legal expenses despite losing the case to reinstate his United Kingdom security detail.

After moving to the United States with Meghan, they secured several lucrative contracts, including a $100 million deal with Netflix, which they signed as soon as they stepped back from their royal duties in 2020.

Meghan and Harry also acquired a $20 million advance from Penguin Random House for a four-book deal, with one of the books being “Spare.” The couple expanded their earnings with another $25 million deal with Spotify, which led to the creation of Meghan’s Archetypes podcast. 

Despite their transition away from royal life and the financial obligations associated with their former residence, their net worth has impressively reached around $60 million, alongside their Montecito home, valued at $14 million.

In May 2020, Harry and Meghan showed commitment to repaying the taxpayer money spent on refurbishing Frogmore Cottage. They planned to reimburse $3 million over the next decade, remitting approximately $24,000 per month.

Harry losing his case came with personal consequences. As noted by The Blast, the younger royal mourned the possibility of his kids never setting foot in the U.K. since their security cannot be guaranteed by the Royal Family.

The philanthropist noted that the Royal and VIP Executive Committee, before the judgment that nailed the coffin, made the hasty decision of demoting him from a high-risk to a low-risk entity.

The Prince’s interpretation is that the committee downplayed his safety concerns, thereby making him and his family vulnerable to potential attacks.

“I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point,” Prince Harry explained, adding that his family would miss everything about the country.

Did Meghan Markle marry up, or did she give up a possible high Hollywood lifestyle?