The £100million couple: How Harry and Meghan have amassed fortune

Prince Harry said in his bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey that his family ‘literally cut me off financially’ after he and his wife Meghan Markle opted to move to the US.

Last year, the royal couple bought their nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom mansion in the exclusive neighbourhood of Montecito, California, with the help of a $9.6million mortgage.

But, when Harry’s inheritance from his mother and great-grandmother and the lucrative deals he and Meghan signed with Netflix and Spotify are taken into account, their net worth is believed to be around £100million. 

And in a further slice of financial good fortune, the property market in Montecito has gone ‘crazy’ since the summer according to a local estate agent, meaning Harry and Meghan’s home could have tripled in value.

It cost the pair $14.65million (around £10million) but could now be worth as much as £30million, prompting Sandy Stahl, an agent with Sotheby’s International Realty, to say Harry and Meghan’s move was ‘really smart’, the Times reported. 

Last year, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle bought their nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom mansion in the exclusive neighbourhood of Montecito, California, with the help of a $9.6million mortgage

But, when Harry's inheritance from his mother and grandmother and the lucrative deals he and Meghan signed with Netflix and Spotify are taken into account, their net worth is believed to be around £100million

But, when Harry’s inheritance from his mother and grandmother and the lucrative deals he and Meghan signed with Netflix and Spotify are taken into account, their net worth is believed to be around £100million

Harry, 36, and his brother William inherited £21million from their mother Diana. The money was held in trust until they turned 25.

Harry also received a smaller figure from the Queen Mother’s will after she died in 2002, putting his total inheritance assets at an estimated £23million, the Times estimates. 

He and Meghan were said to be seeking a contract worth £71million when they signed their deal with Netflix last year.

They also have clinched a deal with Spotify to make podcasts under the banner of their Archewell foundation. It is said to be worth £18million.

And in December, Meghan, 39, announced she had invested in firm Clevr Blends, which makes instant oat milk lattes.

Meghan’s overall net worth is said to be around £4million. When, as an actress, she starred in US drama Suits, she was paid £2million over six years.

When Harry's inheritance from his mother Diana (above) and great-grandmother the Queen Mother and the lucrative deals he and Meghan signed with Netflix and Spotify are taken into account, their net worth is believed to be around £100million

The Queen Mother in 2001

When Harry’s inheritance from his mother Diana (left) and great-grandmother the Queen Mother (right, in 2001) and the lucrative deals he and Meghan signed with Netflix and Spotify are taken into account, their net worth is believed to be around £100million

The duchess also cashed in six-figure amounts for film roles and she owns a property in Toronto. 

So when accounting for their assets and lucrative deals, Harry and Meghan’s net worth is thought to be around £96 million.

Estate agent Randy Solakian knows Harry and Meghan’s home well because he represented the couple who built it when they sold it to previous owner Sergey Grishin, a Russian businessman.

As well as its nine bedrooms, the home boasts a gym, spa, cinema, separate guesthouse, tennis court, and swimming pool.

Highlighting how the home had possibly tripled in value, Solakian told The Times: ‘It would have been really ugly if they’d paid $40 million [£30 million] for it, which is what it’s probably worth, but I would say they got a bargain’.

He and Meghan were said to be seeking a contract worth £71million when they signed their deal with Netflix last year

They also have clinched a deal with Spotify to make podcasts under the banner of their Archewell foundation. It is said to be worth £18million

He and Meghan were said to be seeking a contract worth £71million when they signed their deal with Netflix last year. They also have clinched a deal with Spotify to make podcasts under the banner of their Archewell foundation. It is said to be worth £18million

And fellow estate agent Stahl told the newspaper that while the explosion in the Montecito property market was not due to Harry and Meghan’s arrival, she said they made a ‘smart move’.

She claimed the home would sell for ‘at least double’ what they paid and noted how a home near to Harry and Meghan was on the market for $21million and was not ‘nearly as nice’. 

That home reportedly formerly belonged to actor Rob Lowe. It has seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, a pool and a separate guesthouse. 

In their bombshell interview with Oprah, Harry and Meghan touched on their new life in California, with the Duchess saying the move was ‘greater than any fairytale you’ve ever read’.

She said she and Harry wanted to ‘live authentically’ and get back ‘down to basics’ as she showed off the hens which the couple rescued from a factory farm.   

Despite the growth in their wealth, Harry and Meghan’s fortune still pales in comparison to one of their neighbours – Miss Winfrey herself, who lives a five-minute drive away.

She bought the first 42 acres of her estate for $50million in 2001 and is believed to have a net worth of $2.7billion (£1.94billion). 

And fellow neighbour Ellen DeGeneres is thought to be worth around $340million (£244million).  

However, Harry and Meghan are reportedly rarely seen in Montecito. The only place they have been seen together is in Lucky’s, a steakhouse.

Asked about his money-spinning partnerships with the likes of Netflix and Spotify, Harry told Miss Winfrey they were ‘never part of the plan’ but were suggested by a ‘friend’ when they were worried about financial issues.

He insisted: ‘My family literally cut me off financially and I had to afford security for us.

‘But I’ve got what my mum left me and, without that, we would not have been able to do this.’ He added of the issues he has faced: ‘I think she saw it coming.’