The Sussex money burn is getting more fierce by the day, and the big question is who might pay for it when pride finally runs out, argues Chris Riches.
When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle start burning through their cash, the rest of the Royal Family must start to worry. Their desperate desire for financial independence saw the Sussexes hop, skip and then jump abroad in glee on their self-proclaimed “freedom flight” as they saw the dollar signs beckoning.
They certainly made hay while the sun shone, especially with that infamous Oprah Winfrey TV interview where they dragged the Royal Family’s name through the mud by hinting that one key royal had made a racist quip about Prince Archie’s potential skin colour. Then came the £100m Netflix deal and Harry’s £25m-plus book deal for his 2023 memoir Spare, where he blamed his choice of a Nazi fancy dress outfit on Prince William and Catherine.
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Charles and Harry before Megxit (Image: Getty)
Then he called Queen Camilla a “wicked stepmother,” accused Catherine of making Meghan sob on the floor and claimed William knocked him onto a dog bowl.
After Harry also branded his brother his arch-nemesis in the book, given half a chance I’m sure William would delight in laying loose-lipped Harry flat out again.
Now it may not be long before Harry and Meghan need to pen another secret-spilling book on the Royal Family after claims they are burning through huge amounts of money on their lifestyle and three homes.
The Sussexes aim to be an ‘international family’ with their £14m mansion in Montecito, California; a £3.6m property in Praia da Galé in Portugal; and potentially an £8m mansion in the Cotswolds.
It has been estimated Harry will have to pay almost half-a-million pounds a year just to maintain his nine-bedroom, Mediterranean US mansion.
The Montecito property, known as the Chateau of Riven Rock, lies on seven acres among a wealthy enclave east of Santa Barbara, nicknamed the American Riviera.
According to Santa Barbara County records, the Sussexes’ company, Rockbridge LLC, bought the 7.38-acre estate for £10.81million [$14.65m] in June 2020.
It has been reported that the company took out a £7.03million [$9.52m] loan from City National Bank, with an adjustable-rate mortgage starting at 2.49 percent.
Based on the 30-year term at the rate, it has now been reported that Harry and Meghan would be subject to a monthly repayment of £27,729 [$37,566], amounting to £332,749 [$450,792] per year.
In addition to the mortgage, the New York Post previously reported that the couple paid a property tax bill of £110,476 [$149,668] in 2025.
So at the very least the Sussexes will face roughly a £450,000 bill for mortgage and property tax in the US alone.
Harry and Meghan are now back in the UK – here pictured in Canada recently (Image: Getty)
Then they have to find money to maintain their Portuguese pile, and their new UK home. These all require large sums of money every month.
When the Sussexes have needed a payday they tend to head to the royal money tree and that could set alarm bells ringing for King Charles and especially Prince William.
What if Harry and Meghan decide, now that they are in the UK, to offer a big money exclusive TV chat about their return to Britain, their private Highgrove meeting in July with Queen Camilla and King Charles, or their plans to make peace with William and Kate?
That will set the global spotlight yet again on the family’s fractured relationships but it would be a good pay day.
With Sarah Ferguson’s reportedly also planning on an “imminent” return to live in the UK, King Charles and Prince William could be braced for a rocky end to 2026.