<p id=”par-1_11″>Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are bleeding cash, an insider alleges. </p>
<p id=”par-2_56″>After fleeing the royal family in 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex set up home in one of Southern California’s most exclusive enclaves. But living the <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/montecito-five-word-name-prince-harry-meghan-markle-sparks-buzz-nickname-stings.html/”>good life in Montecito</a> – where the average home for sale costs <a href=”https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/americas-most-expensive-zip-codes-january-2026/”>more than $6 million</a> – doesn’t come cheap. The Sussexes are feeling the pinch as a result. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-money-is-tight-for-prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-source-claims”>‘Money is tight’ for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, source claims</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio” id=”emb-1″><div class=”wp-block-embed__wrapper”>
<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”Former Butler Slams Prince Harry: ‘He’s Changed Since He Was A Boy'” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q2bnLpb8B9w?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>
<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
<p class=”related-article__title”>
<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/prince-william-ultimatum-harry-stop-monetizing-royal-status-reconcile.html/”>
Prince William’s Ultimatum: Harry Must Stop Monetizing Royal Status to Reconcile </a>
</p>
</div>
<p id=”par-3_65″>“Money is tight,” a source told <a href=”https://pagesix.com/2026/05/13/royal-family/breadwinner-meghan-markle-may-take-drastic-action-to-pay-her-prince-harrys-huge-bills/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Page Six</a>, adding that Meghan and Harry need at least $6 million per year to cover their various bills. Those expenses are likely high even for the celeb-friendly neighborhood just outside of Santa Barbara. Not only are the pair paying a mortgage on their $15 million mansion, but they are also spending $3 million per year on private security. </p>
<p id=”par-4_67″>Shouldering those expenses falls largely on Meghan, who is “basically the breadwinner” of the family, the insider said. The former <em>Suits </em>star is making ends meet in a variety of ways, including through her troubled deal with Netflix, her As Ever lifestyle brand, speaking engagements, and through partnerships such as her one with OneOff, an AI-powered fashion discovery platform in which she’s both an investor and participant. </p>
<p id=”par-5_45″>“Meghan has a sense of how careful they need to be …. Harry – raised in a world where everything was provided – reportedly lacks basic awareness of what things cost,” royal expert Dan Wakeford recently wrote in his Celebrity Intelligence newsletter (via <a href=”https://www.skynews.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity-life/largely-been-spent-major-prince-harry-inheritance-revelation-raises-eyebrows-as-five-insiders-paint-grim-picture-of-the-sussexes-finances/news-story/0df1a270ae2a5001ee3ffefe4cc8718e” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Sky News</a>).</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-duchess-of-sussex-has-said-she-needs-to-work-for-practical-reasons”>Duchess of Sussex has said she needs to work for ‘practical reasons’</h2>
<p id=”par-6_81″>As Meghan keeps a close eye on the books, Harry is apparently doing little to actively contribute to the household’s finances. He’s mostly focused on his philanthropic work. However, the Prince does have <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/prince-harry-meghan-markle-just-saw-a-surprisingly-massive-boost-in-their-net-worth-heres-why.html/”>significant inherited wealth</a> from his mother, Princess Diana, and his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother. But he’s said in that past he sees that money as a resource for his own two children. And some sources claim Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet won’t see a dime of that money. </p>
<p id=”par-7_26″>“The inheritance has largely been spent on the house and the legal trials,” an insider allegedly told Wakeford, adding that Meghan and Harry are “wildly unhappy.” </p>
<p id=”par-8_24″>Though keeping up her and her husband’s luxurious lifestyle comes at a price, Meghan has said she relishes her financial independence and enjoys working. </p>
<p id=”par-9_38″>“I need to work because it fills my cup. Also we need to work for practical reasons,” she said on <a href=”https://podscripts.co/podcasts/the-jamie-kern-lima-show/meghan-duchess-of-sussex-in-her-first-ever-podcast-interview-exclusive-worldwide-premiere-episode-of-the-jamie-kern-lima-show” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”><em>The Jamie Kern Lima Show</em></a> in 2025. “You need to work, pay your bills, you need to work.”</p>
<p id=”par-10_11″><em>For more news and exclusive interviews, follow </em><a href=”https://www.instagram.com/showbizcheatsheet/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”><em>Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s Instagram</em></a>.</p>