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Duke and Duchess of Sussex are releasing a new documentary as part of the lucrative Netflix deal
Netflix released the first episodes of a new documentary series about Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle on Thursday (December 8).
The couple no longer receive any money from the royal family and much of their income comes from business deals.
Why did Harry and Meghan give up their royal roles?
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as senior royals in January 2020.
They said they were upset by the media intrusion and frustrated that Buckingham Palace prevented them from developing their “SussexRoyal” brand.
Other royals said they were “hurt” at the couple.
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The Duke and Duchess are working on a number of television shows and podcasts.
Harry remained Prince, and the couple retained their titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but are no longer addressed as Her Royal Highness (HRH in English).
Harry also renounced his official military titles and therefore, unlike his father, now King Charles III, and his brother William, did not wear a uniform to the funeral of his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
However, he and Prince Andrew, Duke of York (another nonreigning king) were allowed to wear military attire as they stood guard around the former monarch’s coffin.
Prince Andrew stepped down as acting king in 2019 after controversy arose over his friendship with the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein, who had been convicted of involvement in a child trafficking and sexual abuse scheme.
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The couple no longer have any official royal duties.
Where do Meghan and Harry live?
The couple relocated to California in June 2020.
They said they wanted space to raise their family and focus on their new Archewell Foundation.
The couple returned to the UK for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 and her funeral in September.
It is unclear whether she attended the coronation of King Charles III. will take part, which is planned for May 2023.
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It is unclear if the couple will attend the coronation of King Charles III, scheduled for May 2023. will attend.
How Meghan and Harry make money?
Sussex media company Archewell Productions makes a series of shows for Netflix, a deal worth tens of millions of dollars.
Archewell also makes podcasts for Spotify, including the Archetypes series about famous women.
In March 2021, Harry and Meghan gave an interview to American presenter Oprah Winfrey, but said they were not paid for it.
Meghan released a children’s book called The Bench in 2021.
Random House will publish Prince Harry’s autobiography Spare in January 2023.
In March 2021, Harry was named Director of Impact for BetterUp, a California life coaching company.
What did Prince Harry and Meghan lose by stepping back from their royal roles?
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Harry and Meghan got married in May 2018
As reigning royals, they received 95% of their annual income from the Duchy of Cornwall, which was owned by Harry’s father, Charles, then Prince of Wales.
In the 20182019 financial year (the first year of their marriage), the duchy paid more than £5m (£2million) to cover public duties and some private expenses for the Sussexes and for William and Kate, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The taxpayerfunded Sovereign Grant made up the other 5% of the couple’s income.
Charles later gave them “a substantial sum” to support their transition to financial independence, according to his office.
Accounts for the Duchy of Cornwall show the couple, along with Prince William and Kate, received around £4.5million (£10.6million) between April and June 2020.
“That funding has been discontinued [no verão de 2020]’ said a spokesman.
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Sussex media company Archewell Productions produces a series of shows for Netflix
After Harry and Meghan stepped down from their official roles, the Duke and Duchess were no longer covered by royal safeguards.
When Prince Harry left Britain for the first time, he said it would be too dangerous for him to bring his family back without police protection.
In July 2022 he was granted leave to challenge the decision in the UK High Court.
The Queen gave Harry and Meghan a home in Windsor, Frogmore Cottage, at their wedding.
The house was renovated at a cost of £2.4million (R$15.3million) paid for by the Crown Estate a group of land and properties in the UK owned by the British monarch and an estimated value of nearly have 20 billion US dollars (R$ 127 billion, in current values).
Revenue from the Crown Estate goes to the UK Treasury, which is responsible for implementing the government’s fiscal and economic policies.
The Treasury then usually gives the monarch 15% of the Crown Estate’s profits from the last two years, while the government takes care of the rest.
The couple returned that amount to the Treasury when they stepped down from their official duties as senior royals.
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As a nonacting member of the royal family, Prince Harry was not allowed to wear a military uniform at the funeral of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
What other sources of income do Harry and Meghan have?
William and Harry received most of the £13million (current value R$83million) fortune left over after the death of their mother, Princess Diana, in 1997.
Speaking to Oprah Winfrey, Harry said it funded his move to the United States: “I have what my mother left me and we couldn’t have done this without it (move).”
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Netflix released a series of photos from the documentary about Harry and Meghan.
Harry is also believed to have inherited millions of pounds from his greatgrandmother, Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
It is not known whether the late Queen Elizabeth II left him any money.
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Meghan Markle was pictured with her Suits costars in 2012
During her successful acting career, Meghan would have been paid US$50,000 (R$260,000 in current value) for each episode of the series Suits. She played Rachel Zane in over 100 episodes over seven seasons.
The Duchess of Sussex also had a lifestyle blog and designed items for a Canadian fashion brand.