Meghan Markle's Net Worth in 2023—Including Her Netflix and Spotify Deals
Who needs a crown when you have cash like this?
Meghan Markle's net worth is soaring since leaving the U.K.
Back in July 2020, Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry made headlines when they bought a $14.65 million Santa Barbara property, surrounded by tiered rose gardens and cypress trees, that features nine bedrooms, 16 (!) bathrooms, a library, pool, gym, sauna, a tea house and a children's cottage. It's reportedly where they intend to raise their two kids, Archie Harrison and Lilibet Diana, in order to give them as normal a life as possible. But what many royal-watchers may have been wondering when that real estate news broke was, Can they actually afford that?!
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The purchase followed their very public (and seemingly painful) "step back" from the rest of the British Royal Family, which seemingly came with a reduction in their royal salary.
“We didn’t have jobs, so we just were not going to come and see this house," she told The Cut. "It wasn’t possible. It’s like when I was younger and you’re window shopping—it’s like, I don’t want to go and look at all the things that I can’t afford. That doesn’t feel good.”
Er, relatable?
Related: Prince Harry Says He Wishes He Hadn't Watched Meghan's Suits Sex Scenes
Since then, the Sussexes have made a slew of media appearances, including finally releasing their Netflix series Harry & Meghan and Markle's Archetypes podcast on Spotify. So we're left with some burning questions. Specifically: What is the Duchess of Sussex’s net worth? And how has it changed now that she and her Harry are no longer senior royals? Read on for our breakdown of Meghan Markle's net worth in 2023!
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What is Meghan Markle’s net worth in 2023?
She and Prince Harry are reportedly worth a combined $60 million as of 2023.
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What was Meghan Markle’s net worth before she married Prince Harry?
Robin Marchant/Getty Images
Let’s not forget that Meghan Markle had a solid acting career in her own right before marrying Prince Harry when she was 36. Given her showbiz success, it's not surprising that Markle was reportedly worth about $5 million before she merged her finances with Prince Harry's.
She starred in more than 100 episodes of the legal drama Suits, each of which earned her $50,000 (according to knownetworth.com) toward the end of her acting career, and made about $360,000 from her roles in the 2010 movies Remember Me and The Candidate. She also ran a lifestyle blog called The Tig, which she unfortunately had to decommission once her relationship with Harry got serious, and made around $80,000 annually from sponsorships, endorsements and branding.
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What was Prince Harry's net worth before he married Meghan Markle?
Thanks to inheritances left to him by his late mother Princess Diana and his late great-grandmother the Queen Mother, Prince Harry was reported to be worth between $25 million and $40 million in 2018.
His former salary of $50,000 a year from his job as a captain in the British Army also contributes to that figure.
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What was Meghan’s net worth when she became a royal?
Ben STANSALL - WPA Pool/Getty Images
On the beautiful morning in May 2018 when Meghan Markle emerged from St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle as the Duchess of Sussex, her net worth was joined to that of her new husband (see: that aforementioned $25 million-$40 million).
Related: Relive Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Royal Wedding
What is Meghan’s net worth now that she is no longer a senior royal?
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Meghan and Harry’s decision to step back as senior royals did not change their combined net worth of $60 million, as that figure reflects their independent wealth.
However, now that their lifestyles are longer financed by the crown, they have had to spend a lot more of their own money.
For example, they are no longer funded by the Sovereign Grant, which previously accounted for 5 percent of the Sussexes’ administrative and household costs. And although it was expected that they would continue to receive money from the Duchy of Cornwall, that a vast portfolio of colonized land and assets (dating back to the 1300s!) was transferred to Prince William and Kate Middleton when Queen Elizabeth died in September 2022.
The couple also repaid ￡2.4m ($3 million) of U.K. taxpayers' money that was spent on renovations to Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Estate (which will remain Harry and Meghan’s U.K. residence.) As for their $14.65 million Santa Barbara home, Variety claims that the Sussexes "secured a $9.5 million mortgage to acquire the 7.4-acre compound."
Elsewhere, the Sussexes are likely to make more speaking engagements—for a price. Back in June 2021, they signed up with the high-profile Harry Walker agency, which also represents the Obamas and the Clintons, and their fee per speech is expected to be around $1 million. Whew! That'll certainly help cover the bills.
Unfortunately for the Duke and Duchess, they were obligated to relinquish their use of the "Sussex Royal" brand, which could have brought in millions of dollars for the couple.
How much did Meghan Markle make on Suits?
USA Network/NBCUniversal
Markle reportedly made about $50,000 per episode of Suits toward the end of her tenure on the USA Network series. Combined with her bit parts and walk-on roles in other TV shows and movies, her total net worth from acting is estimated to be around $2 million, according to Forbes.
Related: Meghan Markle Says Meeting Kate Middleton Was 'Jarring' in Harry & Meghan Netflix Series
Does Meghan Markle get royalties from Suits?
USA Network/NBCUniversal
In addition to getting paid just for acting on Suits, Markle likely also still gets residual payments from the series through reruns and streaming on Amazon Prime and Netflix.
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How much did Meghan Markle make for her book?
According to The Sun, Markle likely got a $700,000 advance for her book The Bench, which came out in June 2021.
Related: Meghan Markle Says Kate Middleton Made Her Cry
How much did Prince Harry get for his book?
Random House
Prince Harry's book contract has a rumored price tag of at least $20 million, so we'll expect to see the couple's net worth spike later in 2023.
Related: Everything to Know About Prince Harry's Book Spare
How much did Meghan Markle make on Deal or No Deal?
GSN
Markle reportedly made $800 per episode of Deal or No Deal and appeared in more than 30 episodes of the game show, sometimes filming up to seven episodes in a single day. Though it paid reasonably well at the time when she wasn't acting steadily, she didn't love the job.
"I went from working in the U.S. Embassy in Argentina to ending up on Deal. It's run the gamut. Definitely working on Deal or No Deal was a learning experience, and it helped me to understand what I would rather be doing," she told Esquire in 2018. "I would end up standing up there forever in these terribly uncomfortable and inexpensive five-inch heels just waiting for someone to pick my number so I could go and sit down."
Later, Markle said on her Archetypes podcast that being a briefcase girl made her feel like a "bimbo," explaining, "I would end up leaving with this pit in my stomach knowing that I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage. I didn't like feeling forced to be all looks and little substance. And that's how it felt for me at the time: being reduced to this specific archetype."
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How much did Meghan Markle get paid for Elephant?
According to The Times, Markle narrated the Disney documentary Elephant in exchange for a hefty donation to Elephants Without Borders.
The charity thanked her and Disney in a March 2020 Facebook post following the donation, writing, "Elephants Without Borders (EWB) is delighted to be involved with the Disney Nature film Elephant and to help share the amazing story of elephants. EWB extend enormous gratitude to the Disney Conservation Fund for choosing our organization as the beneficiary for the film, enabling support for communities living alongside many of the elephants featured in the film. The partnership and support it provides, will directly help elephant conservation and empower these communities. We are excited and immensely grateful for this incredible opportunity, which will enable us to continue our efforts in support of local communities and their coexistence with elephants."
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How much did Meghan Markle get paid for her Oprah interview?
CBS
While Meghan and Harry's sitdown with Oprah Winfrey delivered stratospheric ratings and several bombshell revelations, the Sussexes and Winfrey herself made it clear within the interview itself that the couple wasn't paid a dime for it.
"I just want to make it clear to everybody that you don't know what I'm going to ask and there is no subject that's off-limits and you are not getting paid for this interview," Winfrey said in the introduction to their chat. Markle replied, "All of that is correct."
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How much did Spotify pay Meghan Markle?
Spotify
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan reportedly made a whopping $25 million to sign an exclusive Spotify deal for their Archewell Audio podcast series.
"One of the things my husband and I have always talked about is our passion for meeting people and hearing their stories, and no matter what the story, they usually offer you an understanding of where someone else is coming from and at the same time reminds you in some way of a story about yourself," Markle said in a statement announcing the partnership, adding that "kindness and compassion will underly everything you hear from Archewell Audio."
In August 2022, Meghan's Archetypes podcast finally launched on Spotify. The first episode focused on the archetype of "ambitious" with guest star Serena Williams.
The second episode featured the "diva" archetype with Mariah Carey and the third episode "singleton" with Mindy Kaling. As of November 2022, 12 episodes have been released.
Related: Meghan Markle Talks Post-Royal Life
How much did Netflix pay Harry and Meghan?
Netflix
Harry and Meghan announced a Netflix contract in September 2020, saying in a statement, "Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope. As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us." They added that Netflix's "unprecedented reach will help us share impactful content that unlocks action."
Meghan and Harry's Netflix deal has been speculated to be worth $150 million, but some insiders pointed out a discrepancy in those numbers: While creators like Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy have reportedly netted Netflix contracts in the nine-figure range, Harry and Meghan are credited as producers, not content creators—so their payday will likely not be quite as steep as that of the woman who brought Bridgerton to the masses.
A spokesperson for the couple confirmed that it was the Netflix deal that allowed them to pay back in full the cost of renovations to Frogmore Cottage.
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