MEGA-RICH Harry and Meghan have more money sloshing around than most of us could ever dream of.
Harrys wealth is upwards of 30 million, much from his mothers legacy. Meghan has over 5 million in her own right from her acting career, not to mention her 91-piece jewellery collection worth 600,000, with its 26 rings and 35 pairs of earrings.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have taken millions from the taxpayer
Meghan’s 91-piece jewellery collection alone is worth 600,000
She’s said to have 26 rings and 35 pairs of earrings
And still the money rolls in. Harry pulls in 4 million a year from his dad, money siphoned off from the Duchy of Cornwall.
Add in another 1 million for security, and another 1 million for travel, clothes, and staff to support them. You’re looking at 6 million a year, over 16,000 a day, or around 700 for every hour of the day.
Nice work if you can get it. Even nicer if you can get it without working.
If the Sussexes want to be private citizens, then thats fine. It is their right to opt out of the royal family and pursue a different path.
If the Belgian King Albert II can abdicate, and even Pope Benedict can stand down, then there is no reason why Harry and Meghan cant.
We have too many royals on the payroll as it is. The cover of my book, And What Do You Do?, has a picture of the royals on the balcony at Buckingham Palace. There are 44 of them. Why do we need all these people and why should we pay for them all?
All 44 members of the royal family pose on the balcony at Buckingham Palace
The renovation of Frogmore Cottage cost the taxpayer 2.4 million
But what Harry and Meghan cant do is to have one foot in and one foot out. It looks like they want to have their cake and eat it.
They want to keep their HRH titles, keep their free royal residence, and keep the taxpayer support that funds their travel and their security.
At the same time they want to become private people, dipping into the royal family only when it suits them.
Sorry. That simply wont wash. If they want public funding, they need to do a public job and carry out royal duties like the rest of the family. As with anyone else in the country, if they dont do the work then they shouldnt get paid.
We, the taxpayer, have just spent around 2.4 million on tarting up Frogmore Cottage to their extravagant specifications.
And that was only necessary because the pampered pair rejected the palatial apartments they had at Kensington Palace where another 24 million of our money has been spent.
If they are not prepared to undertake their share of royal duties then they should refund the taxpayer the millions spent by us on Frogmore Cottage.
The couple were criticised for travelling on a private jet last year
What about the travel? They seem to have in mind commuting between the US and UK on a regular basis, and most likely by private jet at our expense. Why should the taxpayer fund this?
If politicians travel on official business, their costs are rightly met from the public purse. If they are travelling privately, for example to go on holiday, there would be outrage if they expected the public to pay for their travel.
But that seems to be what Harry and Meghan want. Let them pay for their own travel.
And then there’s the security. There is already an annual bill of over a million pounds to look after them and Archie, a bill massively increased by them due to the vulnerability of Frogmore Cottage.
If they are to become private citizens, why should the taxpayer continue to meet a multi-million pound bill? We wouldnt pay for security for private citizens like Elton John. Why should we pay for it for hobby royals like Harry and Meghan?
