Prince Harry's planned return to Britain is drawing fresh scrutiny over his finances after royal biographer Robert Jobson claimed the Duke of Sussex is concerned about his future inheritance and wants his financial position established before Prince William eventually becomes king.
Jobson, author of The Windsor Legacy, said on The Royalist podcast that Harry's return should be viewed partly through the question of who controls the Royal Family's private wealth. Buckingham Palace hasn't publicly disclosed King Charles III's inheritance plans, and there is no independent confirmation that financial considerations are driving Harry's move.
Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from their roles as senior working royals in 2020, eventually settling in Montecito, Calif., with their children, Archie and Lilibet. The couple said at the time that they intended to become financially independent while maintaining ties to charitable and royal causes.
Jobson argued that Harry's calculations may have changed as the royal succession moves closer to William. Harry is "coming back because he knows who holds the purse strings" and understands "that when his brother is king, he probably won't get much," Jobson said, adding that "it needs to get established now."
The biographer said Harry doesn't want to become a "duke with no money." His characterization represents Jobson's interpretation of Harry's motives rather than an account confirmed by the Duke of Sussex or Buckingham Palace.
Jobson also claimed that Charles wants his wealth distributed in a way that provides for his broader family. The King intends a "fair division of monies after his death" and wants "all of his family is looked after," Jobson said, adding that this "very much includes Harry and Harry's children."
According to Jobson, Charles faces a different financial-planning timetable than his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen had a 70-year reign in which to arrange trusts and other family financial matters, while Charles "hasn't got that privilege," Jobson said, adding that he believes "that's obviously weighing on his mind."
Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield has separately told Page Six that people close to William believe "money and inheritance are part of the calculation" behind the Sussexes' return. She described the thinking as an effort to "get a foot back in the door before William is the one deciding how firmly that door is closed."
Neither assessment establishes that Harry is negotiating an inheritance or that William intends to restrict his brother's access to family wealth. Buckingham Palace hasn't announced how Charles intends to distribute his private assets, and the Sussexes haven't publicly said inheritance is behind their reported return.
Still, the financial questions come during a period of change for Harry and Meghan's post-royal business operation. Their Spotify agreement ended in 2023, while their relationship with Netflix has evolved from the large production arrangement announced after they moved to the U.S.
Harry has also accumulated substantial legal expenses from years of litigation against British publishers and the U.K. government. His loss in a privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited in July could add further costs, increasing attention on the economics of the Sussexes' life outside the publicly funded royal structure.
Harry has previously spoken openly about the role inherited wealth played after he stopped performing royal duties. During his 2021 CBS interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry said his family had "cut me off financially" and indicated that money inherited from his mother, Princess Diana, helped make the couple's departure possible.
Estimates of Harry's private fortune vary widely and aren't based on comprehensive public financial disclosures. Reports have placed his inheritance from Diana at roughly $20 million to $30 million, while he was also reported to have received money connected with a trust established by his great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, when he turned 40 in 2024.
As a nonworking royal, Harry no longer receives Sovereign Grant funding. His household instead depends on private wealth and commercial income generated through ventures that have included streaming agreements, Harry's memoir Spare and other media projects.
