When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in 2018, she probably thought she was married into the wealthy and prestigious British royal family. However, today's revelations suggest that Meghan is shocked by Prince Harry's actual financial situation.
Royal commentator and biographer Tom Ball said Meghan discovered after marriage that Prince Harry's wealth was not what she originally thought. In an interview with CLOSER magazine, Ball said Meghan felt that their allotted home, Frogmore Villa, was like a kind of "imprisonment."
"When she was with Prince Harry, she didn't realise he didn't have much money and wouldn't live in the palace," Power told the magazine. "While Villa Frogmore is a spacious five-bedroom home, it does pale in comparison to the grandeur and opulence of royal residences such as Buckingham Palace or Kensington Palace.
The villa also underwent a £2.4 million renovation before Prince Harry and Meghan moved in, with funding from British taxpayers. It is conceivable that for an American actress accustomed to the spacious and lavish Hollywood lifestyle, no matter how grand the villa may be, she will feel a culture shock.
Ball said Meghan never expected to live in a place as modest as Frogmore. For someone who grew up in California, this villa would surely have left her feeling cramped and cramped. There are no magnificent views of the ocean, only farmland and gardens surrounded by royal duty. It's no wonder that Ball commented that Meghan sees Frogmore as a prison rather than the palace of her dreams.
With no significant private income or wealth of his own, Prince Harry lives on an annual allowance from his father, Prince Charles, estimated at around £2 million to £4 million a year. While generous, it's a far cry from Meghan's potentially imagined huge family wealth and unlimited spending. As Power explains, Meghan and Prince Harry were in the UK "without the stress [in the UK] when they didn't have a house overlooking the Pacific Ocean". Living in California, they won't feel the need to build a lucrative career. But in the British villa, all expectations may fall on Meghan and Prince Harry's own financial contributions.
For an ambitious woman accustomed to Hollywood's high-tump lifestyle, the reality can be devastating. There is no royal castle, no 50 housekeepers, just a country house and dependence on royal duties. It's no wonder there have been reports of Meghan struggling to adjust to life as a working royalty and saying she feels neglected in her role.
Of course, considering that they chose to quit the royal family in 2020 and end their marriage with "Meghit", we can infer that Meghan's dissatisfaction with their financial and living situation may have exacerbated other tensions, leading her and Prince Harry to choose to relinquish their royal duties. For a man accustomed to extravagance and dominance over his own career, the constraints of the royal system are certainly intolerable.
Especially when she still has to live in a historic but remote cottage without the wealth she thought the royal family would have. Who can blame her for feeling trapped, just as Ball aptly likened Villa Frogmore to "imprisonment"?It's easy to understand that Meghan's fairytale dream of marrying Prince Harry quickly turns into a nightmare in the harsh reality.
While the multi-million pound villa may still be luxurious for an American like Meghan, it may still feel cramped compared to the Californian mansions and celebrity lifestyles. Personal assistants, cooks, drivers, and round-the-clock security are no longer available. Instead, it was duty, etiquette, and the wealth she relied on Prince Harry's inheritance to gain instead of her own huge income and earning power. This is a far cry from the glamorous future she envisions.
Despite criticism of Meghan for wanting lavish treatment as a member of the royal family, based on these insider tips, it's hard not to sympathize with her plight. Forced from the glamorous entertainment industry to live an ordinary cottage life, depriving her of her hard-earned independence and success — no wonder there are reports that Meghan feels like the fairy tale is over and that she has become a prisoner rather than a princess.
Even the royal family has financial and liberal constraints, and Meghan seems to be unaware of this until the harsh realities of married life come into view. While she pursued and maintained her ambitions, it was clear that the strict constraints of the antiquated British monarchy could never limit her free-spirited Californian spirit.
The gap between Meghan's sunny Hollywood dreams of her future and the gloomy reality of being a member of British royalty must have caused an almost culture shock. No wonder this fairy tale ends with choosing autonomy from the royal family, writing one's own destiny in the United States, rather than being imprisoned behind palace etiquette.
Perhaps we can all learn from this – never assume that the charm of a title or relationship will lead to unlimited wealth, freedom, or happiness. Never get married without knowing what your partner really is, and not just by perceiving, or you may feel like Meghan feeling trapped away from the dreams that appeal to you. At least now she and Prince Harry can write their fate outside the walls of the West Coast castle.