Meghan and Harry: How much did Diana leave in inheritance for Harry?

Princes received full amount of money from mother’s estate when they turned 30

Graeme Massie
Los Angeles
Tuesday 09 March 2021 08:58 GMT
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Prince Harry reveals he and Meghan were living off Diana inheritance
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Prince Harry told Oprah Winfrey that after being cut off financially by the royal family he supported his new life in California with his inheritance from Princess Diana.

“I have what my mum left me and without that we wouldn’t have been able to do this,” he said of his and Meghan Markle’s move to the United States.

“It’s like she saw it coming and she’s been with us through this whole process.”

The revelation left many viewers wondering how much Harry’s mother had left him after her death at the age of 36.

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Diana left an estate of £21m, but more than £8m was paid in inheritance tax, leaving £12,966,022, according to the Press Association.

It was split equally between William and younger brother Harry, who were aged 15 and 12 when Diana died in a Paris car crash in 1997.

The money was invested by royal advisers, which saw its value rise to around £20m by the time her sons reached the age when they could access it.

Changes agreed to the will in December 1997 meant that, upon reaching 25, William and Harry were entitled to the whole of the income of their share.

But before the age of 25, income could be paid at the trustees’ discretion.

The estate trustees could pay capital to William and Harry at any time, but when they turned 30 they were able to ask for their full share of capital.

Diana’s estate consisted of stocks and shares, jewellery, her multi-million pound divorce settlement from Charles, and her clothing and personal items.

William and Harry’s great-grandmother, the Queen Mother, also reportedly left them around £14m to split between them.

Meghan reportedly entered her marriage with around $5m in earnings from her acting career and particularly her role in Suits.

Last September it was announced that the couple had signed a reported multi-million dollar deal with Netflix to produce exclusive content such as documentaries, docu-series, feature films, scripted shows and children’s programming.

And months later they also inked a deal with Spotify to create podcast content.

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