Prince Harry has no intentions of returning to Britain in the near future, and a recent document confirming his country of residence is enough indicator of that.
The Duke of Sussex moved to the States together with his wife, Meghan Markle, and son Archie, some four years ago, when they stepped down from their royal duties and left Britain behind in order to stay away from the British media and lead a quieter life.
This, however, didn’t turn out to be the case because both Harry and Meghan used every opportunity to be under the spotlight whether through interviews, their Netflix documentary, or Harry’s book Spare.
Now, the prince has made a decision to formally relocate his residence to the United States, making a historic move.
He finalized this decision through a newly filed document with Companies House, a crucial requirement for his eco-tourism nonprofit, Travalyst. The document shows a change effective from June 29, 2023, which coincides with the date of Buckingham Palace’s announcement that Prince Harry and his wife were leaving Frogmore Cottage, which underscored their transition away from the UK.
At the time, a spokesperson for the couple said: “We can confirm the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage.”
During the four years he’s been residing in California, Harry has paid visit to his family on several occasions and he’s expected to return to Britain next month to celebrate a decade of the Invictus Games with a commemorative service at St Paul’s Cathedral.
Harry has raised concerns for his safety when home in Britain because he lacks security, something he was denied when he stopped being a working royal. He tried to get his right for security back by initiating legal proceedings against the Home Office after a decision by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) in February 2020 to alter the level of state-funded security he would receive during visits to the UK.
Back in 2022, the Duke’s legal team argued: “The U.K. will always be Prince Harry’s home and a country he wants his wife and children to be safe in.
“With the lack of police protection, comes too great a personal risk. Prince Harry hopes that his petition-after close to two years of pleas for security in the U.K.-will resolve this situation.”
Speaking to NBC, Harry expressed his sense of belonging in the United States.
“Home for me, now, for the time being, is in the States.
“And it really feels that way, as well. We’ve been welcomed with open arms and have got such a great community up in Santa Barbara.”
Harry and Meghan are able to maintain their lifestyle thanks to the individual as well as the joint projects they have undertaken. In addition to this, Harry has received a significant amount of inheritance from his family, including his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, as well as his late mother, Princess Diana.
As per reports, the Queen Mother amassed a fortune estimated at £70 million, comprising valuable art pieces and various assets. While she bequeathed this wealth to her late daughter, Queen Elizabeth III, the Queen Mother allocated two-thirds of her riches into a trust fund established for her great-grandchildren. The brothers have also received £20 million from their mother, from savvy investments of funds.
While Prince Harry’s estimated personal net worth is about £48 million, Meghan has earned £3.5 million from her acting career.
Of course, Harry’s bestselling memoir Spare added to the couple’s fortune.
Bestselling author Richard Osman spoke of Harry’s memoir and said it was unprecedented success. “It’s impossible to overestimate how much money that has made,” Richard stated while speaking on his podcast The Rest Is Entertainment.
Harry also earned on the financial mechanics behind such a publication. “I reckon he’s made $26, $27million. So he’s earned out an advance of $20million on the hardback of his first book alone. Forget rights to other things and audiobooks and what have you. He has earned that out already,” Richard added, emphasizing the lucrative nature of the U.S. book market. “In America, the royalties are absolutely insane […] So he has made a huge amount of money out of that book.”
