Before Meghan Markle became the Duchess of Sussex, she was already living a pretty charmed life. She had a solid gig as part of the main cast of “Suits,” ran a well-curated lifestyle blog called The Tig, and even had a surprisingly wholesome side hustle as a calligrapher, having made wedding invitations for Robin Thicke. She was also dabbling in charity work well before it was part of the royal job description. With all that on her plate, Meghan was living a pretty comfortable life — and likely would’ve continued doing so even without ever becoming a duchess.
But marrying into the Firm meant letting go of the Hollywood paychecks, the blog, and anything remotely resembling personal brand monetization. No big deal, though — royals don’t exactly live paycheck to paycheck. While she was a working royal, 95% of her income came from King Charles, with the other 5% from the Sovereign Grant (i.e., taxpayer money). And even after she and Harry stepped down as senior royals and peaced out to California, Charles reportedly handed them a “substantial sum” to help get settled.
To be fair, they didn’t exactly rough it. The couple put down roots in Montecito, where their neighbors include Oprah Winfrey and Gwyneth Paltrow. They launched their Archewell Foundation, signed a string of commercial deals, and famously landed a reported $20 million deal with Spotify and a $100 million contract with Netflix. The kicker? Markle’s online activities have people wondering if the money’s starting to run dry. Between the podcast fallout, lifestyle brand teasers, and talk of a Tig revival, it’s giving soft-launch side hustle. It’s getting clear she’s not waiting around for another royal cheque — she’s getting back to work, just like the pre-duchess days.
Meghan seems to be back to hustling — hard
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Meghan Markle is worth $60 million — a hefty sum, thanks mostly to her and Harry’s splashy media deals. But as we all know, “net worth” isn’t the same as cold, hard cash. And judging by her recent hustle, Markle might not be swimming in riches the way people imagine.
For starters, she’s now selling jams, teas, crepe mixes, and other pantry staples under her lifestyle brand As Ever (formerly American Riviera Orchard). There’s also “With Love, Meghan,” her Netflix series that landed with more backlash than raves. But perhaps the most eyebrow-raising move? She’s launched an online storefront packed with her fashion and beauty “favorites” — complete with affiliate links. Yes, Markle is now earning a small cut if you buy that Uniqlo trench coat or Summer Fridays lip balm she’s posted about. We don’t know about you, but it’s giving influencer 101 — just with a duchess branding. And according to a source quoted by The Telegraph, Meghan somehow believes this will make her wildly rich. “She wants to be a billionaire. She wants a private jet. She wants to live a certain life,” another insider told The Sun.
Sure, there’s nothing wrong with wanting the good life. But when you’re relying on lipstick links and strawberry jam sales to bankroll a billionaire dream, the climb looks steep. Will she pull it off? Never say never — but if you’re counting on affiliate pennies to fund a Gulfstream, it might take a while. And hey, if she managed to land a prince, gracing the cover of Forbes someday might not be completely out of the question.
