Meghan Markle reportedly has a net worth of around $5 million.
Although Markle is often credited as a former actress, that's not the only way she made
her fortune.
Here are the deets on how the Duchess of Sussex amassed her wealth.
Long before she was royalty, Meghan Markle's family received a huge financial boost that
reportedly helped put her on the path she's on today.
Her now-estranged father, Thomas, won $750,000 in the lottery when she was nine years old.
Her half brother, Tom, told the Daily Mail in 2017,
"That money allowed Meg to go to the best schools and get the best training."
And before Markle's acting career took off, she had her hands in the gig economy, quite
literally, thanks in part to that windfall.
In an interview with Esquire, Meghan explained her longtime knack for cursive handwriting
after taking classes in Catholic school.
"Meghan took pen in hand and wrote a letter to Proctor and Gamble.
And just look at that penmanship."
She told Esquire,
"What it evolved into was my pseudo-waitressing job when I was auditioning.
I didn't wait tables.
I did calligraphy for the invitations for, like, Robin Thicke and Paula Patton's wedding."
Meghan was also hired to do hand-lettering for Dolce & Gabbana's celebrity correspondence.
"Dolce & Gabbana.
They just get it!"
Meghan told the magazine,
"I would sit there with a little white tube sock on my hand so no hand oils got on the
card, trying to pay my bills while auditioning."
While calligraphy isn't your average job, Meghan said it can be, quote, "super lucrative."
It's hard to picture now, but Meghan Markle was once a Deal or No Deal model.
After interning for the United States Embassy in Argentina, Meghan appeared on the popular
American game show from 2006 to 2007.
Meghan explained to Esquire why she took the job of "briefcase girl," saying,
"I would put that in the category of things I was doing while I was auditioning to try
to make ends meet."
Meghan also divulged that she was, for a time, quote, "the ill-fated number 26", the briefcase
contestants would never choose for some unknown reason.
She recalled lots of standing around in high heels just wishing her name would be called
so she could go sit down.
Meghan likely didn't pull in too much dough with this job, but hey, it kept her afloat.
Between Meghan Markle's very first acting gig as a nurse on General Hospital in 2002
to her first speaking role in a major feature film in 2010, Meghan starred in 11 different
television shows.
Now, how's that for versatility?
The War at Home, CSI: New York, and Fringe were just some of the series in which the
up-and-coming actress landed roles.
Although Meghan didn't reveal how much she was paid for her two-day stint on Fringe,
Deadline explained that recurring actors, aside from special "Guest Stars", can be hired
for as little as $900 a day.
Every bit counts, though, right?
After acting in quite a few bit parts, Meghan Markle finally started securing more major
roles.
In 2010, Meghan starred in The Candidate, a short thriller, in which she's reported
to have earned around $153,000.
In that same year, Meghan reportedly earned a higher grossing part in Remember Me, a mainstream
film starring Robert Pattinson.
Meghan reportedly received $187,000 for her efforts.
Come 2011, Meghan starred in the TV movie The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down,
which reportedly earned her around $50,000.
Meghan continued to pull in more roles, including a supporting gig in the rom-com Random Encounters.
"So, who's the victim?"
"A guy I met online."
In 2014, she began working with the Hallmark Channel, starring in When Sparks Fly.
Meghan teamed up with the network again some two years later to star in Dater's Handbook.
While Meghan Markle was busy playing the lead in television movies and making cameos in
films like Horrible Bosses, she was also starring in the TV series Suits, which ended up making
her a household name.
Due to Harry and Meghan's engagement and eventual marriage, Meghan made the difficult decision
to part ways with the show after seven long years.
Meghan said in an interview with the BBC,
"Once we hit the 100 episode marker, I thought, 'You know what?
I have ticked this box.'
And I feel really proud of the work I've done there and now it's time to...work as a team
with [Harry]."
Of course, that meant Meghan was also reportedly leaving behind a whopping $50,000 per episode.
Although acting was definitely a main source of Meghan Markle's income throughout most
of her adult life, fashion was also her bread and butter.
In 2016, Meghan became a guest designer for Reitmans, Canada's largest women's apparel
retailer.
Some 18 months later, Women's Wear Daily reported that the Meghan Markle collection was sold
out online and in select stores.
Meghan reportedly received around $80,000 in sponsorships and endorsements.
As a brand ambassador, her income from Reitmans may have made up part of this figure.
Before Markle deleted her personal social media accounts, she was somewhat of a social
media influencer.
After reviewing the now-extinct content of Meghan's Instagram account, Inc. reported
that Meghan often promoted her friends' brands.
When Serena Williams was launching her fall fashion line, for example, Meghan created
some hype with Instagram posts.
Meghan also followed Instagram's rules, making sure to use the proper hashtags so her nearly
3 million followers knew they were seeing sponsored content.
Meghan likely earned thousands from her Instagram endorsements and sponsorships alone.
Meghan Markle had already reportedly become a multi-millionaire some time before becoming
the Duchess of Sussex.
And, as you could probably guess, her net worth didn't exactly decrease upon entering
into the royal family and, you know, marrying an actual prince.
When Prince Harry's mother, Princess Diana, died, her will included a provision not only
for her sons William and Harry but for their future wives as well.
Plus, through her marriage to Harry, Meghan was also entitled to receive an income through
two revenue streams: the Sovereign Grant and the Duchy of Cornwall.
According to a financial report published by the Duchy, the estate experienced a "distributable
surplus" to the tune of $28 million between March 2017 and March 2018.
The royal family doesn't detail how these funds are divvied up, but, according to CNBC's
Make It, Prince Harry, and likewise Meghan, are, quote, "reported to receive [about $6.5
million] a year from the estate."
In January 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle issued a statement announcing their decision
to "step back as 'senior members' of the royal family."
Now, there are a great number of things Harry and Meghan can't do once they step down from
their positions, but one in particular is a huge deal, not to mention unprecedented.
Citing plans to become financially independent, Harry and Meghan's site revealed the couple's
desire to cut themselves off from the Sovereign Grant.
It's not known if they will also give up their income from the Duchy of Cornwall, but, even
if they do, they'll be able to more than make up for any lost revenue.
According to data from influencer marketing platform Klear, Meghan and her hubby could
earn over $110 million from Instagram sponsored posts.
David Haigh, CEO of the brand valuation firm Brand Finance, also told the publication that
the couple may pursue a movie or book deal, which could lead to them earning tens of millions
of dollars.
And, as the publication reported, Harry and Meghan have already trademarked "Sussex Royal,"
which could point to future capitalization on their brand.
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