Meghan and Harry 'value the ability to earn a professional income' – but where will this come from?

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced their surprise step back from their roles as senior royals yesterday – and together with this they shared a wish to becoming financially independent.

The Sussex Royal website goes into more detail about how this might work, including how the couple will give up their Sovereign Grant, but still continue to receive “income allocated by HRH The Prince of Wales, generated through the Duchy of Cornwall” which will contribute to their “office expenditure”.

It remains unclear where the family’s personal income will come from going forward.

However, the couple express that they “value the ability to earn a professional income, which in the current structure they are prohibited from doing,” according to the “Funding” page.

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“For this reason they have made the choice to become members of the Royal Family with financial independence.”

But where exactly would this “professional income” come from?

It is known Meghan was in a series of different employments ahead of meeting Prince Harry.

Beforehand, she worked as a professional actress since 1999, most notably starring in US legal drama ‘Suits’.

At the beginning of her acting career, she worked as a professional calligrapher to supplement her income, teaching calligraphy at a Paper Source store in Beverly Hills and also working freelance for celebrities including for the wedding of musician Robin Thicke.

It is believed Meghan was worth an estimated £5 million before meeting Prince Harry, according to HELLO!, through celebrity endorsements, monetising her blog The Tig and earning £333,000 annually for her role on ‘Suits’.

Prince Harry, meanwhile, served in the British Army for ten years, rising to the rank of Captain and undertaking two tours of Afghanistan. He would have earned between £38,400 and £40,700 during this time, according to Forbes.

Twitter users have speculated further about what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex might do to earn a “professional income”.

Return of The Tig

A number of people are calling for Duchess Meghan to revive her successful lifestyle website, The Tig.

The website was shut down in April 2017 as Meghan’s relationship with Prince Harry continued, and currently all that remains of it is a legacy ‘Farewell’ page.

Writing a book

Other people are speculating that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry might release a book.

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This is not unprecedented – Prince Charles published fictional work, ‘The Old Man of Lochnagar’, in 1980, while Princess Michael of Kent has written several historical fiction and non-fiction titles.

Could Meghan return to acting?

There has also been speculation Meghan might return to acting, with some calling for another series of ‘Suits’, which Meghan starred in as Rachel Zane.

Whatever the couple choose to do, we look forward to seeing what they do next.