With Prince Harry and Meghan Markle losing top staff and facing the possible collapse of their Archewell brand, the self-exiled royals might not be too happy to read this week that Harry\u2019s estranged brother, Prince William, is doing really well, at least financially.<\/p>\n
Indeed, new reports reveal that William\u2019s role as Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne comes with a steady, American CEO-level salary, which was $30.9 million for the 2024-25 financial year, People an<\/a>d other outlets said. This salary doesn\u2019t come from British taxpayers but from the Duchy of Cornwall, a private estate that was originally established back in 1337 and is passed down from one heir to the throne to the next. The estate is now worth more than $1 billion and includes houses, farms, land, and other assets among 130,000 acres spanning 23 counties across England and Wales, as explained by InStyle.<\/a><\/p>\n William inherited the Duchy when his grandmother, Elizabeth II, died, and his father, King Charles III, ascended to the throne in 2022. His salary from the estate, in the form of a \u201cnet revenue surplus,\u201d<\/a> is supposed to provide \u201cindependence\u201d to the heir, with the sum covering his official, charitable and private expenses. William also is understood to pay tax on his income, but only after subtracting household expenses, which were not specified in the latest report, People reported.<\/p>\n News about William\u2019s income has already stirred online questions about what work he actually does to earn such a massive sum, as well as a debate about whether Britons should continue to support a monarchy if it allows for such displays of privilege and generational wealth.<\/p>\n But then there also are those who have compared William\u2019s evident wealth to Harry\u2019s fortune, or what remains of Harry\u2019s fortune, given reports that Archewell, the business, media and philanthropic organization that he and Meghan launched in 2020 is \u201cin peril.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo wonder Harry wants to get back into the Royal fold!\u201d someone commented on the People magazine story about William\u2019s eight-figure salary. But since Harry is the famous \u201cspare,\u201d and not the direct heir to the throne, he apparently would never be entitled to a share of the Duchy of Cornwall billions.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Archewell is \u201cessentially shuttered,\u201d a source told Page Six<\/a> as news broke this past week that two top advisers were stepping down from their positions with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. On Monday, James Holt, the couple\u2019s long-standing adviser, announced that he was departing his job as chief of their Archewell Foundation, leaving only one part-time consultant on staff, Page Six also reported.<\/p>\n Late last week, Meredith Maines, the chief of communications officer for the couple\u2019s official office, announced that she, too,\u00a0 was leaving her positio<\/a>n. According to reports by Tom Sykes, the Daily Beast\u2019s European editor, and others the seasoned PR professional and Stanford University graduate had become weary of working for a couple who famously shun expert advice and who have become known for repeatedly making choices that cause self-inflicted PR damage. <\/a><\/p>\n Maines also became the 11th publicist in five years to quit a job with the Sussexes, reigniting long-standing questions about whether they are difficult to work for and whether Meghan is, as reported, a \u201cbullying\u201d boss. Meanwhile, there have been drastic cutbacks to Harry and Meghan\u2019s Archewell production business, with which the couple aim to develop film, TV and audio projects. Page Six reported that there are \u201cjust a few employees left\u201d in their production business, and Archewell could lose more staffers if Meghan\u2019s Netflix lifestyle show, \u201cWith Love, Meghan,\u201d is not brought back for another season.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom a year ago, they have decreased their staff by at least 80-85 percent,\u201d an industry source told Page Six. The couple have spent the past few months in cost-cutting talks for their charity and have even discussed selling it. Another source told Page Six that Harry and Meghan have \u201cessentially shuttered Archewell.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to escape the feeling that we are watching the real-time collapse of the Archewell brand,\u201d Sykes said. He also questioned whether anyone would want to buy anything right now from Meghan\u2019s As Ever lifestyle company \u2014 her $36 collection of fruit spreads and orange marmalade; her small, $15 tin of dried flower sprinkles; or her $64 mint-and-cardamom candle. \u201cThere had been a sense for a while that the whole brand had run off the edge of the cliff and only hadn\u2019t fallen because nobody had looked down,\u201d Sykes added.<\/p>\n Sykes also explained that this is a tricky time for Harry. Earlier this year, his net worth was reported to be around $60 million, thanks to his inheritance from his mother, whatever he earned from publishing his memoir \u201cSpare\u201d in 2023 and lucrative contracts he\u2019s signed with brands such as Spotify, Netflix and the mental health startup BetterUp, <\/a>according to Parade magazine.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n