Graham Smith, the CEO of Republic, an anti-monarchy organization, has come out with some harsh words against Meghan Markle and Prince Harry , specifically regarding their income. Though the duke and duchess departed from the royal family earlier this year to pursue financial independence, the novel coronavirus pandemic appears to have limited their options and it remains to be seen how the couple plan on supporting themselves.
“I think most people would be surprised by any suggestion that people sitting on $38 million in the bank might struggle in any way financially,” Smith said in a critique of the lavish lifestyle the couple has been reported to be living in Los Angeles, The Express reported.
“I think if they want to live the lifestyle that people with $126 million do then they have a problem,” he added.
“I think they will be absolutely fine and we don’t owe them a living, we don’t owe them a penny.”
“They ought to go and find their own source of income or live off what they have,” he concluded.
Smith appears to have been motivated to speak out after a recent lawsuit filed by the Duchess of Sussex claimed that her royal wedding to Prince Harry had given the U.K. a tourism boost of over $1 billion.
Smith slammed the claims, calling it “pure fiction.”
“To try and justify spending public money on her wedding by making these rather weird claims is just another sign of their entitlement,” Smith stated.
In addition, he also insisted that the wedding and monarchy overall remained a “net-loss” for British taxpayers.
The comments come shortly after a number of rumors have suggested that Prince Charles is worried about continuing to pay for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s expenses.
Though Harry and Meghan were reported to have earned a speaking fee from a J.P. Morgan conference earlier this year, the Prince of Wales is nevertheless still believed to cover 95 percent of Harry and Meghan’s income at present. This includes their security, which has been estimated to cost as much as $4 million each year.
However, the arrangement might soon face some changes. As was previously covered by The Inquisitr , the COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe effect on Prince Charles’s income stream from the Duchy of Cornwall.
Though Prince Charles normally receives close to $28 million each year from the duchy, royal insiders have reported that the total this year will be reduced “by a significant amount.”
As a result, those close to the Prince of Wales have allegedly sent a message to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle that the future monarch’s allowance is not “inexhaustible.”