Author Reveals Meghan Markle's Reaction to Finding Out Harry Wasn't a 'Billionaire': "She Expected..."

When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in 2018, she had a starkly different notion of what life in the royal fold would be like. The Suits star, who grew up in Los Angeles before attending Northwestern University, reportedly believed royal life was all about palaces and glamor—expectations that didn’t quite align with reality. One detail that particularly surprised Markle was that her husband Harry wasn’t a 'billionaire'. Royal author Tom Quinn in his book Yes Ma'am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants, spilled the Duchess’s evolving perspective on life within the palace.

Quinn revealed that when Markle learned Harry’s net worth was only around £20 million, it was a wake-up call. She reportedly realized that she needed to re-evaluate many of her other assumptions. As reported by the Irish Star, the author wrote, "Meghan Markle had a typically American view of the royal family before she joined it. For her, life was all about castles, glittering balls, and limitless wealth and ease. As one royal staff member put it, 'She expected a billionaire and she got a millionaire.'"

In Markle’s defense, Quinn explained that her assumptions were entirely logical, considering her American upbringing and perspective. He wrote, "Above all the modern royal family is a celebrity family, albeit one with a strangely 18th-century lifestyle—the palaces and the carriages, the enormous wealth—all underpinned by hierarchies, tradition and vast teams of staff from every social class." Sources also added that Harry didn’t exactly offer many details about the true extent of his family’s demands, which might explain why Markle was so unsettled by the rigid hierarchy after her marriage.

As reported by The Sun, a palace insider said, “Many of the rules do seem pretty pointless and exist only so that the relative status of each senior royal is protected. And the senior royals are such a sensitive bunch. If one gets a gold pen or a new car, they all want one. Meghan thought they behaved like babies.” One of Markle's former staffers reminisced about the awkward yet humorous moments during their initial meetings with the new Duchess at Kensington Palace. The source said, “It was extraordinary because she was so confident that you could see she wanted to run the meeting rather than learn about the royal family through the meeting."

Markle found the royal rules restricting, with one former Kensington Palace staffer noting that she disliked having to plan her departures from Nottingham Cottage in advance. Markle had to ensure her departure didn’t overlap or cause any inconvenience to a senior royal’s schedule. Having stepped down from her duties as a senior royal, the Duchess now lives a more relaxed life in Montecito with Harry and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.