Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah on Sunday still has us reeling from all the shockers shared, with one of the major ones being that the Royal Family took away Harry’s access to their funds in early 2020 ― and that if it weren’t for his mother’s inheritance fund, his family would be in dire circumstances.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police provided their protection services to the couple while they stayed in Canada, from November 2019 to March 2020.
This decision to cut Harry off also left the Sussex royals without a security detail, at a time where they were — and still are — on the receiving end of death threats.
And the fact that they had baby Archie to keep safe and were living on Vancouver Island, at a location widely publicized in the tabloids, didn’t help either.
It’s why Harry tapped into money Princess Diana left behind for him, to pay for the protection his family needed. Both Harry and his brother, Prince William, reportedly inherited $10-million USD after taxes, or $12.6-million CAD, according to Forbes.
“I’ve got what my mom left me, and without that, we would not have been able to do this,” Harry told Oprah, adding: “What my mum would think of this? I think she saw it coming. And I certainly felt her presence throughout this whole process.”
“I’ve got what my mom left me, and without that, we would not have been able to do this ... what my mum would think of this, I think she saw it coming.”
- Prince Harry, via CBS Special
People were appalled by the eye-opening revelation that Harry, a former senior royal, had to rely on Princess Diana’s savings to get by:
That’s not to mention how Tyler Perry, the American director, plays a role in all this; after the tabloids revealed where they lived in Canada, the family stayed at his California home and used his security services last year.
The incredulity over the situation led to plenty of wise-cracking ...
... And appreciation for Diana looking out for her son:
When asked how he believes his mom would react to his family’s circumstances, Harry spoke from the heart.
“I think she would feel very angry and very sad, but ultimately, all she’d ever want for us to be happy,” Harry told Oprah.
The news about Diana’s savings led to people comparing “The People’s Princess” and Meghan.
A clip of Diana’s interview with BBC interviewer Martin Bashir in 1995 resurfaced, in which she spoke openly about how the Royal Family as didn’t support her and saw her as a threat to the establishment; statements that parallelled what Meghan described in the CBS primetime special.
Even when she wasn’t mentioned by name, Diana’s presence was felt throughout the interview. Eagle-eyed viewers noticed that Meghan wore one of her cherished keepsakes and that young Archie had picked up a bittersweet way to say goodbye.
And upon hearing the news that the Sussexes are expecting a daughter, some hoped “Diana” would be her name ― both as a sweet gesture and to potentially rile up Royal family members who don’t support them.
Ultimately, the significance behind Harry using his late mother’s savings to forge a life away from the Royal Family was not lost on anyone.
Buckingham Palace has yet to respond to the couple’s claims in the CBS special. But it’s clear that whatever is said (or not said), many will think well of Diana and how her foresight’s given her son a chance to live the life that she didn’t have.
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