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Questions have been raised over how Harry and Meghan will fund their life in the UK following years of expensive property purchases and failed brand deals.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to return within the fortnight, and their children, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, are enrolled to start at a British school next month.

But with a multi-million-pound, nine-bedroom mansion in Montecito and a holiday home on the coast of Portugal, experts have asked how the couple will pay for another property in the UK.

And with no return to the royal payroll in sight, how they will fund their lifestyle.

The Sussexes' joint net worth has been estimated at £45million, from inheritance, media deals, publishing contracts and Meghan's business ventures.

Harry and William reportedly inherited about £10million each when they turned 30 from Princess Diana.

The Queen Mother is also understood to have left them around £19million, with royal experts suggesting Harry may have received a larger share, although details of the trust fund have never been made public.

When Harry married Meghan in 2018, she was worth around £4million, largely from her acting career and role in drama Suits.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (pictured in April) are moving back to the United Kingdom later this month

Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, are thought to have already enrolled in a British school (the family are pictured in December 2025)

But the couple's finances changed dramatically after they stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved to North America.

They spent some £11million on their Montecito home, which boasts a swimming pool, tennis court and guesthouse across more than five acres.

According to US reports, mortgage payments, taxes, insurance and maintenance now exceed £450,000 a year.

This is not including security costs - which have long been a point of contention.

In 2023, Harry and Meghan bought a holiday home in Portugal's exclusive CostaTerra development, near Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. They reportedly paid £6.3million.

The Sussexes also secured several deals, including a reported £75million, five-year agreement with Netflix, which produced Harry & Meghan - a six-part documentary about their departure from royal life - and lifestyle series With Love, Meghan.

However, that original deal expired and has since been replaced with a less lucrative one.

Netflix also helped launch Meghan's lifestyle brand As Ever last year, which sells jams, teas and baking mixes, but cut ties with the company in March.

Spotify signed the couple to a deal reportedly worth around £15million in 2020, but that partnership ended in 2023, after Meghan's Archetypes podcast generated just one series and a Christmas special.

By contrast, Harry's memoir Spare, published in January 2023, proved a success. He reportedly received an advance of £16million as part of a four-book deal worth around £32million.

The memoir sold more than 1.43million copies on its first day in Britain, Canada and the US.

Questions have now surfaced over who will fund the Sussexes' (pictured in 2022) security following their one-way trip across the Atlantic

Harry and Meghan bought their sprawling nine-bedroom home in Montecito from Russian tycoon Sergey Grishin on June 18, 2020

Now, Harry continues to earn money through his role at a coaching and mental health firm called BetterUp, and through speaking engagements.

As the couple prepare to move back to Britain, the location of their new home remains under wraps.

However, they are believed to have spent several days in the Cotswolds during their most recent visit, where they are said to have gone house hunting.

Property sources have also revealed the Sussexes made discreet inquiries about renting in the area last October.

There are no plans for either Harry or Meghan to resume royal duties, meaning they will remain private, 'financially independent' individuals.

Tom Garcia-Bridgeman, a PR consultant at Rhizome Media Group, told the Daily Mail: 'The book deals, Netflix documentaries and product launches were supposed to establish the couple as a global brand independent of the royals, but their return to the UK may suggest that approach hasn't worked, or at least a rethink has happened.

'The American dream promised an opportunity to forge an entirely new identity outside the Royal Family, yet years later it is still their connection to the monarchy that generates the greatest global interest.

'Meghan still needs to use her Duchess of Sussex branding to sell blackberry jam and candles.'