Meghan Markle and Prince Harry “struggle” to run their £12 million mansion, according to an expert.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex splashed out on their nine-bedroom California dream home after stepping back from royal duties in 2020. The sprawling mansion boasts pretty much every facility you could ever wish for, including a library, office, spa, gym, game room, wine cellar – and 16 baths!

Set on 5.4acres of land, the Sussexes’ estate – where they live with six-year-old Prince Archie and three-year-old Princess Lilibet – is surrounded by stunning gardens, as well as a tennis court, tea house, children’s cottage, pool, and five-car garage. However, according to an expert, maintaining their lavish lifestyle surprisingly comes with quite a lot of work and will cost the couple hundreds of thousands of pounds every year to upkeep.

Eric Bramlett – a realtor and owner of luxury real estate company Bramlett Residential – has shed light on the financial and physical toll running a pad like the Sussexes’ would take on the couple. Speaking to Fabulous, he said: “Managing a $14 million (£12 million) mansion like Harry and Meghan’s in Montecito takes a lot of work.”

Bramlett added that the Sussexes’ mansion would come with “high-operating costs”, probably requiring 10-15 full-time members of staff, such as housekeepers, a house manager, private chefs, groundsmen, and security. The expert said that as well as staff salaries, the couple would also have to foot the bill for utilities, landscaping, maintenance, and security – which could total up to hundreds of thousands every year, not including the cost of big renovations and repairs.

Bramlett continued: “It’s like running a small boutique hotel with residential service. The costs pile up quick, but it comes with luxury living.”

Thankfully, money is one thing the Sussexes do not need to worry about. According to reports, the couple have a combined net worth of £48 million, despite stepping down from their roles as senior working royals in 2020 and being forced to repay the taxpayer costs for the renovation of Frogmore Cottage, their former Windsor home.

Since moving to the US, the hardworking duo have managed to secure a number of lucrative deals, with the likes of Netflix, publisher Penguin Random House, and Spotify.

Before Meghan married into the Royal Family, she was worth an estimated £3.5 million. The Duchess’ starring role as Rachel Zane in the long-running legal drama Suits saw her earn a jaw-dropping £37,000 per episode.

Harry is also pretty set in terms of financial stability. In 1994, The Queen Mother put away a generous £19 million into a trust fund for her great-grandchildren, including Harry and William. According to a report by The Guardian, the brothers split £6 million of the trust when they were 21, with Harry bagging most of it to “compensate for not becoming sovereign”.

The news outlet also reported that Harry will get his hands on more of the trust fund on his 40th birthday. According to Forbes, the late Princess Diana left her boys almost £8 million after tax, which would see them each receive around £340,000 a year, every year after they turned 25.

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