Harry Said He and Meghan Were Cut Off. Now, a Royals Account

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey aired in March, one of the claims the Duke of Sussex made was that they'd been cut off financially by the royal family in the first quarter of 2020 and were forced to use an inheritance from Harry's mother, Princess Diana, while they got back on their feet. That timeline appears to be somewhat at odds with the one now offered by Prince Charles' team, which notes the couple received funds from the royals into the summer of last year, the BBC reports. A spokesperson for Clarence House, where Prince Charles resides with his wife, Camilla, notes that "the Prince of Wales allocated a substantial sum" to bolster Harry and Meghan on their path to financial liberation from the royal purse. That cash flow "ceased in the summer of last year," the Clarence House rep adds. "The couple are now financially independent."

As for the seeming discrepancy in timelines, a spokesperson for the Sussexes notes that in the Oprah interview, Harry had been referring to the first quarter of the fiscal reporting period in the UK, which runs from April to the start of July. "It's inaccurate to suggest that there's a contradiction," the spokesperson notes. The Clarence House rep shoots back: "I wouldn't acknowledge that they are dramatically different. All I can tell you are the facts." This news comes as part of the publicizing of Queen Elizabeth II's annual financial report, which added that Harry and Meghan have also handed over $3.3 million to reimburse the public for renovations to Frogmore Cottage, their former residence, and rent that allows them to stay there through at least March 2022, per the Guardian. Money aside, the Clarence House spokesperson notes that the Sussexes leaving the ranks of the working royals is "a matter of enormous sadness to the family," per the Independent. (More Prince Charles stories.)