Fact Check

Did Meghan Markle's Net Worth Make the Queen 'Cringe'?

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and their son, Archie, moved away from the royal family to Montecito, California.

Published Dec. 12, 2020

Updated April 12, 2021
TOPSHOT - Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex wave from the Ascot Landau Carriage during their carriage procession on the Long Walk as they head back towards Windsor Castle in Windsor, on May 19, 2018 after their wedding ceremony. (Photo by Aaron Chown / POOL / AFP)        (Photo credit should read AARON CHOWN/AFP via Getty Images) (Aaron Chown/AFP via Getty Images)
Image Via Aaron Chown/AFP via Getty Images
Claim:
A report revealed the royal family's potentially negative thoughts about Meghan Markle's net worth.

Meghan Markle's net worth was the subject of misleading online advertisements in both 2020 and 2021. We've seen no shortage of questionable claims about the royal family. The departure of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, from the royal family resulted in quite a bit of clickbait advertisements.

Megan Markle's net worth did not cause Queen Elizabeth II or the royal family to cringe.
Clickbait, plain and simple.

One advertisement read: "The Royal Family is Cringing at Meghan Markle's Net Worth." Variations of the ad also said: "Meghan Markle's New Net Worth Has Left The Royal Family Cringing" and "The Royal Family Is Stunned By Meghan Markle's Net Worth."

Another read: "Meghan Markle's Current Net Worth Is Causing The Queen To Cringe."

Megan Markle's net worth did not cause Queen Elizabeth II or the royal family to cringe.
The ads were still appearing into April 2021.

However, these were misleading. Readers who clicked on the advertisements landed on slideshow articles with a seemingly endless number of pages. One story from the Money Pop website had the headline: "Here’s How Much Each Member of The Royal Family is Worth." It made no mention of any of the royal family "cringing" at or being ashamed of Meghan Markle's net worth in any way.

Markle's purported net worth appeared on page 18 in the Money Pop story, and included no mention of the royal family's thoughts on the figure:

Meghan Markle ($5 Million)

Meghan Markle used to do freelance calligraphy between acting auditions in order to make ends meet. Despite the fact that numerous members of her family have filed for bankruptcy over the years (including her own father), the actress was independently wealthy before she ever became a royal.

It's estimated that she earned around $50,000 per episode of "Suits" and was thought to have brought in around half a million a year from acting and sponsorships. After officially stepping down as a senior royal, Meghan has a net worth of around $5 million.

Other names that appeared in the story included Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton (the former), Prince George, and a number of others.

The same website that published this story, Money Pop, also promoted a misleading online advertisement that made it appear Olive Garden was going out of business. It's true that restaurant chains including Olive Garden had been financially burdened by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Olive Garden had not announced it was closing its doors for good.

In sum, there's no indication from any of the stories that resulted from the misleading advertisements that the Queen or royal family had conveyed thoughts about Meghan Markle's net worth.

Snopes debunks a wide range of content, and online advertisements are no exception. Misleading ads often lead to obscure websites that host lengthy slideshow articles with lots of pages. It's called advertising "arbitrage." The advertiser's goal is to make more money on ads displayed on the slideshow's pages than it cost to show the initial ad that lured them to it. Feel free to submit ads to us, and be sure to include a screenshot of the ad and the link to where the ad leads.

Updates

On April 12, 2021, a new screenshot of a misleading online advertisement was added to the story that read: "Meghan Markle's Current Net Worth Is Causing The Queen To Cringe."

Jordan Liles is a Senior Reporter who has been with Snopes since 2016.