King Charles III left Prince Harry "furious" after suggesting there wasn't enough money to fund Meghan Markle, a new book suggests.
The monarch, 75, felt the Duchess of Sussex was "so intelligent and so nice" when she first came into Prince Harry's life. However, he expressed some reluctance to open the purse strings to pay for Meghan's career as a working royal.
The friction is described in new royal biography, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, published by Pegasus Books in America on August 6.
An extract serialized in the Daily Mail reads: "At the outset, Charles had made a concerted effort to form a relationship with Harry's fiancee. 'She is so intelligent and so nice,' he said. 'She makes Harry happy. We could not like her more.'
"Harry, however, later claimed that his father told him there was 'not enough money to go around' for Meghan, because he was already having to pay for William and Catherine.
"Harry was furious—feeling that he and Meghan were entitled to lavish handouts from 'Pa' in return for agreeing to serve the crown.
"In fact, according to close sources, Charles ended up giving Harry a 'substantial sum' and did not cut him off financially."
Charles funded William and Harry using the profits of the property portfolio within the Duchy of Cornwall, which exists to support the Prince of Wales.
The two couples, William and Princess Kate and Harry and Meghan, shared a pot that in 2020 stood at $6.1 million.
When Charles became king, the duchy passed to Prince William, who now benefits from the full annual sum, which in the tax year 2023-24 stood at nearly $30 million, far exceeding the money either he or Harry had access to while the Sussexes were working royals.
Author Robert Jobson's reference to a "substantial sum" likely comes from the goodbye pay check Harry got from his father in the first quarter of the 2020-21 tax year, after which Harry was no long paid from Duchy funds.
Jobson also argues in the book that the king favors reconciliation between Harry and William, who have not been on speaking terms for years—and he used his own brother, Prince Andrew, to send a coded message.
"First, the disgraced Duke of York was spotted—to the surprise of many—walking with other members of the Royal Family to their traditional Christmas service in 2022," Jobson wrote.
"Then, in February this year, he and his ex-wife were photographed leading royal mourners as they walked to the memorial service for King Constantine of Greece.
"What did it all mean? And why had Fergie – long banished from other such occasions – suddenly been welcomed so publicly back into the royal fold?
"Remarkably, a senior figure in the royal household suggests that by extending a hand to the Yorks, King Charles was trying to send his elder son William a very pointed message. Not about Andrew—but about Prince Harry.
"'Perhaps the King is subliminally trying to show William that forgiving one's brother and giving him a second chance is a strength, not a weakness,' said the source. 'Prince William disagrees – and as for his own brother, as far as he is concerned there is no way back.'
"In other words, the feud between Harry and William looks set to continue, possibly for the rest of their lives."
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
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