Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have returned to the UK for the foreseeable future after spending around six years in the ritzy Southern California community of Montecito, where their neighbors included stars such as Oprah Winfrey and Gwyneth Paltrow. An August 28 Page Six report says the former royals received a friendly helping hand when Marshall Wace, a British hedge fund billionaire, stepped in to assist them in financing their move.
It’s possible security might have been one of the things they needed help with, considering Harry lost a bid last year to receive police protection while visiting the UK with his wife and their two children, 7-year-old Archie and 5-year-old Lilibet.
Now a world-famous public figure, Meghan got her Hollywood start as an actress working in projects such as the USA Network legal drama “Suits” and the mid-2010s Hallmark movies “When Sparks Fly” and “Dater’s Handbook.”
Friday’s Page Six story says Wace’s net worth stands at an estimated estimated at $1.2 billion, and he is currently the CEO and Chief Risk Officer of one of the world’s largest hedge fund firms, Marshall Wace LLP, which launched back in 1997.
The report says during his friendship with the pair, he’s welcomed them to vacation on his private Scottish island Tanera Mor.
Prince Harry Vulnerably Discussed Being Financially ‘Cut Off’ by His Family in 2021, & Reason for Leaving the UK
In a March 2021 heart-to-heart with Oprah Winfrey, the redheaded prince, now 41, spoke about how his family had withdrawn financial support from the famous couple. He explained the couple was cut off near the start of 2020, soon after their announcement to step down as working senior members of the royal family.
He disclosed that he was now surviving on funds left to him by his mother Princess Diana, who died in a heartbreaking car crash on August 31, 1997. He said without that money, he couldn’t have paid for his family’s move to California, before pointing out he didn’t expect an excessive sum from his family. “All I wanted was enough money to get security and keep my family safe,” he explained.
Speaking about his decision to move to the US, Harry reasoned, “I needed to do this for my family. This isn’t a surprise to anybody. It’s really sad that it’s got to this point. But I’ve got to do something. For my own mental health, my wife’s, and for Archie’s as well because I could see where this was headed.”
Meghan earnestly revealed that she even contemplated ending her life after learning Harry’s family did not want their son to “be a prince,” and were not planning to give him security.
Harry expressed his opinion that his family missed “many opportunities” to “show some public support.”
A few days after the interview, Buckingham Palace issued a short statement which was obtained by the AP. It said the royal family was “saddened” to learn how challenging Harry and Meghan had found the last few years, and promised the couple and their children “will always be much loved family members.”
