Not A Fluke: Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Have Had Help From Billionaire Pals More Than Once

They say it's not what you know, but who you know, which has certainly been the case for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle who, thanks to their billionaire friends, have managed to move across the ocean twice. After Harry and Meghan's abrupt exit from the U.K., close pal Tyler Perry put them up in his muti-million-dollar mansion in California. The couple had the 22-acre estate all to themselves with a view that quite literally allowed them to look down on everyone in the city below. Of course, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex eventually moved out, after buying their own $14 million Montecito home. If Meghan and Harry's reliance on a billionaire friend in 2020 encouraged a frown or two, them doing so again, following their big 2026 U.K. return, really raised some eyebrows. 

According to November 2026 reporting by the Daily Mail, the Sussexes were staying on a wealthy friend's property in the Cotswolds. "They were living in the main house," a source disclosed. "They have now moved to a property on the estate." Said wealthy friend is rumored to be British billionaire Ian Wace. On an October 2026 episode of "The Royalist Podcast," journalist Tom Sykes claimed the royal defectors bonded with Wace during a harrowing experience. "The mystery of the connection between Harry, Meghan, and their billionaire host can finally be revealed, and it is a lightning strike on a private jet," Sykes asserted. Everyone got a big fright, but it was fine.

The podcast host further noted that Wace's friendship with the Sussexes was unusual, given that the financier is "a friend of [King Charles III]." It wasn't clear whether they were staying at Wace's property for free, or paying rent. As the old adage goes, choose your friends wisely; these two have definitely chosen well.

Rumored reasons why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the U.S. in August 2026 have been swirling ever since the couple dropped the shocking announcement. The most plausible explanation, according to royal experts, was that they were running out of funds. With the couple's lucrative Spotify and Netflix deals having gone pear-shaped, and Harry losing his legal battle against Associated Newspapers Limited (which resulted in the prince being burdened with a $13 million legal bill), many are suspicious about just how much money the Sussexes really have left in the bank. "They've been relying a lot on the kindness of their uber-wealthy friends and, by all accounts, a whole lot of credit as well," an insider told Star magazine in October 2026 (via Yahoo!). "The fact is they really need a break right now, or things could get very rough." 

The source added that Meghan is still spending money as if the royal defectors have cash to burn, and Harry doesn't have the heart to tell her to slow down. "The amount she spends on clothes and going out can run into the thousands every week," the source dished. And yet, word on the street is that the Sussexes are looking to purchase a property of their own in the U.K., with the couple's budget reportedly being a grand £8 million. That sure doesn't sound like two people in need of financial aid, not to mention Meghan wore a $37,000 getup in October 2026 when she met with Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai. Harry and Meghan's return to the U.K. definitely has reasons behind it, but whether it's actually due to financial turmoil remains to be seen.