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It’s no secret that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have a social circle that’s well off, but the sensational royal biography “Finding Freedom” alleges the famous couple has potentially received millions of dollars in gifts.
Written by American-based royal reporters Carolyn Durrand and Omid Scobie, the book says the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have reportedly received more than $4.5 million from family, friends and companies that have offered products and services.
Largely, the royal couple’s alleged freebies were across temporary and long-term real estate, travel and milestone life events like their wedding and baby shower, according to the two authors.
Shortly after their wedding, Frogmore Cottage was reportedly given to Prince Harry and Meghan as “gift from the Queen.” The exact value of the royal estate is not available to the public but it was refurbished in 2019 for around $3.1 million in taxpayer money, which the couple promised to pay back in January when they first announced their desire to be financially independent.
A view of Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, U.K.from 2019. (REX/Shutterstock)
When the couple left the U.K. for Canada in November, the pair stayed in the $14 million oceanfront Mille Fleurs mansion in Vancouver and stayed there until March. The accommodation was reportedly secured by Meghan’s best friend’s husband, Ben Mulroney, who was able to arrange an agreement between the royal couple and the owner for a monthly rent that was “well below market value.”
MEGHAN MARKLE, PRINCE HARRY MAKE JOINT APPEARANCE FROM NEW SANTA BARBARA HOME
More recently, Prince Harry and Meghan stayed in Tyler Perry’s $18 million hilltop mansion in Beverly Hills before they made their move to Santa Barbara. The couple reportedly stayed at the eight-bedroom home for free.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were reportedly introduced to Tyler Perry by Oprah Winfrey. (Getty Images)
When the royal couple is not living in luxury accommodations, they tend to travel around the world via private jets owned by their famous friends, the biography says. Meghan’s best friend Jessica Mulroney, George and Amal Clooney, and Elton John have allegedly secured the couple trips on private aircraft from 2016 to 2019, which cost tens of thousands of dollars each.
The upscale means of travel came under fire last year when the then active Duke and Duchess launched their environmentally-conscious initiative, Travalyst, under their Sussex Royal brand. The organization encouraged “the adoption of sustainable practices worldwide; and to balance this growth with the needs of the environment and the local population,” according to a statement on the Travalyst website.
PRINCE HARRY, DUCHESS MEGHAN HIRE HOLLYWOOD PR FIRM FOR TRAVEL ORGANIZATION
Fox News did not immediately receive a response from the PR firm that was hired to represent Travalyst.
Other notable lifestyle gifts that may or may have not been fully comped for the couple include the $170 Diptyque Baies diffusers that were provided for their wedding ceremony in St George’s Chapel as well as the $400,000 baby shower that was thrown by Clooney and Serna Williams.
In terms of where the royal family stands on outsiders giving members gifts, there is a clear policy that was last updated in 2002.
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“The fundamental principle governing the acceptance of gifts by members of The Royal Family is that no gifts, including hospitality or services, should be accepted which would, or might appear to, place the member of The Royal Family under any obligation to the donor,” the gift policy reads. “In this regard, before accepting any gift, careful consideration should always be given, wherever practicable, to the donor, the reason for and occasion of the gift and the nature of the gift itself.”
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