Britain's Princess Beatrice and her mother Sarah Ferguson leave after the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, near London in October 2018. Photo: Pool via AP
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry aren’t the first to spurn inherited wealth – 5 more UK royals who chose financial independence from the crown
Meghan and Harry’s shock decision to turn their backs on the royal life shouldn’t be a total surprise – they follow the example of successful royal free agents including Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Zara Phillips and Lady Amelia Windsor
Zara Phillips, Princess Beatrice, Prince Harry, Princess Eugenie and Lady Amelia Windsor have all said no to financial dependence on the British crown. Photos: AP/Reuters/Instagram
The world was shocked when Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle announced they would take a step back from royal life to become financially independent. However, they aren’t the only ones to turn away from inherited wealth to earn their own way through life. Following is a peek at some other members of Britain’s royal family who did the same, and met with resounding success.
Princess Beatrice
Princess Beatrice is the oldest daughter of Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. Ferguson, the Duchess of York, spoke out about how Beatrice and her sister, Eugenie, were often victims of cyberbullying. While Beatrice is Prince Harry’s first cousin and ninth in line to the British throne, she certainly doesn’t rest on her laurels. She is also the vice-president of Partnerships and Strategy at Afiniti, a multinational data and software corporation based in the United States. It’s not her first job; before taking on the position, she worked at private wealth firms and Sony Pictures.
Princess Eugenie
Britain's Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank are photographed at Royal Lodge, Windsor, England, following their wedding in October 2018. Photo: Buckingham Palace via AP
Princess Eugenie, like her older sister Princess Beatrice, does not receive money from Queen Elizabeth. Upon finishing her studies, she took a job in New York working for an online auction firm. She later moved back to London to work as a director for Hauser & Wirth, an upscale contemporary and modern art gallery with locations throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. The princess is tenth in line to the throne.
Zara Phillips
Zara Phillips is seen at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London, in 2013. Photo: Invision/AP
Zara Phillips, like Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, is one of the queen’s grandchildren. However, unlike her royal cousins, she does not have a royal title. Archaic British laws state that the children of princesses aren’t automatically granted titles – even though the children of princes do automatically inherit a title. Queen Elizabeth still had the option of granting young Zara and her younger brother Peter a title and was reportedly eager to do so; however, Zara’s mother, Princess Anne, turned the queen down.
Zara Phillips hasn’t allowed the lack of a royal title to hold her back from a successful life. While Zara Phillips is best known as a world-class equestrian, she is also a brand representative for international companies such as Rolex and Land Rover as well as a successful businesswoman with her own jewellery collection. Phillips is 19th in line to the British throne.
Lady Amelia Windsor
Lady Amelia Windsor is the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth’s first cousin, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. She is 39th in the line of succession to the British throne, which means that it is unlikely she will ever become queen. However, her lack of standing in the royal family hasn’t prevented her from becoming a successful model in her own right.
Lady Amelia Windsor has worked for Dolce and Gabbana, BuIgari and Chanel, and is currently a contributing fashion editor for Tatler, a brand representative for British make-up brand Illamasqua and a successful social media influencer. Unlike Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, she isn’t called on for royal events, but she did score an invitation to Prince William’s wedding to Catherine Middleton.
David Armstrong-Jones, Second Earl of Snowdon
David Armstrong-Jones is the son of Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth’s sister. He is 22nd in the line of succession for the throne, but doesn’t spend much time performing royal duties. Instead, he runs his own furniture company. The earl has also worked as the honorary chairman for Christie’s Europe, Middle East, Russia and India, and even dabbled in the restaurant business, a venture that earned him a reputation for being a savvy networker who could successfully bring in clients.
Prince Harry
Britain's Prince Harry delivers a statement before meeting Graca Machel, the widow of the late Nelson Mandela, at the British High Commissioner's residence in Johannesburg this year. Photo: Reuters
Because British princes and princesses aren’t allowed to earn their own income, the news that Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, are leaving their “senior” role in the royal family to become financially independent is certainly a shock. However, the couple can look to the examples of other royals in their extended family who have launched successful careers in one or more fields.
Given their connections, youthful stamina, and the fact that they have obviously put a lot of time and thought into deciding their future, it is clear that both Prince Harry – sixth in line to the throne – and the Duchess of Sussex won’t have a problem stepping out of their old life and into a progressive new one.