Meghan Markle and Prince Harry aren’t the first to spurn inherited wealth – 5 more UK royals who chose financial independence from the crown

Jan 13 , 2020

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

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

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

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, 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.