GOSSIP & RUMORS: Real reason Meghan Markle, Prince Harry quit royal life: biographer

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry sensationally shut the door on royal life and hightailed it across the pond in 2020. Why? Money.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex burned all bridges with the Windsor clan on their way out because they wanted “the freedom to make money and dip their toes into politics,” prominent royal author Valentine Low claims.

In his tell-all book “Courtiers,” Low alleges that Harry and the “Suits” alum, 43, left the palace in the rearview mirror so that they could focus on being financially independent and live a life away from the public lens.

Low claims that the former actress’s total desire to “earn money for herself” was the final nail in the coffin to have influenced their decision to exit stage left.

As the couple, who wed in 2018, brainstormed all their viable options, they even explored “having a month a year to do their own thing,” Low claims, via the Daily Mail.

The author adds that the duo also considered “spending most of their time privately but doing a select number of royal activities.”

The one caveat to the pair continuing their public-facing royal duties was that they had to stick to royal protocol, which includes “normal rules about royal behavior.”

“Some suspected that in the end she wanted to make money,” Low writes. “And the only way she was going to do that was by leaving her royal life behind and going back to America.”

Low added that had the couple agreed to continue with royal duties, they would not have been allowed to “act or take decisions in order to gain financially.”

Elsewhere, Low claims that the Sussexes, who have son Archie and daughter Lilibet, wanted the freedom to get involved with US politics.

While this claim has never been confirmed by the couple, Low alleges this desire was a major breach of royal protocol behind palace doors.

“There was no way for the two sides to reach an agreement on that point,” he wrote.

“Crucially, it was the Queen who took the view that unless they were prepared to abide by the restrictions that applied to working members of the royal family, they could not be allowed to carry out official duties.”

The Post has reached out to reps for the Sussexes for comment.

While the “Spare” author, 40, and his wife have never actively gotten involved in politics, it’s been widely reported that they boast a close friendship with the Biden family.

The duo previously collaborated with the Bidens for the Invictus Games, and were vocal about their support of the former president in the 2020 election against Donald Trump.

What’s more, Markle — who has long been rumored to have been eyeing a career in politics — appears to be close to Joe Biden’s sister, Valerie Biden Owens.

The mom of two has long been rumored to have forged connections with top Democrats since moving back to the US in 2020.

In 2023, Biden Owens reportedly “endorsed” Markle as a woman she would back for the White House, though the former actress has never announced plans for a presidential bid.

As for their financial freedom, the Sussexes have been no strangers to inking multimillion-dollar deals in recent years.

Markle has rolled out a series of new businesses in recent months, from her Netflix show and lifestyle brand to a revamped podcast and a digital storefront.

In 2020, the duo signed a steep $100 million deal with Netflix through which they’ve rolled out a number of projects so far.