PRINCE Harry’s claims he was “cut off financially” by his dad would have “enormously hurt” Prince Charles, a royal expert says.
In his bombshell chat with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year, the Duke of Sussex claimed he had been forced to make deals with Netflix and Spotify after saying he had been cut off by the Royal Family following Megxit.
But Charles’ annual report, released by Clarence House last night, shows he gave the Sussexes and Cambridges a share of £4.45million.
At odds with his claims of being “cut off”, Harry was in fact handed a “substantial sum” by his “generous” father.
Penny Junor, Harry’s biographer, says Harry’s remarks would have upset his father.
“I’m not surprised Charles has given Harry money,” she said.
“He cares about his son and is a generous man.
“Why did Harry say he was cut off financially?
“Charles will have been enormously hurt by that comment. I feel sorry for him.”
Palace sources refused to reveal the exact amount given to Harry, 36 — which covered the first four months of their “transition period”.
The cash is listed as for “funding the activities” of Harry, Meghan, William and Kate, and is typically split between the brothers.
And the report said he will get no more handouts from his father.
A source said: “In January 2020 when the Sussexes announced they were going to move away from the working royal family, the Duke said that they would work towards becoming financially independent.
“The Prince of Wales allocated a substantial sum to support them.
“That funding ceased in the summer of 2020, and the couple are now financially independent.”
Harry is now largely funded by a £112million Netflix deal. He has a mortgage on his £11million mansion in Montecito, California.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they had “no plan” after quitting the Royal Family – and hadn’t considered the megabucks deals until a friend suggested it.
And he said it was when he was told his security would be taken away that he realised he needed to quickly find a source of income for his family.
Speaking to Oprah about the streaming deal during the tell-all interview, Harry said: “We didn’t have a plan.
“That was suggested by somebody else by the point of where my family literally cut me off financially, and I had to afford security for us.”
Prince Harry said his own father Prince Charles had stopped taking his calls for a time and that he had been cut off at the start of 2020.
He said: “I’ve got what my mum left me, and without that, we would not have been able to do this.”
But the source said Charles wished to support his son and wife, adding the split “is a matter of enormous sadness to the family”.
Asked about Harry’s claim during his Oprah interview that he was cut off financially, the source said: “I wouldn’t acknowledge that they are dramatically different.
“All I can tell you are the facts. The Prince (Charles) wanted to help make this work.”
Harry is believed to have been left £7.5million after mum Diana’s death in 1997.
It is thought he shared a £70million inheritance from the Queen Mum in 2002.
He pocketed a £35,000-a-year Army wage for ten years. And he was bankrolled by at least £2.3million from Charles every year.
It comes after it was revealed Harry and Meghan paid £2.4million to cover the cost of their Frogmore Cottage refurbishment and 18 months’ of rent.
The couple quit the Grade II listed home and handed the keys to cousin Eugenie and her hubby Jack but the circumstances surrounding their financial deal has been shrouded in secrecy.
It was today revealed the couple paid five months rent between April and August 2020 after quitting royal duty.
Meanwhile, the Queen has reached into her own pocket to pay for the investigation into claims of bullying by Meghan.
The palace launched a probe this year amid claims the Duchess of Sussex bullied two senior members of staff when she was a senior royal.
And Meghan and Harry reportedly rejected an Earl title for Archie because it contained the word “dumb”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided against the title Earl of Dumbarton for their son because they allegedly feared it would attract unfortunate nicknames.