LAS VEGAS — The Clippers team Brook Lopez grew up watching as a young kid in Southern California is not that same franchise anymore.
These Clippers are about putting a winning product on the court and about putting together the right talent to win games — and that is what sold Lopez on signing with them.
“It’s crazy to see, but it’s very cool — seeing the climb, the ascent,” Lopez said Monday afternoon at a news conference hours before the Clippers and Lakers played each other in an NBA Summer League game at Nevada Las Vegas. “I’m a Cali boy. I grew up in the Valley, in North Hollywood. Obviously things were very different back then and to see where the Clippers have come now, it’s just astonishing, it’s beautiful. I’m glad to be a part of it and hopefully I can help take them even further up.”
Lopez decided not to return to the Bucks after seven seasons in Milwaukee and opted not to sign with the Lakers, joining the Clippers on a two-year, $18-million deal.
He liked the idea of playing with Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Ivica Zubac, a former teammate when they played on the Lakers in 2017-18, and for Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. Lopez also had a connection with Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations. Frank was the coach of the New Jersey Nets when Lopez was there.
“Looking at my options, I was just thrilled the Clippers reached out and were one of them,” Lopez said. “They’ve been a great team for quite a while now. They have a ton of great players, obviously Hall of Famers, All-Stars, great young players. My guy Zubi! And there is a great chance to win a championship here.”
Clippers center Ivica Zubac, right, blocks a shot by Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray in Game 3 of the first round of the NBA playoffs on April 26.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Over the course of his career, Lopez has been a starting center. He played in 80 games last season with the Bucks, averaging 31.8 minutes per game. And he was still productive at 37, averaging 13 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.9 blocks, while shooting 50.9% from the floor and 37.3% from three-point range.
But Zubac has emerged as one of the top centers in the NBA, even making the NBA’s All-Defensive second team.
Out of the 1,105 regular-season games Lopez has played, he has started in 1,064. With the Clippers, however, he’ll likely come off the bench.
“I’m just trying to come in and help the team win,” Lopez said. “Whatever that may look like, that’s what I’m here to do. Wherever my minutes may come from when I’m on the court, the beginning of the game, middle of the game, end of the game, I’m trying to be out there trying to help my team win and beat the other team on the court.”
Because he can stretch the floor with his outside shooting, the 7-foot-1 Lopez can see a world in which he and 7-0 Zubac are on the court playing together.
“I think we complement each other extremely well,” Lopez said. “Obviously, we’ll be very big. I think we’ll be great defensively, just dominating the paint, sealing the paint off. And then offensively, we complement each other there as well. I’ll spread the floor for him, give him all the room in the paint to go wild.”
When the Bucks visited the Clippers last season, Lopez got to see the Intuit Dome.
He was impressed by the arena that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer built and that also played a role in his decision.
“He texted me right away, (saying) how excited he was to have me on the team,” Lopez said. “I told him the same thing back. I’m excited to win and I think that’s what we’re all here for and it’s going to be so much fun.”
A man issued his honest thoughts about his flight with low-cost airline Ryanair, after being left staggered by the price of a coffee and ham and cheese croissant
A man was shocked by the prices of some of the airline’s food
A YouTuber has been left shocked by the prices of Ryanair‘s breakfast items on board. Johnny G opted to travel with the low-cost airline from Sofia to Varna in Bulgaria, after hearing complaints about some its services. Before delving into his review, he told his subscribers: “Today I made it my mission to fly with Ryanair and see for myself how bad this airline really is.”
Once settled onto the plane, Johnny, from Switzerland, said he found the cabin “very basic” as he expected, and wasn’t a fan of the seats. Yet, what truly caught him off guard was the pricing of the airline’s refreshments. Presenting the menu to his viewers, a Lavazza coffee was listed at a cost of €3.15 (£2.72), while croissants and breakfast rolls were priced between €3.25 (£2.81) and €6 (£5.19).
Johnny chose to purchase a ham and cheese croissant, which cost €5.75 (just under £5) alongside a coffee during his 2023 flight. Sharing his thoughts, he said: “For a coffee and a croissant, I pay more than for the flight itself.”
What also left him stunned was how nice the coffee actually tasted, compared to others he’s tasted on flights. He added: “To be fair, I’ve probably never had such good coffee on a plane, but it takes me a while to figure out how this wicked cup works.”
After his flight came to an end, he shared his verdict, adding: “Although Ryanair certainly has its imperfections, I don’t think it’s as bad as everyone says.
A man was shocked by the prices of some of the airline’s food
“You can’t spend pennies and expect gold for it. The crew were friendly, the plane was in good condition and the flight was on time.”
Since Johnny’s experience, inflation has prompted Ryanair to increase their prices. A Lavazza coffee is now €3.75 (£3.25), while a ham and cheese croissant €6 (£5.19).
To some, these prices might appear steep, but keep in mind that only hot beverages served by Ryanair are allowed on flights.
Ryanair’s clear policy states: “You must not take hot drinks on the plane, or drink your own alcohol when on the plane.”
Passengers are however welcome to bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks on board, as long as it does not exceed the hand-luggage weight limit.
In a recent announcement, Ryanair shared plans to expand their “personal bag” allowance by a sizeable 20 per cent, in line with new EU standards for hand luggage.
Under the changes, passengers will be allowed to carry on a bag with maximum dimensions of 40cm x 30cm x 20cm, without any additional fees.
The bag must weigh under 10kg and it has to fit “under the seat in front you.”
These amendments are expected to come into force in the next coming weeks.
WASHINGTON — National Guard troops and immigration agents on horseback, clad in green uniforms and tactical gear, trotted into MacArthur Park on Monday, surrounding the iconic square with armored vehicles in a show of force widely denounced as gratuitous. The enforcement operation produced few tangible results that day. But the purpose of the display was unmistakable.
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The Trump administration’s monthlong operation in Los Angeles, which began on June 6 with flash raids at work sites and culminated days later with Trump’s deployment of Marines and the Guard, continues to pay political dividends to a president who had been in search of the perfect foil on his signature issue since retaking office, officials close to the president told The Times.
At first, officials in the West Wing thought the operation might last only a week or two. But Trump’s team now says the ongoing spectacle has proven a resounding political success with few downsides. Thus far, the administration has managed to fend off initial court challenges, maintain arrests at a steady clip, and generate images of a ruthless crackdown in a liberal bastion that delight the president’s supporters.
It may be premature for the president to declare political victory. Anger over the operation has swelled, prompting activism across California. And signs have emerged that the White House may be misreading Trump’s election mandate and the political moment, with new polls showing public sentiment turning nationwide on the president’s increasingly aggressive enforcement tactics.
The city has struggled to cope, hobbled by an unpopular mayor and a nationally divisive governor who have been unable to meaningfully respond to the unprecedented federal effort. But the raids have also provided California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, with an opportunity to fill a leadership vacuum as his party grapples to find its footing in the resistance.
Lawsuits could still change the course of the operation. A crucial hearing set for Thursday in a case that could challenge the constitutionality of the operation itself.
But critics say the pace of litigation has failed to meet the urgency of the moment, just as the president’s aides weigh whether to replicate their L.A. experiment elsewhere throughout the country.
To Trump, a gift that keeps on giving
Trump has succeeded in the most significant legal case thus far, with the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals allowing him to maintain control of the California National Guard. Troops remain on L.A. streets despite protests that the administration cited to justify their deployment in the first place ending weeks ago. And the administration has put the city on the defensive in a suit over the legality of its sanctuary city policy.
One White House official told The Times that the administration’s aggressive, experimental law enforcement tactics in Los Angeles have proven a “grand success,” in part because national media coverage of the ongoing crisis has largely moved on, normalizing what is happening there.
A spokesperson for the White House said the administration’s mission in the city is focused on detaining migrants with violent criminal records, despite reporting by The Times indicating that a majority of individuals arrested in the first weeks of the operation were not convicted criminals.
“President Trump is fulfilling his promise to remove dangerous, criminal illegal aliens from American communities — especially sanctuary cities like L.A. that provide safe harbor to criminal illegals and put American citizens at risk,” said Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson.
“One month later it’s clear, President Trump is doing his job to protect American citizens and federal law enforcement,” Jackson added. “But Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass have enabled violent rioters who attacked federal law enforcement, protected violent criminal illegal aliens, and betrayed the trust put in them by the American people.”
Trump’s use of Los Angeles as a testing ground to demonstrate raw presidential power has shown his team just how much a unitary executive can get away with. Masked agents snatching migrants has sent a chill through the city and its economy, but there is no end in sight for the operation, with one Homeland Security official telling The Times it would only intensify going forward.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection have arrested nearly 2,800 people in the L.A. area since the crackdown began.
This week, California Sen. Alex Padilla, a Democrat, introduced a bill with Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey that would bar immigration officers from wearing masks and require them to display clear identification while on the job.
“They wouldn’t be saying that if they didn’t hate our country,” Trump said Wednesday, responding to the legislation, “and they obviously do.”
Trump could still face setbacks
The 9th Circuit ruling last month, allowing Trump to maintain temporary control over the California National Guard, thwarted momentum for Trump’s opponents hoping for a decisive early victory against the operation in federal court.
But a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and joined by the city of Los Angeles, set for arguments in court on Thursday, addresses the core of the raids themselves and could deal a significant policy blow to the Trump administration. The ACLU has found success in another case, over raids conducted earlier this year by Border Patrol in the Central Valley, using similar arguments that claimed its tactics were unconstitutional.
“It is far too early to say that challenge has been thwarted,” said Ahilan Arulanantham, co-director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law.
But Arulanantham argued that city and state officials have demonstrated a lack of leadership in the pace of their response to an urgent crisis.
“There is much more local leaders could be doing to challenge the unlawful actions the federal government is taking against their residents,” he added. “The state also could have sued but did not — they sued to challenge the guard deployment, but not the ICE raids themselves.”
The raids have generated favorable coverage for the administration on right-wing media, presenting the crackdown as Trump finally bringing the fight over immigration to the heart of liberal America. But it is unclear whether Americans agree with his tactics.
Polls released last month from Economist/YouGov and NPR/PBS News/Marist found that while a plurality of Americans still support Trump’s overall approach to immigration, a majority believes that ICE has gone too far in its deportation efforts.
Newsom, speaking this week in South Carolina, a crucial state in the Democratic presidential primary calendar, suggested he saw the president’s potential overreach as a political opportunity.
“They’re now raiding the farms,” he told a crowd. “Quite literally, federal agents running through the fields.”
The governor told the story of a teenage boy from Oxnard whose parents disappeared in a federal raid, despite having no criminal records, leaving their son helpless and alone.
A Madrid judge demanded that the Airbnbs, all located in the same city-centre building in the Spanish capital, must close down due to “the illicit and unsanitary activities”
The holiday lets were near the Plaza Mayor(Image: Getty Images)
Ten holiday flats have been shut down after a family was tormented by the guests, it has been reported.
A Madrid judge demanded that the Airbnbs, all located in the same city-centre building, must close down due to “the illicit and unsanitary activities” that had taken place there, The Guardian reported.
Vomiting and sex in the communal areas, as well as drunken, destructive, and lewd guest behaviour, had caused one family stress, anxiety, and sleepless nights. This was judged to have inflicted psychological damage on the family, which includes two children, and violated their fundamental right to privacy.
Two years ago, the family hired lawyer Miguel Angel Rubio after their efforts to stop the chaos via the council and the flat owners failed, it was reported.
Locals have long taken issue with aspects of tourism in Spain (Image: AP)
The lawyer documented the misery they had to endure, including guests having sex in the communal areas and vomiting in the courtyard of the 60-flat block close to Plaza Mayor. A security guard had to be hired after lift fittings and mailboxes were broken, and multiple police visits were made.
“The family came to me and told me that they’d been to the police who’d come with a decibel meter and had fined the owners €16,000. But the problem is that [the companies that own these flats and others] can make more than €150,000 in rents in a single weekend, so a €16,000 fine is nothing for them. So I had to bring a case on the grounds that the family’s fundamental rights were being violated – and it succeeded,” Mr Rubio said, The Guardian reported.
Around 75% of the flats in the block were holiday lets. “The family have one tourist flat above them, another below them, and more tourist flats near their bedrooms,” the lawyer added.
Madrid’s 44th Court of First Instance ruling—that the flats must stop being used as holiday lets—is a significant one, as the properties were registered legally but their presence was judged to infringe on the family’s rights.
In the ruling, the judge noted “the constant noise, the breaking of shared fixtures, the filling of the lobby with suitcases at all hours, and the presence of shopping trolleys filled with towels,” before the family were awarded €37,000 in damages.
Mr Rubio claimed they had been the victims of “real estate bullying,” as they’d been offered “ridiculous” amounts by property firms involved in the holiday let business to sell their apartment, 20Minutos reported.
The judge rejected the rental owners’ claims that the family was only experiencing the same kind of day-to-day disruption any neighbour could expect. “The actions were not merely irritating but also unsanitary, indecent, and even illegal,” the judge added.
Last week, Spain introduced a new register for holiday lets, which saw a huge number of properties deemed illegal. Around 20% of the total holiday lets in the country have been removed.
Corrie villain Mick Michaelis was previously jailed for brutally killing policeman Craig who was trying to arrest him for drink driving. Now he is getting ready to break out of lockup
21:00, 07 Jul 2025Updated 21:15, 07 Jul 2025
Mick Michaelis was jailed for murder on Coronation Street
Things are about to get very intense on Coronation Street, as a brand new trailer teases a dramatic prison break when killer Mick Michaelis makes a desperate bid to flee Weatherfield with his children.
Fans will see Mick (Joe Layton) go on the run in an episode set to air on Monday, July 14, after orchestrating a daring escape from prison. With nothing left to lose, the desperate character is on a mission to reunite his fractured family – but his plan could leave even more destruction in its wake.
Mick is spurred into action after hearing that his family is falling apart without him. Convinced that they belong together, he makes a bold and risky move to take Brody, Joanie and Shanice away from everything and start a new life elsewhere.
Now the man is set to make a comeback as he preps for a jailbreak
But with police in hot pursuit and his violent past catching up with him, the fugitive poses a serious threat to anyone who gets in his way.
His first stop is Weatherfield High, where he is determined to track down his daughter Joanie. But when he realises she’s already been taken home by Sally ( Sally Dynevor ), Mick heads straight for the cobbles – with DC Kit Green (Jacob Roberts) not far behind.
Completely unaware of the danger that’s coming, Sally takes Joanie to Underworld to give her a quick tour while the factory girls are at the pub. But things quickly take a sinister turn when Mick arrives on the street, ready to do whatever it takes to get to his daughter.
With Kit in pursuit, it’s only a matter of time before the situation explodes. What exactly does Mick have planned – and will Kit manage to stop him before it’s too late?
Actor Joe Layton has spoken about the dramatic scenes coming up, explaining: “He isn’t after revenge, this is about him wanting to get his family together and start a new life with them. The anger that we saw when he killed Craig has been replaced by desperation and love for his family, but that doesn’t make him any less dangerous. Kit is potentially putting his life on the line once more in his attempts to stop Mick.”
Viewers will remember that Mick arrived in Weatherfield earlier this year with wife Lou (Farrel Hegarty), and quickly became the street’s nightmare neighbour.
Things turned deadly when Mick brutally murdered police officer Craig Tinker by bludgeoning him to death with a bat after a tense confrontation.
Craig had been trying to arrest Mick following a suspected drink-driving incident, but it ended in tragedy. Mick has been behind bars ever since – but that is soon set to change.
Will Mick escape with his kids? Or will his twisted quest to reunite his family end in disaster?
Mick’s escape episode airs on ITVX and YouTube at 7am on Monday July 14th and on ITV at 8pm
Monty Don was on hand to give viewers at home tips on how to harvest elephant garlic, but some BBC Gardeners’ World fans were left ‘in shock’ at the results
15:12, 27 Jun 2025Updated 15:12, 27 Jun 2025
Gardeners’ World aired a day earlier due to Glastonbury Festival(Image: BBC)
Gardeners’ World fans were in for a treat as the show aired on Thursday, a day ahead of its usual schedule, to make way for the Glastonbury Festival coverage. In the latest episode, Monty Don demonstrated how to harvest elephant garlic, explaining to viewers that despite its name, it’s actually a type of leek and boasts a milder flavour than traditional garlic.
The green-fingered guru, aged 69, approached a bed of the oversized plant, declaring it was ripe for picking. He advised BBC viewers to always use a fork when lifting the garlic to preserve the roots, essential for storage, reports the Express.
Monty shared further advice, noting, “It stores very well, it’s easier to use, and it doesn’t dominate in the way that garlic can do.”
However, the episode took a turn when he discovered some of the regular garlic bulbs had succumbed to rot. He remarked, “That’s no good. Interesting.”
Upon unearthing another spoiled clove, Monty described it as “completely horrible” and added “Look how that’s rotted. The cloves are in there, but I don’t think they would keep.”
Monty Don revealed to viewers that his garlic had rotted(Image: BBC)
Puzzled by the unexpected decay, Monty wondered: “No, no, no. What I am asking myself is why this garlic from a very reputable supplier, for the first time ever since I’ve grown garlic, is no good. It’s rotting. It’s difficult to see if there’s a virus or a fungal problem.
“But the elephant garlic in the same bedding and in the same growing conditions is untouchable.”
Monty revealed his decision to avoid planting in that particular garden bed for the next three years after showing his garlic crops succumbing to rot.
The response from viewers watching at home was swift, with several taking to X to express their reactions to Monty’s gardening mishap.
Monty’s fans were left disappointed for him(Image: BBC)
One viewer sympathised on Twitter, “Oh a garlic fail for @TheMontyDon Disaster! #GardenersWorld.”
Another joined in with a sigh, “Disappointing garlic.”
A third shared their concern, tweeting “That was worrying about @TheMontyDon’s garlic #GardenersWorld.”
A fourth found humour in the situation, jokingly tweeting “Maybe a vampire is buried under that bed. #gardenersworld.”
Gardeners’ World is available to stream on BBC iPlayer
PORTO manager Martin Anselmi is reportedly set to be sacked after the club’s dismal Club World Cup form.
Porto failed to win a single game in the competition as they were dumped out in the group stages – sparking angry reaction from fans.
1
Martin Anselmi is reportedly set to be sacked by PortoCredit: Reuters
Anselmi, 39, was only appointed in January, but Portuguese outlet CMTV have reported that he is now set to be dismissed.
The manager is said to already be aware he will be sacked, despite his current deal running until 2027.
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The dollar rose on Monday as uncertainty over the Israel Iran conflict persisted following US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend.
By around 2.45 CEST, the Dollar Index had risen 0.61% in daily trading to 99.31.
Over the month, it showed a 0.19% increase, although its year-to-date value was still down almost 9%, failing to win back losses linked to erratic policies from the Trump administration.
US President Donald Trump said that the weekend strikes had caused “monumental damage”, although some Iranian officials downplayed the impact. The full extent of the damage could not immediately be determined by the UN’s nuclear watchdog.
Israel — meanwhile — continued with its strikes on Iran on Monday, while Tehran vowed that it would “never surrender to bullying and oppression”.
Several nations warned Iran against a retaliatory closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping lane responsible for around 20% of global oil and gas flows.
“In this morning’s trading session, the dollar staged an expected rebound. The demonstration of US military strength, as well as the fear of higher oil prices, weakened the euro,” said ING economists in a note.
Higher oil prices would likely drive up inflation and discourage the US Federal Reserve from cutting rates in the near future. This would spell bad news for US consumers but would simultaneously increase the dollar’s attractiveness to investors.
“Looking ahead, one of the key questions is whether US involvement in the conflict could restore the dollar’s safe-haven appeal. Here, a crucial factor will be the duration of any potential Strait of Hormuz blockade. The longer such a blockade lasts, the higher the likelihood that the value of safe-haven alternatives like the euro and yen is eroded, and the dollar can enjoy a decent recovery,” said ING economists.
The greenback’s value has dropped significantly this year as policies from the Trump administration have spooked investors, damaging the currency’s status as a safe-haven asset.
Signals worrying investors are not solely linked to trade policy, but also include a high US deficit, the cost-slashing bureau DOGE, sudden cuts to foreign aid, withdrawals from international treaties, and the prospect of financial deregulation.
Greg Hirt, chief investment officer with Allianz Global Investors, told Euronews that “structural issues around a twin deficit and the Trump administration’s volatile handling of tariffs should continue to weigh on an overvalued US dollar”.
Even so, he noted that the “short term potential for higher oil prices will likely affect the Chinese and European economies to a greater extent, as they are more dependent on oil imports than the US”.
Ryan Sweet, chief US economist at Oxford Economics, reiterated this point, noting that “the US economy is essentially energy independent but others are not, including Japan as it imports most of its oil from the Middle East”.
Sweet told Euronews that dollar gains are positive but still muted as “currency markets are in a wait and see mode”.
There is also significant uncertainty around President Trump’s tariff deadline, with a 90-day pause on so-called “reciprocal” duties set to expire on 9 July.
Meghan Markle is pressing ahead with build her business empire with her lifestyle brand As Ever – but one royal expert has questioned Prince Harry new career path
Meghan Markle continues to build her business empire with her As Ever lifestyle brand and a vast investment portfolio. But while the Duchess of Sussex pursues her entrepreneurial aspirations, it seems to be a different story for Prince Harry.
The Duke of Sussex is said to be concentrating more on his charity and philanthropic works rather than chasing commercial ventures. It is a marked difference from several years ago, when the Sussexes’ careers appeared intertwined with Meghan declaring that she and Harry were like “salt and pepper” as they always “move together”.
And with a change in their working lives, a new Channel 5 show called Meghan and Harry: Where Did The Money Go? shines a light on their finances; revealing Harry’s surprising inheritances, Meghan’s millions and their staggering Montecito mortgage.
Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Image: Getty Images for W+P)
The documentary counts the multi-million pound deals the pair have cut to sell their story since leaving The Firm – but it also details their astronomical outgoings.
It also sees one royal journalist pose a question about Harry’s contribution – especially given Meghan’s revelations about how much of a hands-on parent she is to their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Royal commentator Emily Andrews reckons Harry doesn’t contribute much else to his household – and she tells the documentary: “Meghan gets up at half six, half an hour before the children, then the children gets up and she gets them dressed, gets their breakfast, and then she makes their packed lunch and takes them to kindy (nursery), then at 9 o’clock she sits down and is a girl boss… Where is Harry in all of this? He’s not making money, he’s not looking after the kids, what is Harry doing?”
Meghan with her children Archie and Lilibet (Image: meghan/Instagram)
Royal expert Norman Baker tells the show: “There’s no doubt in my mind that Meghan and Harry’s income is going to decline in the future. It’s declining now. They’ve done the big hits that they could do. They’ve done the big Spotify event, they’ve done the big book, there is nothing else to come, nothing else to sell apart from themselves.”
Upon moving to America, the pair splashed out on a family home costing $14.65 million (£11m). However, they also took out a mortgage of $9.5m (£7m), with repayments in the region of $50,000-100,000 (£73,000 – £37,000) a month. Until now, it’s been unheard of for a senior royal to require a mortgage.
On top of that, Prince Harry has been forced to fund his own security, and he rarely travels anywhere public without a four-car convoy.
Former royal protection officer Simon Morgan explains the costs of specialist protection, saying: “It’s always very difficult to identify the cost in relation to specialist protection, purely because there’s a lot of other factors that go into it. You are looking at somewhere in the region of about £3 million a year to protect somebody who stays at home.
The entrance to the Sussexes’ Montecito home (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“As soon as they leave the residence, even if they go down to the shops, that could see that cost double or triple and go from £3m to £6m or £9m or £10m, conservatively. Security is not a fashion accessory, it’s a need. You’ve got to address your needs versus your wants.”
To pay for it, the pair famously signed a £100 million five year deal with Netflix in 2020 and a £15 million deal with Spotify. The Spotify deal has already ended with a top exec at the firm dubbing the pair “grifters”, while the Netflix deal is due to end this year, with no renewal in sight.
Before Megxit, the Sussexes were earning £2.3m a year as working royals, receiving money from the then Prince Charles’s Duchy of Cornwall. But when the pair left The Firm that all stopped, leaving Harry forced to live on the inheritance his mum Diana, Princess of Wales left him in her will.
When she died in 1997 Diana left £6.5m to the boys each, which had grown to around £10m when Harry received it upon turning 30. Talking to Oprah, Harry said “Without that, we wouldn’t have been able to do this,” referring to the family’s move to California. Meghan, meanwhile, was thought to be worth around £5million when she met Harry – money built up from her time as an actress on Suits and from her lifestyle brand.
His tell all book Spare earned Harry a $20m (£15m) advance and sold an incredible 3.2 million copies in its first week. And he’s expected to have received a further £7m from the hardback sales.
PR expert Nick Ede is backing Meghan to become the family’s highest earner. He says: “Meghan is the best way of making money for the two of them. She is the breadwinner.” Nick believes that having to build her own fortune before she met Harry means she’s more savvy with deals than her royal husband.
Harry and Meghan with King Charles (Image: Getty Images)
Nick continues: “Megan from an early age knew it was very important to be secure. If you’re a jobbing actress that means you don’t know literally where the next pay cheque will come from and I think that will have added to her drive.”
Broadcaster and critic Bidisha Mamat agrees with Nick and admits she fears that Harry has a lot to prove. She says: “They are going to run out of ideas before they run out of money. Meghan is going to do fine, Meghan is going to make her money, Harry has the bigger financial, personal and emotional challenge. Harry has to prove he really can have a career.”
Following the collapse of the Spotify deal, Meghan did indeed land another podcast deal. This time, however, her deal was with smaller company Lemonada and expected to be worth just $40,000 (£30,000).
Meghan is also still coining it in from Suits, from which repeats are thought to have recently added another $200,000 (£148,800) to the Sussex bottom line.
Indeed, Meghan might be more savvy with money but Harry has just come into another inheritance – this time from his great-grandmother, Elizabeth, Queen Mother. In 1994 the Queen Mother set up a Trust Fund to benefit her great-grand children and this is expected to have paid out £8m to Harry.
Since they left the royal family, the pair have become more famous than ever and commentator Afua Hagan believes the pair will go on to achieve more and more.
She says: “What is clear about Harry and Meghan is that they are very savvy with their money. America is a good spot for them at the moment because it definitely fits in with their idea of entrepreneurship.
“Harry and Meghan have proven time and time again that they can stand on their own two feet that they can provide for themselves and their family. Definitely we can never count them out.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been contacted for comment.
Meghan & Harry: Where Did The Money Go? is streaming on 5
