Meghan Markle has earned a six-figure sum from selling her TV drama Suits to broadcasters around the world, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The series ended in 2019, but has recently enjoyed a surprise revival on Netflix, and has now been sold to more than 240 territories across every continent, with repeat fees lining the pockets of its stars.
Media giant NBCUniversal, which is handling sales for the series, has not said anything about the exact royalties the actors earn from these deals, but it has been estimated that the Duchess of Sussex could have earned almost $200,000 (£155,000) from Netflix alone.
That’s on top of what she was originally paid per episode to play fiery paralegal Rachel Zane from 2011 to 2017, when she quit to get engaged to Prince Harry.
But rather than fading into insignificance, the series broke records last year when it launched on Netflix and US streaming platform Peacock, becoming the most-watched show of 2023 and topping the charts for 12 consecutive weeks.
Meghan Markle has raised a six-figure sum from the sale of her television drama Suits to broadcasters around the world.
Meghan’s series has enjoyed a revival since it ended in 2019 and has been exported to 240 territories. The Duchess of Sussex could have earned almost $200,000 from Netflix alone
The surprise success prompted the BBC to use licensees’ money to outbid ITV and buy the UK rights to iPlayer.
The corporation has not disclosed how much it spent on the deal or whether the duchess benefited financially.
Asked about the show’s revival last year, the Duchess described the success as “wild” and added that she had “no idea” what was behind it.
An NBC source confirmed that “top artists” like Meghan receive royalties, called “residuals,” from global sales, and typically earn a percentage of the deal price.
Media website Deadline has estimated that Netflix paid $37.5m (£29.5m) to license Suits, with the six lead actors sharing 3.6 per cent of that fee.
That would mean Meghan could have earned nearly $200,000 for the 108 episodes she starred in from this deal alone.
The surprise pay cheques will be a boon for the Sussexes, whose palatial mansion in Montecito, California, has a £7.3m mortgage.
Most observers agree that the revival of the show (which has now inspired a spin-off series) was linked to the public’s “fascination” with the duchess.
Entertainment expert Mark Boardman told Newsweek last year: ‘Meghan Markle’s rise to global fame has undeniably raised the profile of the show.
‘Meghan’s critics would also be particularly curious to see her performances and would be intrigued to better understand her personality.’
The surprise pay cheques will be a boon for the Sussexes, whose palatial mansion in Montecito, California, has a £7.3m mortgage. A spokesman for Meghan declined to comment.