Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Face Huge £100,000 Council Tax Bill On Their Montecito Mansion

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly facing a council tax bill of £103,995 ($138,906) on their Montecito mansion.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are required to pay two instalments of £51,978 ($69,427), totaling £103,995 ($138,906), according to documents revealed by Sunday Mirror.

The first instalment of the tax bill was due on Dec. 10, while the second payment will be on Feb. 1 – with a 10% penalty for any bills not paid by April 11. A source said, "The bill is a huge sum but it's peanuts in relation to their earnings." The fee was double compared to what experts had estimated.

The royal couple stepped down from their senior royal duties and relocated to the United States. They bought the nine-bed mansion with 13 bathrooms in June 2020 for around £11.5 million ($15.3 million), with a mortgage thought to be £7.4 million ($9.8 million). The previous owner, Sergey Grishin, a Russian businessman, had paid £17 million ($22.7 million) a decade before the Sussexes.

According to local experts, the Tuscan-style mansion built in 2003 and 80 miles north of Los Angeles is now worth £19.4 million ($25.9 million). Harry and Meghan's Montecito mansion has a library, gym, cinema room, spa, pool, tennis court, guest house and a playground for their children -- Archie, two, and Lilibet, eight months. It was previously claimed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were looking to sell their home. The 37-year-old Duke also faces a huge income tax bill in April, now that he is a resident in the US.

Meanwhile, in a more positive news about Harry and Meghan, they were recently announced to be recognized by National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Following the news, they said in a joint statement, "It's a true honour to be recognised by President Derrick Johnson and the NAACP, whose efforts to propel racial justice and civil rights are as vital today as they were nearly 115 years ago. We're proud to support the NAACP's work and to also partner with the organisation on the newly created annual NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, which will be bestowed to Dr Safiya Noble as part of the 53rd NAACP Image Awards."