Meghan Markle is ‘craving’ fame and a jet-set billionaire lifestyle she thought she would marry into, insiders have claimed.

The Duchess of Sussex ‘wants to be a billionaire’ and was shocked to realise Prince William and Kate would ‘ultimately be in charge of her allowance’, according to those in royal circles.

This is said to have led to the couple moving to the US for sunnier skies and launching one business venture after another in a bid to fund their lavish lifestyle abroad.

Meghan and Harry signed a £80million five-year Netflix deal in 2021, which includes her recent show. The Duchess also announced her new podcast on Lemonada Media earlier this month, after the couple’s £20million Spotify deal ended early in 2023.

The new show launching on April 8 is called ‘Confessions Of A Female Founder’, in which she promises to discuss turning ‘small ideas into billion-dollar businesses’.

Those in royal circles are also said to be concerned about Meghan’s increasing use of the couple’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to promote her business.

Meghan – who stepped down as a senior royal along with husband Prince Harry in 2020 – posted a glossy picture of her cuddling them on both her personal and official As Ever sites.

Just one hour later, the Duchess revealed she now has a ‘ShopMy page’ which experts say she is likely to cash in on as she rakes in ‘millions’ with her online shop selling fashion items she endorses in a commercial tie-up.

A royal insider told The Sun: ‘She wants to be a billionaire. She wants a private jet. She wants to live a certain life.

‘The assumption is if you marry a Prince of England then you end up with a private jet and the lifestyle she craves.

‘But when she realised William and Kate would ultimately be in charge of how much they got in terms of their allowance, she was saying, ‘We gotta get out of here’.’

When Meghan married the Prince, although Harry had savings and an inheritance, the purse strings were held by Charles via the Duchy of Cornwall. This gave around £5million to share between his sons.

But when Charles became King in 2022, control of the funds passed to William.

One of the reasons Meghan and Harry parted ways with the Royal Family was the monarchy’s refusal to accept commercial endorsements by the couple.

The Duchess, 43, wrote over a screen-recorded video of her new online store: ‘Many of you have asked, so here you go! A little shopping to start the week.’

Her Netflix show was panned by critics, but the Duchess of Sussex is still confident that people want a slice of what she is selling.

Meghan has doubled down by launching an Instagram ‘shop’ flogging clothing and accessories that she has ‘hand-picked’, earning commission on each item sold.

The ShopMy site features 32 items ‘curated’ by the duchess with ‘affiliated’ links to the brands’ websites.

While there are a few affordable items, including a £99 Uniqlo trenchcoat, many seem way out of the average shopper’s budget. Others appear to shamelessly highlight her royal links or endorse her well-connected friends’ ventures.

It came as Graydon Carter, the former editor of Vanity Fair, said the duchess was ‘adrift on facts and reality’.

Meghan was the star of one of Mr Carter’s final editions as editor, in October 2017, with the cover line: ‘She’s just wild about Harry.’

He admitted that he had ‘no idea’ who Meghan was when one of his team suggested her for the cover, asking them: ‘Why should we do a story on her?’ His colleague replied: ‘Because she’s going to marry Prince Harry.’

But when a Vanity Fair reporter interviewed Meghan, she apparently snapped: ‘Excuse me, is this going to all be about Prince Harry? Because I thought we were going to be talking about my charities and my philanthropy.’

One of the most expensive items on her ShopMy site is a £1,070 ivory ‘Windsor’ Heidi Merrick gown – the name of the royal estate in Berkshire where she and Prince Harry married and once lived.

Then there are the Ariel Gordon £215 ‘royal signet’ stud earrings and a £595 pair of tan Saint Laurent slides.

A £271 black ‘Storie’ linen dress is sourced from California-based designer Tracy James, a new and good friend of Meghan who is helpfully married to the CEO of Paramount Pictures, Brian Robbins.

Meghan’s Instagram site was launched at the start of the year in advance of her ‘With Love, Meghan’ lifestyle programme and her soon-to-come As Ever range of merchandise.

It now contains a ShopMy link with the message: ‘A hand-picked and curated collection of the things I love – I hope you enjoy them! Please note, some products may contain commissionable links.’

Under the terms of Harry and Meghan’s agreement with Buckingham Palace when they acrimoniously quit royal duties, there is nothing to stop her selling products as long as she doesn’t nakedly cash in on her royal links.

However, it is notable that the new scheme has been launched using her full title, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

Yesterday, the trailer for her new podcast was released, with Meghan promising ‘girl talk’ and advice on how to create ‘billion-dollar businesses’.

She tells one guest in the one minute 57 second trailer to think of the experience as being in a ‘dolphin tank’ rather than a ‘shark tank’, asks another whether she is single now, talks about the ‘laser focus’ needed in business, and finishes her voiceover with: ‘Let’s do this, ladies.’

Meghan’s podcast is part of a deal signed last year with Lemonada Media.

The duchess’s Archetypes series about female stereotypes in 2022 ran for just one series, and was part of the Sussexes’ previous multi-million-pound deal with Spotify, which ended the year after.

Against an upbeat soundtrack of Crabbuckit by the Canadian hip hop artist k-os, the snippet begins with Meghan saying: ‘I’m Meghan, and this is Confessions Of A Female Founder, a show where I chat with female entrepreneurs and friends about the sleepless nights, the lessons learned and the laser focus that got them to where they are today.’

In between excerpts of guests speaking, Meghan says in a voiceover: ‘We’re diving into the highs… and the lows… and the kind of advice that turns small ideas into billion-dollar businesses… and of course, we’re gonna get some girl talk.’

Meghan tells one guest: ‘Are you saying you’re not single now? Have I missed something in the past couple weeks?’

The podcast will also follow Meghan’s work on her As Ever brand which is soon to begin selling jam, herbal teas, flower sprinkles and ready-make crepe mix.

The former Suits actress adds in her voiceover: ‘And through it all, I’m building a business of my own and getting all sorts of practical advice along the way that I’m very excited to share with you.

‘So join me for Confessions Of A Female Founder from Lemonada Media, which, by the way, is also female founded, launching April 8, wherever you get your podcasts. Let’s do this, ladies.’

At the end of the trailer, Meghan can be heard telling a guest: ‘This is not Shark Tank. Think of this as dolphin tank. Yes, these are very friendly. These are very friendly waters. It’s all gonna be good.’