Prince Harry and Meghan have said they are working to become ‘financially independent’ in their shock decision to quit royal life.

The pair are already millionaires in their own right but say they need time to forge an independent path not funded by the taxpayer.

Until now, Harry and Meghan have been ‘prohibited from earning any income in any form’ as royals.

They announced they will give up their income from the Sovereign Grant, which is money the British taxpayers give the Queen each year.

By giving it up, it means they have effectively liberated themselves from accountability to the public.

Questions would come if they continue to live rent-free at Frogmore Cottage, which has just undergone a £2.4 million refurbishment at taxpayers’ expense.

The British public partially paid for five properties to be turned into a single mansion and a luxury kitchen, bathroom and guest bedrooms were added.

Frogmore Cottage is on the Windsor estate and owned by the Queen. She could insist they pay rent for the home if they wish to continue using it as their UK base.

It is not known how much the Duke and Duchess of Sussex get from the Sovereign Grant, which is worth a total of £82 million and split between royals who carry out official duties.

The Sussexes said last night that only 5% of the costs of their office came from the grant and the remaining 95% is from the Prince of Wales.

Last year, Charles paid £4.9 million to his two sons from his private £1.2 billion Duchy of Cornwall estate, which some argue should be regarded as a public asset.

Slightly less than half goes to Harry, although his father was kept in the dark about his decision to quit royal life and could turn off the financial tap.

Harry already has a personal fortune estimated at £30 million.

The money comes from an estimated £20 million inheritance from his mother Princess Diana, which he got when he turned 30.

He also banked around £7 million from his great-grandmother the Queen Mother, who paid it into a trust fund in 1994.

Diana also left her priceless collection of jewellery to her sons and Harry created a ring for Meghan with stones which belonged to his mother.

As an army helicopter pilot, he would have commanded a salary of around £40,000.

Meghan is an independently wealthy former actress, whose net worth has been estimated at around £4 million.

Her pay per season of the legal drama Suits was around £330,000 and she also appeared in several films including Remember Me and Horrible Bosses.

If Harry and Meghan are allowed to keep their HRH titles, they are likely to be able to command huge figures for speaking engagements.

They have also trademarked their Sussex royal brand on more than 100 items, from T-shirts, books and magazines to teaching materials and emotional support groups.

It is unclear if the Palace would have any veto over commercial interests that could be deemed unsuitable.

Harry and Meghan have made it clear that they expect the taxpayer to finance their security costs, which have never been disclosed but are estimated at around £600,000 a year.

On their website they make it known they are considered ‘internationally protected people.’

If they spend much of their time in Canada, then Canadian citizens could be expected to foot the bill.

There are long-standing concerns in the Met Police about the cost of providing royal protection to those who qualify.

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were stripped of their £500,000 a year royal protection officers in 2011.

Buckingham Palace have made it clear that they were not properly consulted before the announcement was made last night and details of how the new arrangements might work are in the ‘early stages.’

Critics have accused the pair of wanting to cherry pick which parts of royal life they want.