The Duke and Duchess of Sussex secured deals with Netflix and Spotify, reportedly worth a combined ￡130million, which allowed them to pay for their new lives in Los Angeles. However, a source claimed the couple were in talking with media giants before they left the Royal family.

       In March 2020, Meghan and Harry announced they would be stepping back from their full-time royal duties.

       After a year, they announced in March they would not be returning to their positions and would no longer be permanently working royals.

       As a result, the couple lost use of royal HRH styles and patronages.

       However, during their year in the US they secured contracts with Netflix, Spotify and speaking companies and have since released podcasts and plan to make documentaries.

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       But according to MailOnline, a source said the Sussex royals held talks with both Spotify and Netflix while living in Kensington Palace in 2018.

       They told MailOnline: “These are, on the whole, very good people who wanted the best for Harry and Meghan.

       “But many of the secrets they know are explosive and would blow up much of the victim narrative so carefully crafted by those two.

       “For example, some of these staff members were aware of commercial conversations that were going on when they were still full-time royals – they were clearing the way to make millions long before Megxit was revealed.”

       The source also suggested staffers who felt they were “publicly” discredited by the Sussex royals may seek to respond.

       Both Harry and Meghan have said they suffered from a lack of support from royal staffers while with The Firm in interviews throughout 2021.

       It comes Meghan has reportedly started working on her ￡112million Netflix series with David Furnish before her royal exit in 2020.

       The Duchess is thought to have begun working on the project with Sir Elton John's husband in 2018.

       Her Netflix series project follows a "12-year-old heroine who finds inspiration in influential women from history".

       A source told Page Six that the show was "originally just one of a number of one-off advocacy projects that Markle started work on while a working member of the Royal Family".

       Express.co.uk has contact representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment