Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's expected return to the UK could see the pair qualify for a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) state pension in the future, according to reports.
Harry and Meghan are expected to return to the UK later this month and have already enrolled their children in British schools, it was announced on Wednesday evening. It is understood there will be no change to Harry and Meghan's role and status as private individuals and non-working members of the royal family.
Royal pension eligibility
Royals are not entitled to the state pension directly, but it can be earned via National Insurance contributions. King Charles already receives a DWP state pension payment worth up to £184.90 per week. This is the pre-2016 rate, as he began collecting it in 2013, when he turned 65, though it is not known whether he has a full National Insurance record to collect the maximum amount.
The monarch earned eligibility by serving five years in the Navy, then made additional contributions after leaving the service in 1976. In 2013, Clarence House confirmed that then-Prince Charles completed claim forms and, from November, began receiving his pension payments. The King donates his entire state pension to the older people's charity Age UK.
Prince Harry's service record
Prince Harry served in the Army for 10 years, undertaking two tours of Afghanistan and rising to the rank of captain, which means he will have completed the mandatory minimum 10 years' National Insurance contributions needed to qualify for a state pension when he hits retirement age, which by the time he comes to retire is likely to be 68. NI contributions are earned by working and paying NI tax on earnings.
During Prince Harry's decade in the Army, he undertook two operational tours of duty in Afghanistan and qualified as an Apache Aircraft Commander.
Meghan's eligibility and tax considerations
For Meghan, she will be eligible for a state pension if she pays at least 10 years of NI contributions on earnings in the UK or buys NI years from HMRC. American citizens continue to pay taxes to the US even when they live abroad.
According to Greenback Expert Tax Services: "Your UK State Pension is taxable, but in only one country at a time. Under the U.S.-UK tax treaty, the State Pension is taxed only where you live: if you live in the U.S., you report it on your Form 1040, and the UK does not tax it; if you live in the UK, the UK taxes it, and your U.S. return claims a Foreign Tax Credit, so you are not taxed twice."
The full new State Pension is £230.25 a week for the 2025-26 UK tax year (about £11,973 a year), and you need at least 10 qualifying National Insurance years to receive anything and 35 for the full amount.
