According to Forbes, the Royal Family owns a huge fortune of up to 28 billion USD. In addition to government subsidies, Royal members also have income from a variety of sources.
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II’s three main sources of income include the Sovereign Grant, profits from the Duchy of Lancaster land trust, and a wealth of real estate and private investments.
Which, Sovereign Grant is an annual fixed amount, generated from Crown Estate – the organization that manages the real estate of the British Royal, earning hundreds of millions of dollars/year. Most of the revenue from the Crown Estate goes to the national treasury, while about 25% of the profits are taken out and passed on to the Queen in the form of a Sovereign Grant.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Queen Elizabeth II received a total of $ 107.1 million in Sovereign Grant in 2019, used for essential expenses such as tourism, security, staff, and protection of the royal palaces.
Besides, the Queen of England also has personal income from the Duchy of Lancaster land trust with a portfolio of real estate and many other British royal properties dating back hundreds of years.
The trust fund includes a net worth of $ 715 million (including more than 18,400 hectares of land), and owns many agricultural, commercial and residential real estate, according to the Wall Street Journal. The fund reaped a profit of $ 27 million in 2019.
According to information on the royal website, the income helps pay for items that the royal aid does not cover.
The Queen also owns several personal properties including Balmoral Castle in Scotland and Sandringham real estate in the East of England. Both are inherited from her father and are a favorite retreat for royal members.
During the 60 years of reigning the UK, Queen Elizabeth II’s income increased by 9,200%. The royal real estate rental empire went through the peak times with the queen while keeping her safe from the market downturn.
The leap in Queen Elizabeth II’s income reflects a steady increase in the value of the nation’s wealth over the past 60 years. By investing in the UK’s best portfolios, her earnings have grown to exceed the size of the market.
However, her property is not only in real estate. Queen of England also owns a set of valuable stamps, many works of art, stocks inherited from previous dynasties.
Also, there are many other assets of the Queen that are not fully known to the public, so it is difficult to determine the exact value of her assets. In 2016, the Sunday Times estimated that she had a net worth of nearly $ 450 million.
Prince Charles and descendants
Prince Charles and his wife – Duke Camilla have income from government subsidies and private property. More than 90% of their income comes from the Duchy of Cornwall foundation – founded in 1337, managing many rural and urban real estate, many islands, rental castles in Wales and Cornwall. The Crown Prince’s descendants are entitled to a grant from the Duchy of Cornwall.
In 2019, Prince Charles received $ 28.1 million from the Duchy of Cornwall, while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Prince William and Catherine Kate, and their grandchildren received a total of $ 6.5 million, according to Wall Street Journal.
Prince Charles also had the privilege of inheriting the property of Cornwall residents who died but had no will.
From the age of 21, he had owned many real estates such as agricultural land, oyster farms on the Helford River, granite quarries, tin mines, real estate in London (UK), and even the Dartmoor prison.
As a rule, these royal members performing full-time Royal duties are not allowed to make money from outside sources. However, this rule will not apply to two special royal members – Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, when they are no longer the royal members.
According to Business Insider, after cutting subsidies from their father, Prince Harry and his wife are likely to make money from book contracts and media programs.
“It is easy to compare them (Prince Harry and his wife) with former US presidents like Barack Obama on how to make money after leaving office,” commented commentator Meinzer.
According to Meinzer, Prince Harry and his wife will likely start receiving book writing contracts worth up to $ 60 million. This is the amount of money that former President Barack Obama and his wife received for their autobiography rights in 2017.
The remaining royal members
Little is known about the income of the remaining royal members. In addition to Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II also has 3 other children, and these people also have descendants.
The Queen’s youngest children, Prince Andrew – Duke of York and Prince Edward – Count Wessex, are also paid to perform her duties as Sovereign Grants and from the Duchy of Lancaster.
The next generation of British royal members envisage their careers and must be more independent. For example, Prince Andrew’s two daughters – Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie – now work full-time at a business and in the arts respectively. However, they still receive financial support from their father as the royal members.
