HOW MUCH ARE THE ROYALS REALLY WORTH?

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex went to America to make their fortune. But how does it compare to their royal relatives left behind? It’s notoriously difficult to compute the wealth of the Royal Family – even more so Harry and Meghan, who are now private citizens.

But we do know that the monarch is funded in three distinct ways: through the private income of the Duchy of Lancaster, the taxpayer-funded money of the Sovereign Grant and the personal family fortune that is handed down from monarch to monarch free of inheritance tax.

King Charles is estimated to be worth around £1.8 billion (which includes property such as Balmoral and Sandringham, cars, horses, rare stamps and works of art).

Prince William is equally wealthy as he is in charge of the prosperous Duchy of Cornwall, estimated to be worth in excess of £1 billion. He is now one of the largest landowners in Britain, with an expected annual income of £20 million.

In contrast, once Harry and Meghan left the Royal Family, they were financially on their own.

They bought a $14.7 million (almost £12 million) estate in Montecito, California in August 2020 but they only put down a $5 million deposit and took out an almost $10 million mortgage.

Harry had to use much of the money left to him by his mother to pay for the house, his hugely expensive security and to repay the taxpayer-funded renovations on Frogmore Cottage.

Figures vary for how much William and Harry were left by Princess Diana. One thing for certain is that much of her £21 million fortune was paid to HMRC in inheritance tax. The rest of her estate was shared between her sons – estimated to be around £13 million.

In late 2020, Forbes estimated that while Meghan had brought $2 million in after-tax earnings from her work as an actor, the couple’s estimated net worth was comparatively just £8 million.

But after their megabucks deals with Netflix, Penguin Random House and Spotify, their net worth will have grown to an estimated £30-£40 million, which pales into insignificance behind Wills and Kate’s.

The Tindalls, who receive no money from the Crown, also have an estimated net worth of £30 million (from sponsorship and media appearances); yet they have made their money without hurling brickbats and poisonous accusations at their family!