Since her death, there have been a lot of questions over Queen Elizabeth‘s inheritances and who inherited her money and jewelry in the British royal family. After more than 70 years on the throne, the longest-reigning monarch in British history died on September 8, 2022. She was 96 years old.
Related: Who Will Inherit King Charles’ Money? Some Royals Might Get Left Out Of His Will
In a 1957 Christmas Broadcast, the Queen promised the United Kingdom she would give her “heart” and “devotion” to the Commonwealth.“I cannot lead you into battle,” she said at the time. “I do not give you laws or administer justice, but I can do something else: I can give my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations.”
While her will isn’t public, there have been reports on which British royal family members inherited Queen Elizabeth‘s estate and fortune, and which were left out completely.
What each royal inherited from Queen Elizabeth II
King Charles
After the Queen’s death, King Charles inherited the Sovereign Grant, a taxpayer fund each year to the British royal family. The Sovereign Grant originated from an agreement made by King George III in 1760, who agreed to surrender his income from Parliament to receive a set annual payment for himself and future generations of the British royal family. The agreement was originally known as the Civil List before it was reworked as the Sovereign Grant in 2012.
King Charles III is the eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, who died less than two years before the Queen on April 9, 2021. King Charles is the older brother of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s three other children: Prince Andrew, Duke of York; Anne, Princess Royal; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. He’s also the father of Queen Elizabeth’s grandchildren, Prince William and Prince Harry, whom he shared with his late wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in 1997. King Charles is married to Queen Consort Camilla, whom he married in 2005.
Under the agreement, the British royal family receives a grant in exchange for surrendering their profits from the Crown Estate, the family’s collection of lands and holdings worth $19 billion, to the government, according to BBC. Each year, the reigning monarch receives 25 percent of the Crown Estate’s profits. The amount pays for property upkeep and utilities, the British royal family’s travel and the royal employee payroll.
The Crown Estate includes properties across England, Wales and Northern Ireland and operates as a corporation, with a chief executive and commissioners appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister. In 2021, the Crown Estate generated a net profit of $361 million, according to CNN. The United Kingdom Treasury paid the Queen a sovereign grant of $100 million, which is the equivalent of $1.50 from each person in the United Kingdom.
Princess Anne
According to i24 News, Princess Anne, as well as her brothers Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, inherited a share of the Sovereign Grant, which is now owned by their oldest brother, King Charles III, though the exact amount of her share isn’t known. Some reports also believe that Princess Anne received a new royal title given her prominence in the events leading up to the Queen’s funeral in September 2022.
Princess Anne is the second eldest child and the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. She is the Princess Royal and the younger sister of King Charles III and the older sister of Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. Princess Anne is also the mother of the Queen’s grandchildren, Zara Tindall and Peter Philips, who she shares with her ex-husband, Mark Philips, whom she divorced in 1992. Princess Anne remarried with Timothy Laurence in 1992.
In a post on the British royal family’s Instagram account in September 2022, Princess Anne revealed that she was by Queen Elizabeth’s side for the final 24 hours of her life. “I was fortunate to share the last 24 hours of my dearest Mother’s life. It has been an honour and a privilege to accompany her on her final journeys,” she wrote. “Witnessing the love and respect shown by so many on these journeys has been both humbling and uplifting. We will all share unique memories.
I offer my thanks to each and everyone who share our sense of loss. We may have been reminded how much of her presence and contribution to our national identity we took for granted. I am also so grateful for the support and understanding offered to my dear brother Charles as he accepts the added responsibilities of The Monarch. To my mother, The Queen, thank you.”
Prince Andrew
BBC reported in September 2022 that Andrew and Sarah Ferguson inherited two of the Queen’s corgis, Muick and Sandy, who Andrew and his daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, gave to the Queen as a present in 2021.
Prince Andrew is the Duke of York and the second eldest son and third eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Andrew is also the younger brother of King Charles III and Anne, Princess Royal, and the older brother of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. He is also the father of Queen Elizabeth’s grandchildren, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, the duch*ess of York, whom he divorced in 1996.
“The corgis will return to live at Royal Lodge with the duke and duch*ess. It was the duch*ess who found the puppies which were gifted to Her Majesty by the duke,” a source told BBC at the time. “The duch*ess bonded with Her Majesty over dog walking and riding horses, and even after her divorce, she would continue her great friendship with Her Majesty, by walking the dogs in Frogmore and chatting.”
Andrew, Beatrice and Eugenie gave the Queen Muick and another dog named Fergus in the spring of 2021 to cheer her up while her husband, Prince Philip, was in the hospital amid COVID-19 pandemic. Muick, pronounced “Mick,” is named after Loch Muick on the royal Balmoral Estate, where the Queen died. Fergus, a dorgi, was named after the Queen’s maternal uncle, Captain Fergus Bowes-Lyon, who died in World War One.
Fergus died at just five months old due to a heart defect. After Fergus’ death, Andrew gave the Queen another corgi named Sandy on her 95th birthday. The Queen’s dresser and personal assistant, Angela Kelly, said at the time that the dogs provided the Queen with “constant joy” and “always brought a smile to everyone’s faces,” according to BBC.
Prince Edward
According to i24 News, Prince Edward, as well as his siblings Prince Andrew and Princess Anne, inherited a share of the Sovereign Grant, which is now owned by their oldest brother, King Charles III, though the exact amount of his share isn’t known.
Prince Edward is the Earl of Wessex and the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He is also the younger brother of King Charles III, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew. He is also the father of Queen Elizabeth’s grandchildren—Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Servern—who he shares with his wife, Sophie Rhys Jones, who he married in 1999.
In a post on the British royal family’s Instagram account in September 2022, Prince Edward revealed what he learned from Queen Elizabeth after her death. “As a family, we have grown up learning to share our parents, especially our beloved mama, with the Nation, her Realms and the Commonwealth,” he wrote.
“While it has been lovely to have spent time saying our own farewell privately at Balmoral, it is now time to allow others to be able to say their farewell. We have been overwhelmed by the tide of emotion that has engulfed us and the sheer number of people who have gone out of their way to express their own love, admiration and respect to such a very special and unique person who was always there for us. And now, we are there for her, united in grief. Thank you for your support, you have no idea how much it means.”
He continued, “The Queen’s passing has left an unimaginable void in all our lives. Sophie and I have taken huge pleasure in seeing our James and Louise enjoying the places and activities that their grandparents loved so much. Given that my mama let us spend so much time with her, I think she also rather enjoyed watching those passions blossom. Those times together, those happy memories, have now become massively precious to each and every one of us. May God bless Her Majesty and may her memory be long cherished even as the baton she has carried for these past 70 years now passes to the next generation and to my brother, Charles. Long Live The King.”
Prince William
After Queen Elizabeth’s death, Prince William inherited the Duchy of Cornwall, a private estate worth around $1.2 billion. The estate—which belonged to William’s father, King Charles, before he took the throne—covers 140,000 acres in the United Kingdom and is used “used to fund the public, private and charitable activities” of the Duke of Cornwall, the title William inherited after the Queen’s death.
Prince William is the eldest child of King Charles III and his late wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in 1997. William, who is Queen Elizabeth II’s grandchild, is the Prince of Wales and is the husband of Kate Middleton, the new Princess of Wales. He is also the father of Queen Elizabeth’s great-grandchildren: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
The Duchy of Cornwall was established in 1337 to financially support the heir to the throne, according to CNN. The Duchy of Cornwall—which will provide the income for Prince William and Kate Middleton—is funded through the ownership and operation of land in rural and urban areas, as well as islands and rental cottages in Wales, Cornwall and other areas in the United Kingdom. In 2018, the Duchy of Cornwall made Charles and Camilla $28 million, which is around what William and Kate will make as well.
According to CNN, about 50 percent of Charles and Camilla’s annual income was spent on travel and official royal engagements, while a quarter went to taxes. The remaining $8.9 million went to Charles’ children with his late wife Princess Diana—Prince William and Prince Harry—as well as non-official purchases and a royal savings account.
Kate Middleton
Radar Online reported in September 2022 that Kate was expected to inherit $110 million in jewelry from the Queen’s personal jewelry collection, which includes 300 pieces that belonged specifically to the Queen and not the Crown. “[The Queen] been focusing on her beloved pieces and who deserves what,” a source told Radar Online in July 2022, two months before the Queen’s death. “The whispers are that she’s made some last-minute changes to her will that’ll be a shocking surprise for her heirs.”
Kate is the Princess of Wales and the wife of Queen Elizabeth II’s grandchild, Prince William, the Prince of Wales. Kate is also the mother of Queen Elizabeth’s great-grandchildren: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Radar Online also reported that the Queen’s decision for Kate, who she became especially close to in the final months of her life, to inherit her jewelry led to resentment from King Charles’ wife, Queen Consort Camilla.“Kate is clearly the family favorite,” the insider said. “She’d never say it, of course, but it’s one of the reasons Camilla resented Kate.” Radar Online also reported that Kate plans to pass some of the jewels to her daughter, Princess Charlotte.
While Kate inherited $110 million in jewelry from the Queen, that collection did not include the Spencer tiara, a diamond-encrusted crown inherited by William’s late mother, Princess Diana, in the mid-1970s. Diana wore the tiara in her wedding to King Charles—then Prince Charles—in 1981. According to the website for the auction house Sothebys, the tiara was inherited by Kate and William’s daughter, Princess Charlotte.
“Having been worn by Princess Diana at her wedding, the Spencer Tiara is one of the most famous diadems in modern history.” the auction house noted. “The Spencer Tiara is now set to be inherited by Princess Charlotte.”
The description of the tiara continued, “In the mid-1970s, John Spencer, the 8th Earl Spencer, inherited the tiara. It was subsequently worn by all three of his daughters at their wedding: Lady Jane in 1978; Lady Sarah in 1980; and finally Lady Diana the following year, in 1981. The tiara was most recently worn by Celia McCorquodale—niece of the 10th Earl Spencer Charles—at her wedding in the Spring of 2018.”
Prince Harry
Representatives toldForbes in 2021 that Harry was not a beneficiary of any of the $100 million left to the royal family by his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother. However, after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, Harry and William inherited part of their mother’s estate on their 25th birthdays, which was around $10 million each, according to Forbes.
Prince Harry is the youngest child of King Charles III and his late wife, Diana, Princess of Wales. Harry, who is Queen Elizabeth II’s grandchild, is the Duke of Sussex and is the husband of Meghan Markle, the duch*ess of Sussex. He is also the younger brother of Prince William and the father of Queen Elizabeth’s great-grandchildren: Archie Harrison Mountbatten Windsor and Lilibet Diana Mountbatten Windsor, who is named after the Queen’s childhood nickname.
In a CBS interview with Oprah Winfrey and his wife in March 2021, Harry revealed that he used his trust from his mother to support him and his family after his father, Prince Charles, cut him off financially at the start of 2020 following Harry and Meghan’s exit from the British royal family and move to the United States. “I had to afford security for us,” Harry said at the time. “[I was cut off] in the first quarter of 2020. But I’ve got what my mom left me and without that, we would not have been able to do this.”
According to Us Weekly, though Diana’s will stated that her estate would be distributed to William and Harry when they turned 25, the funds were held until they were 30. Despite the hold, the brothers were still able to receive interest on their trust funds earlier. While Harry and William were the chief heirs of Diana’s estate, the People’s Princess’s will also list others with whom she wanted to share her wealth, including her butler, Paul Burrell, as well as 17 of her godchildren, according to Worthy.
Meghan Markle
Representatives toldForbes in 2021 that Harry was not a beneficiary of any of the $100 million left to the royal family by his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother. Radar Online confirmed that in September 2022, reporting: “There’s a very good chance the Queen won’t leave either of them any jewels of value,” a source said.
“It’s not surprising, since they’re not members of the royal family anymore, but it would be a real slap in the face.” Radar Online also reported that Meghan’s sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, who is set to inherit $110 million in jewelry from the Queen, will likely pass some of her jewels to their niece because she and her husband, Prince William, “really don’t want Lilibet to be left out.”
“As for Meghan, she’s not their concern,” the insider added. As for why the Queen left Meghan out of her inheritance, Radar Online’s source speculated that it could be due to either “practicality” or Harry and Meghan’s drama with the British royal family in the years leading up to the Queen’s death. “Some people think it won’t be out of spite, but practicality,” the insider said. “Others say it would be the Queen sending a message to Meghan and Harry: You reap what you sow.”
Meghan is the duch*ess of Sussex and the wife of Queen Elizabeth II’s grandchild, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex. She’s also the mother of Queen Elizabeth’s great-grandchildren, Archie Harrison Mountbatten Windsor and Lilibet Diana Mountbatten Windsor, who is named after the Queen’s childhood nickname.
