A Closer Look At The Royal Family's Net Worth Now We Have A New King

The world stood still on May 6, 2023, as we got to see the coronation of a new king. That’s right; King Charles III is finally on the throne, but that’s not the only thing that’s gotten people talking over the years. It’s no secret that the British Royal Family is one of the oldest monarchies on the planet and has amassed quite a fortune in that time.

Taking a closer look at the Royal Family’s net worth now we have a new king goes to show they might have more than a few coins to rub together. While an exact look at the family’s finances has always been notoriously difficult, that hasn’t stopped people from using the information we have to see just how much they’re really worth.

King Charles inherited The Queen’s fortune when she passed

The Royal Family, often called The Firm, is one of the wealthiest families in the world, with Forces estimating their total net worth at a staggering $28 billion. However, that is a different fortune from the one The Queen enjoyed before her passing in 2022. It’s believed she alone had a net worth of around $500 million, which instantly went to her son, King Charles, when she passed. Much of this was made from her vast art and jewelry collection, as well as property and other investments. Inheriting his mother’s collections has seen Forbes estimate King Charles is now worth $2 billion alone, with Prince William inheriting his father’s former assets and seeing his net worth boost to around $1.2 billion.

The Crown Estate is the biggest source of income

They might be the Royal Family, but the largest source of income for The Firm is actually through property, with the Crown Estate managing all the plots and holdings. It’s believed that the estates alone are worth $20.5 billion, with them bringing in $410 million in 2022 alone. However, not all of this goes to the Royal Family. A lot of the income goes to the government in exchange for a Sovereign Grant, which equals around 25% of the estate’s profits. The Duchy of Cornwall is one of the most profitable, reportedly earning $32 million last year. The Duchy of Lancaster is another big earner for the family, bringing in $31 million throughout 2022 and containing estimated assets of $814 million.

The Crown Jewels are one of the most expensive assets

One of the stand-out parts of The King’s coronation was seeing the Crown Jewels making a return to the limelight. The crown is often displayed in London, which also helps to boost the income it makes, but that’s not all. It’s a huge source of wealth for the Royal Family purely because of the association with the family, the history, and the cost of the jewels. The problem? No one knows entirely how much it is worth. The Koh-i-Noor diamond is the most famous jewel of them all, but people aren’t sure if the gem was stolen by the British in the 19th century or if it was gifted to Queen Victoria. Whatever the case, the rarity of everything involved means the Crown Jewels continue to generate quite the income.

There is ongoing research into the family’s link to slavery

In April 2023, one month before King Charles held his coronation, The Guardian published uncovered documents from 1689. They show that £1,000 (approximately $1,260) of shares were sent from the Royal African Company - a slave-trading company - to King William III. This was enough for a royal spokesperson to admit people were investigating the family’s ties to slave trading and when the ties were officially cut. However, it’s not the Royals that are doing the investigating, with them looking no further into the claims. While it doesn’t mean that their current income is made up from the abolished industry, there is a chance that some of their net worth was once boosted by it all.

A closer look at the Royal Family’s net worth now we have a new king goes to show just how much the family brings in each year. Amazingly, it’s all from different sources, but that hasn’t stopped them from becoming one of the wealthiest families the planet has ever seen.