Prince William, without exaggeration, personifies the modern British monarchy. It is he who is seen by many as the future king of Great Britain, who will stay on the throne for a long time. Not surprisingly, the income and financial affairs of the heir to the throne are of interest to English citizens and fans of the royal family around the world. What is the state of Prince William, and on what money does he support his large family?
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's net worth
The royal family is extremely private in all matters relating to their financial well-being. Official reports on expenditures can be seen only in cases where money for the needs of monarchs is allocated from the state treasury. As a result, journalists and experts can give a very rough estimate of the income and personal wealth of members of the Mountbatten-Windsor family.
When talking about Prince William's net worth, many analysts cite the numbers between $ 25 million and $ 40 million. By the way, when mentioning the financial assets of his younger brother Harry, they usually refer to the same numbers. According to press reports, the heir to the throne owns a $ 11 million personal helicopter and several properties.
When the eldest son of Diana and Charles married Kate Middleton, they pooled their personal capital. The Duchess of Cambridge owes her wealth to her parents, who set up a successful mail-order business. Their Party Pieces company is estimated to be worth $ 30-50 million. If we assume that the estate of the Middleton spouses will be equally divided between their three children, then William's wife will receive about $ 10 million.
Prince William's legacy
William, like his brother Harry, received a significant part of his money as an inheritance from his mother. In 1993, Diana made a will, according to which two sons were owed equal shares of all of her assets. True, the last will of the Princess of Wales contained an amendment that until William and Harry reached the age of 25, the money would be in trust.
After Diana's death, her mother and sister achieved a will revision, which pushed the age of inheritance of the princes to 30 years. True, from 25 they were allowed to earn on investment income. For five years, Harry and William received interest from a trust fund of $ 450,000 a year.
After crossing the 30-year mark, the sons of the Princess of Wales received $ 14 million each, which turned into $ 10 million after taxes. Valuable personal belongings of the mother also passed to William and his brother. Diana's unique collection included items such as the princess's famous wedding dress and 28 of her other outfits, diamond tiaras, photographs, letters, family paintings, home movies, copyrighted notes and the lyrics to Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" song.
There is no exact data on how exactly William and Harry divided the personal belongings of the deceased mother. It is only known that Diana's eldest son inherited her wedding ring, which she herself chose when she agreed to marry Prince Charles. Years later, paying tribute to the memory of his dearest person, Prince William presented this piece of jewelry, adorned with blue sapphire, to his future wife Kate in honor of the engagement.
In addition to Diana's inheritance, part of the trust fund, founded in 1994 by their great-grandmother, the mother of Elizabeth II, passed to her sons. According to rumors, the queen mother planned to leave her great-grandchildren a significant part of her fortune, which amounted to 70 million pounds sterling. Reporters claimed that Prince Charles' children became owners of nearly $ 18 million. Moreover, most of the money went to Harry, since William is expected to receive substantial cash receipts when he officially becomes the heir to the British crown.
Financial assistance from relatives
The main income of William and his family comes from the material support of his father, Prince Charles. The heir to the throne pays for both sons the staff and expenses associated with the performance of royal duties. For these purposes, he uses the proceeds from the administration of the Duchy of Cornwall.
Since 1337, this duchy has been transferred into the possession of the eldest heir to the reigning British monarch. It has both an investment portfolio and 205 square miles of land spread across 23 counties. The current value of these assets is $ 1.2 billion. Moreover, Prince Charles cannot do whatever he wants with the duchy. He only performs managerial functions and makes a net profit. For example, in 2018, the income of the heir to the throne was $ 27.4 million. Some of this money is regularly received by the family of William and Kate, as well as the family of Prince Harry. And when Charles becomes king, the duchy will pass to his eldest son.
Queen Elizabeth II also provides financial support to her grandchildren. According to the decision of the British Parliament, she is paid about $ 60 million annually to maintain and ensure royal duties. Of this money, the queen allocated $ 5, 3 million for the renovation of Kensington Palace, where William and Kate live. In addition, she donated a mansion in Norfolk to the couple and paid for its costly renovation.
Employment
Like most members of the royal family, Prince William went through military service. In 2006, with the rank of second lieutenant, he joined the Royal Cavalry. He then graduated from flight school in 2009, joining the Air Force. The Duke of Cambridge served as a search and rescue helicopter pilot. His salary in this capacity was about 70 thousand dollars a year. In 2013, William left the army.
Another source of income for the prince is employment. William became the first heir to the throne to enter into a civil contract. Since 2014, he has been working as an Eastern Air Ambulance helicopter pilot in East Anglia. His job is to help sick and wounded citizens who are stranded in remote areas of the country. William's salary is about 60 thousand dollars a year. However, he refused to receive this money and completely transfers it to charitable needs.
