King Charles net worth: Here's how much wealth the British monarch has to his name
Having ascended to the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, King Charles III is the current reigning monarch in the UK. Charles will be officially crowned as king in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6.
The world has been long fascinated with the British royals - led by Queen Elizabeth II until her death on September 8, 2022. Now, all eyes are on the newly ascended King Charles III. Let's have a close look at the fortune the British monarch has to his name?
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King Charles III net-worth
King Charles III has inherited assets that have propelled his wealth to almost $2.1 billion, according to extensive research and analysis by the Guardian.
Wealth on four Wheels
The private wealth was illustrated by the Windsors’ fleet of Rolls-Royces, Bentleys and Jaguars. The Guardian identified 23 vehicles at the royal mews at Buckingham Palace and Sandringham, the king’s private estate in Norfolk.
Some royal cars are privately owned or loaned to the Windsors by manufacturers. Others are held by the sovereign “in right of the crown”, which means they are not private property but held by the monarch on behalf of the nation.
Private property worth £330m
There are plenty of palaces, castles, and homes for King Charles to enjoy, but most of them aren't actually his. The sovereign in right of the crown, for example, is the owner of Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace.
But among Charles' most valuable possessions are two rural estates that he inherited from his mother. The first is Balmoral, which Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, purchased in 1852 as a getaway retreat in the Scottish Highlands. Even more valuable is the sprawling Sandringham estate in Norfolk, bought in 1862 by Victoria for her son. Described at the time as “very ugly” and surrounded by “6,000 acres of sand”, it bled cash for decades.
The Royal Horses
An enthusiastic owner and breeder of racehorses, the queen invested substantial amount of time, effort and personal wealth in buying horses. A tweet said, "Today, former #MusicalRide horse Noble was officially presented to His Majesty King Charles III by RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme, representatives from the Musical Ride as well as the HC @RalphGoodale
: High Commission of Canada, UK".
Today, former #MusicalRide horse 🐴 Noble was officially presented to His Majesty King Charles III by RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme, representatives from the Musical Ride as well as the HC @RalphGoodale 📷: High Commission of Canada, UK pic.twitter.com/yMzT4pA89N
— RCMP (@rcmpgrcpolice) April 28, 2023
The legacy of that lifelong pursuit is about 70 thoroughbreds at various stages of racing and breeding careers, some kept at the royal stud at Sandringham. At least $30 million is the estimated value of them all. Charles has started selling off his equestrian holdings since his mother's passing; he has made $2.5 million by auctioning off horses, some of which were gifts to the queen from the Emir of Dubai and the Aga Khan
The Expensive Gifts
Both Prince Philip and the king’s grandmother, the Queen Mother, were avid collectors of art and purchased many pieces at bargain prices that would, if sold today, realise many times the original price tag. According to a research by Guardian, they include a Monet bought by the queen mother in Paris shortly after the second world war, when prices were low, could now be worth million of dollars.
The Duchy of Lancaster
The King also has a reliable source of supplementary “private” income which can be explained by the real cash cow in his portfolio. The Duchy of Lancaster, a land and property estate that is run as a profitable business, provides whoever sits on the throne with lucrative annual payments of around $244,663.58 a year.
