Queen Elizabeth II's net worth: Here's all about her palaces, Cartier tiara, rare paintings and racehorses
The royal family's combined net worth is $88 billion. Interestingly, Queen Elizabeth II is not the wealthiest member of the family, neither is she the wealthiest woman in the world. But she still leads a life that can be a cause of envy to those richer than her.
The Queen has several palaces that she can call home, owns various precious tiaras, rare paintings and various racehorses. The soon-to-be 95-year-old owns assets like the Balmoral Castle in Scotland and Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. But she only controls and doesn't own her most valuable asset, the Buckingham Palace. The palace is estimated at $4.9 billion and is owned by the Crown Estate.
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What is Queen Elizabeth II's personal net worth?
Queen Elizabeth II's personal assets amount to $500 million which includes her investments, art, jewelry and the myriad of properties she owns. The Queen also earns a living and derives an annual income from the properties held by the $18 billion Crown Estate and the Duchy of Lancaster, a real estate trust that dates back to 1265, that paid her $27 million (pretax) in the fiscal year 2018 for personal expenses.
The Sovereign Grant, which equals 25% of the income from the Crown Estate, goes toward the Queen’s official expenses, which include payroll, travel, housekeeping, maintenance costs and even IT expenses. Her earnings through the Grant came to $118 million this tax year.
Queen Elizabeth II's jewelry
Queen Elizabeth was gifted a necklace on her Coronation Day that’s valued at around $200,000. The queen also owns a brooch gifted to her by her grandfather, King George V, that’s worth an estimated $136,000. But her most expensive piece of royal jewelry is the Oriental Circlet tiara which is estimated at $8.18 million. It was designed by Prince Albert, the queen’s great-great-grandfather, for his wife, Queen Victoria, back in 1853.
The piece originally consisted of 2,600 diamonds, complete with opal accents, but it has since been downsized a bit after Queen Alexandra inherited it. The crown was later passed down to Queen Mary, then to Queen Elizabeth, and finally to Queen Elizabeth II, who holds ownership over it today. Once the queen dies, the tiara will likely be passed down to either Camilla Parker Bowles or Kate Middleton.
The House of Cartier has been a royal favorite for many years but the most famous piece of jewelry from the French jewelers is the Halo tiara. It was purchased by King George VI as a gift for the Queen in 1936 as a present for her 18th birthday. Since then she has loaned the piece several times to the ladies of the family including Kate Middleton for her royal wedding to Prince William in 2011.
Queen Elizabeth II's earnings through horseracing
The Queen loves her horses and even in her 90s she has been seen riding her beloved horses and the money from the races they participate in is an added perk. The year 2016 was revealed to be one of the best years for her horses as they made more than $775,000 in races. The Queen's thoroughbreds have contributed an estimated $9.4 million to her net worth since the time she started putting them up in competition.