There's a reason that Simba sang "I just can't wait to be king" in The Lion King, because being the reigning monarch of anything comes with quite a lot of perks. For example, when Prince William one day becomes king, his net worth is set to make a major jump.
Right now, the newly minted Prince of Wales boasts a decent net worth of about $40 million, but he's far from the richest member of the royal family. After all, his father has more cash in the bank than he does. (Before he took the throne, King Charles' net worth was estimated at between $100 and $400 million, depending on the source. But he has now inherited a great deal of the late Queen Elizabeth's estimated $530 million fortune.)
The good news for William is that much of what Charles counts as his assets will become William's one day when he's king. In addition to his father's personal net worth, the British monarchy controls billions of dollars in real estate, art, and animals. (Yes, animals.) They're part of what's called the Crown Estate, which gets passed down from each reigning monarch to the next.
When Charles either steps down or dies, the Crown Estate will go to William (and then, eventually, to his own eldest son, Prince George). There's of course no set timeline for the changing of the guard (really, who could have foreseen that Elizabeth would rule for an incredible 70 years!). So for now, William will have to wait — but it certainly sounds like it'll be well worth waiting for.
William Is Already Worth a Lot
Although his net worth will increase significantly when he's king, William isn't doing too bad for himself right now. His current net worth is about $40 million. Now, that's actually lower than many other famous people, but that's because William doesn't have a paying job like actors, musicians, and business moguls do.
He Donated His Salary & Doesn't Get a Paycheck
There was a point when William did have a paying job. He worked for the British Army and Royal Air Force for seven years, earning about $61,300 per year. But according to CNBC, he donated that salary because his millions in the bank meant that he didn't need the income. He's since left that job behind and doesn't get paid to do his royal engagements — although his expenses are taken care of, so he doesn't want for anything.
Most of His Money Came From Inheritances
William's millions mostly come from the money he inherited from his mother, Princess Diana, after she died, and from the Queen Mother (his great-grandmother) when she died. William and Harry split their mother's estate, meaning that William got about $12.3 million from Diana. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother also left her great-grandson part of a $6 million inheritance to be shared with Harry at the time of her death, and another $10 million to split when the princes turn 40.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
The Queen Likely Left Him Money
According to Forbes, Queen Elizabeth's personal net worth was about $500 million, which will have to go somewhere now that she's gone. Even split among her four children, along with grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and godchildren, William is still likely to end up with a hefty chunk of change to add to his own net worth.
William's Wealth Will Rise Over Time
Now that Charles is king, William will move into his role as the Prince of Wales, and with that title comes a hefty moneymaker. The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate that brings in quite a lot of money. Up until now, Charles has used that money to pay for his lifestyle and that of his two sons. But now, all that money will be William's, and the duchy reportedly brings in about $25 million per year.
William Will Become Richer When He's King
There's no telling when William will become king. Charles has only just begun his reign, and being that he's only in his early 70s, if he lives anywhere near as long as his mother, William could be waiting for the throne for more than 20 years. But once he does become king, William's net worth will skyrocket from $40 million.
William Will Become the Duke of Lancaster
Prior to her death, the Queen was the Duke of Lancaster (yes, you read that right) and had control of the Duchy of Lancaster. According to CNN, it can bring in about $19 million per year. That was part of the Queen's personal wealth that she could use as she wished. The duchy will likely now get passed down to Charles and later to William.
He'll Preside Over Billions in Real Estate
According to another report from Forbes, William will get access to the Crown Estate when he becomes king, which comes with $10 billion in real estate. The Crown Estate holdings include various buildings, seabeds, forests, and land throughout the UK. Any profit that these holdings generate gets put back into the government's treasury — it won't go to William personally.
Buckingham Palace Will Become His
Also part of the Crown Estate is Buckingham Palace, which will serve as William's living quarters when he becomes king. According to Forbes, Buckingham Palace alone is worth $5 billion separate from the $10 billion in other Crown Estate holdings. As with the other holdings, William can live at the palace but won't actually own it. The reigning monarch can own property — as the Queen owned Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House — but Buckingham Palace is separate from that.
His Future Assets Will Include the Royal Art Collection
According to Express, the reigning monarch also presides over the Royal Art Collection, worth another $12.6 billion and considered "the largest privately owned art collection in the world." The collection contains "7,000 paintings, 500,000 prints, and 30,000 drawings," with art from the likes of Vermeer, Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo. Pretty impressive, huh?
He Also Gets All of England's Swans
The Queen had the pleasure of owning "any unmarked swans swimming in the open waters of England," which is a tradition that dates back to the 15th century. It used to mean more, because anyone who wanted to serve a swan dinner had to pay the king or queen to mark a bird for their own use, but now, owning all the swans is more of an arbitrary part of being the reigning monarch.
And He'll Own Dolphins, Too
Time reported that the Queen, in addition to owning all the unmarked swans, was also in control of all the UK's dolphins, whales, and sturgeons, a type of large fish. (It's a law from 1324 that gives the current ruling monarch that right.) When these animals come within 3 miles of the UK shore, they're classified as "fishes royal," with the reigning monarch as their symbolic owner.
He'll Get a Yearly Government Stipend
CNN reported that the Queen got a stipend from the government in the form of the Sovereign Grant to pay for all of her official expenses, like traveling and keeping the palaces running. The money comes directly from the taxpayers. Last year, the grant was worth more than $100 million, costing each UK person about $1.50.
Most of This Isn't Part of William's Personal Wealth
All of those holdings are well and good, but they don't add much permanent value to William's net worth, since he can't really deposit dolphins or swans or the Crown Estate into his personal bank account. He'll simply get to count them as assets until he turns the throne over to Prince George, at which point George will be in charge of them.
Being King Will Still Make William Super Rich
Most of the billions of wealth that the king oversees don't belong to him, but there are financial benefits to ruling the UK. There's the Duchy of Lancaster for personal financial needs, as well as the opportunity to stay for free in a giant palace — and travel the world and eat and live on the taxpayers' dime. Not too shabby!
