King Charles is now the 258th richest person in the UK, and according to a new ranking, it looks like his wealth is continuing to grow rapidly. Though royals make their money in a variety of ways, their careers couldn't be less typical. Charles owns a lot of real estate, including a home in Wales, and inherited Sandringham Estate and Balmoral Castle from his mother, Queen Elizabeth. And then there are his assets, like clothing, cars, jewelry, and a large art collection that all add up. Charles has only been the reigning monarch for about a year, but he's already richer than his mother was at the time of her death.
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King Charles has a considerably larger personal wealth than Queen Elizabeth had.
According to the 2024 Sunday Times Rich List, King Charles’ personal wealth is approximately $770 million. Since the list was published in 2023, Charles’ wealth has increased by $12 million.
This also means that Charles’ wealth far exceeds the wealth of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth. According to the 2022 Rich List, the Queen’s wealth was listed as $468 million. She died in September 2022.
Someone close to the family has even more money.
There is someone with ties to the king with a significantly higher personal wealth. Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, has a family wealth of a whopping $12.8 billion, according to The Sunday Times.
Hugh Grosvenor is the godfather to Prince George. He may also be the godfather of George’s younger cousin Prince Archie, but Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have never confirmed their children’s godparents.
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Charles lost a good amount of his money during the divorce.
As for King Charles, a former aide told the outlet that he has been rebuilding his wealth after his 1996 divorce from Princess Diana cost him $21 million.
“He became prudent at tucking away some money from the Duchy after that wipeout [of capital],” the aide explained. “We’re not talking vast sums here — several tens of millions, no more. There have been suggestions that Camilla brought a good deal of money into their relationship, but that’s really not correct.”
Real estate seems to be a big financial win for the king.
The Duchy of Cornwall is a $1 billion estate that includes land, houses, farms, and more. It also leases commercial property in places like London and Cornwall. According to the outlet, Charles increased the profits of the duchy by 42.6% to over $31 million between 2011 and 2022. Between 2012 and 2022, he received over $268 million from the duchy.
When Queen Elizabeth died in 2022, she also passed on an investment portfolio worth approximately $151 million.
What exactly is a duchy?
A duchy is the territory owned by a duke or duchess. The Duchy of Cornwall was created in 1337 by King Edward III for his son and heir, Prince Edward. A rule was then made that each Duke of Cornwall would be the oldest surviving son of the monarch — the heir to the throne. The Duke of Cornwall is also known as the Prince of Wales, even though the two titles are distinct.
King Charles was the longest serving Duke of Cornwall — he celebrated 70 years in the role in 2022. Prince William is the current Duke of Cornwall, even though he is more commonly known as the Prince of Wales.
