The ROYAL INSIDER

HOW MUCH ARE THE ROYALS REALLY WORTH?

- Emily Andrews

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex went to America to make their fortune.

But how does it compare to their royal relatives left behind? It's notoriously difficult to compute the wealth of the Royal Family - even more so Harry and Meghan, who are now private citizens.

But we do know that the monarch is funded in three distinct ways: through the private income of the Duchy of Lancaster, the taxpayer-funded money of the Sovereign Grant and the personal family fortune that is handed down from monarch to monarch free of inheritance tax.

King Charles is estimated to be worth around £1.8 billion (which includes property such as Balmoral and Sandringham, cars, horses, rare stamps and works of art).

Prince William is equally wealthy as he is in charge of the prosperous Duchy of Cornwall, estimated to be worth in excess of £1 billion. He is now one of the largest landowners in Britain, with an expected annual income of £20 million.

In contrast, once Harry and Meghan left the Royal Family, they were financially on their own.

They bought a $14.7 million (almost £12 million) estate in Montecito, California in August 2020 but they only put down a $5 million deposit and took out an almost $10 million mortgage.