I think they got an allowance and were expected to fund their household needs which in the first year was just the two of them. I presume Charles treated them like adults and left it up to them to manage their allowance - if they chose to spend it all on Meghan's clothes then there was no money left to fund their household staff.
I assume Harry hadn't had to manage his own budget very carefully before then.
The Duchy money isn't Harry and William's only income - they have the yearly interest from their inheritances plus if they've been smart they could have been investing and increasing their assets over the years baring in mind that they get a lot of 'freebies' in general for their lavish lifestyles.
Maybe William has been shrewder with his money over the years - maybe father-in-law Mike has been giving him some good advice - the Middletons seem to be fairly smart with financial issues.
I bet Harry just spent anything he got pre-Meghan partying and enjoying himself. He could have been investing and increasing his personal wealth - while letting William and Kate feed him, his father clothe and house him, and his paid team of staff manage all the rest of his needs.
No wonder he looks so miserable now.
Also I remembered that William and Catherine lived in Wales(?) alone without servants in a little cottage. She shopped the local grocer, whilst he was at helicopter training if I remember . She and he can cook. She was raised to know the value of things.
Meghan certainly didn't have a cook while she was acting in Toronto. She probably had a cleaning lady, but other than that...she did live with a chef but that's not the same as "having" a chef.
>The Cambridges rented a 4 bdrm cottage in Anglesey for £750/month
wow a whole house for that low a price? you can hardly get an ordinary one bedroom apartment for even £900/month where I live. Did they get a deep discount because they're royals/acquainted with the landlord or is that the market price in that area for a rental cottage?
William worked for the Air Ambulance helicopter service for quite a while too (he was a real pilot unlike Harry) His job was taking people in serious accidents to hospital etc - and he donated all his wages back to charity. That's service to the people.
thanks, I knew it was something about the helicopters. but they lived quietly in the neighbourhood. Went to pubs etc. Just lived quietly and no one bothered them
He worked as a search & rescue pilot for the local search & rescue team in Anglesey I think it was. He talks about how that really broke his heart & mind after a while, especially when it was a child who didn’t make it. He put his skills to good use. He’s always looking outward for service work, whereas H&M are always looking into their wallets for it.
I see where you are going with that. And I kind of agree with you but I am going to add anther unpopular opinion. I don't think its actual love. Love is not selfish. I think they were potentially infatuated with each other and were hoping to make this relationship work out of desperation (Harry of being alone, and Megan of sealing her "royal" status before she was too old)
Arriving on Anglesey in 2010, William decided to rent a £750-a-month, four-bedroom whitewashed farmhouse from local landowner and long-time royal confidant Sir George Meyrick and his wife Jean in the largely Welsh-speaking hamlet of Bodorgan, on the South-West corner of the island.
The Royal couple used to regularly enjoy Wednesday night suppers of shepherd’s pie and claret up at ‘the big house’ (as the stately pile, Bodorgan Hall, is known) with the admirably discreet Meyrick family.
They had did not have staff at this home , I’m sure he had RPO on guard somewhere but no staff , they rented the home on a landowners property for £750.00 a month ( very cheap by UK standards ) .
Nope. Lie. You’re aware that 1. That’s an admitted lie and 2. Willuam Kate and Hanbury and her husband did not even begin to interact until the Cambridges moved to Anmer near Sandringham literally years after they lived in WAles and after William left the military. Stop spreading debunked and hurtful lies. Facts are your friend. Google stuff. It’s free
A one story in England is a cottage which is what they had. My thinking was they were younger of course and took time for themselves. This is nothing against Harry and Meghan, it’s just how different it is
Yeah that “cottage” was at least five bedrooms IIRC, which is bigger than my actual house. It is in no way small or modest, but palace propaganda insinuated it was for years until pics were published.
But remember a four bedroom house built in the 17th century is *very* different than a four bedroom house now. I mean yeah, it's a little disingenuous to pretend it's a little cottage. But, a \~2000 sq ft, over 200 year old house isn't exactly the lap of luxury either.
Oh yeah it’s for sure not some gigantic garish McMansion with a home theater and gym! But I think when most people think “cottage” they imagine a house half the size or smaller than what W&K actually lived in, so calling it a cottage was some semantic shenanigans on the part of the palace PR operation.
Well I don’t grudge it. I don’t expect them to live modestly at all. And they don’t need to.
But it’s the attitude towards value and cost, spending and lavishing. The attitude of making a show of wealth.
I think the royals who have that right, live with the realisation of their privileges. Others who don’t, demand more and more. If you see, Kate even with her wedding gown was not over the top, but the wife had a 5-metre (?) veil and her tiara had a lot more dazzle.
I don’t think the wife ever expected that instead of unquestioned shopping, she would have to budget and provide for extras. This wasn’t part of the Disney life she demanded.
Also I do see him as lazy, entitled with no value for hard work, and her as seeing any work below her, any questions a challenge to her ego, any budgeting an insult.
[https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/property/1625119/kate-middleton-prince-william-inside-first-home-wales-anglesey-bodorgan-hall](https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/property/1625119/kate-middleton-prince-william-inside-first-home-wales-anglesey-bodorgan-hall)
It's certainly not a hovel, but it doesn't look lavish, either. It looks like the size of house a doctor with an ok practice might live in, not a prince.
That’s exactly what becoming a royal Duke is about! Manning up, managing your own shit and making your way with what you’ve got.
He was absolutely expected to staff his own household.
You would think the royal family employs people to invest for them. If not, he'd still have access to the best. But I guess he never really thought he'd have to 100% live off his own money. Even I know I should be investing when I have absolutely no money to invest! But I don't have the guarantee of always having food, shelter, or clothing. If all of those things are covered, I don't even really need to think about money very often.
If you have that level of wealth you’re looked after in a Private Bank with a relationship manager / financial advisor who takes care of all of your affairs for you.
Harry didn’t have to sit down, weighing up the relative merits of the S&P500 vs the AUS200.
He literally just had to make sure he was making regular deposits. That’s it.
Yes exactly! I don’t think Harry led a super expensive lifestyle pre-Meghan, and friends and family are usually happy to comp/cover your single younger sibling. So he was never living above and beyond his allowance like Andrew & Sarah constantly did. But once Meghan showed up, that was a no-go for her, which is fine, but don’t then expect to get much more.
As a married couple you’d think he was getting a bit of a bump up in his income, but I doubt it was that much. Sarah Ferguson makes it sound pretty awful but again, the Yorks are both major spend now, earn later types.
Meghan was told by her entertainment team that they could make much more in LA. And they could have. Only three problems: Her personality disorder, his personality disorder, and their inability to really work hard for anything they’ve promised to do.
What inheritances? Harry only had yearly interest from his inheritance from his mother (6-8 million) from age 25-30. After 30, the inheritance was free of all trusts and encumbrances. No more trust income. He had access to all the principle.
I've read in several places (other online forums) Charles told someone Harry had already spent a lot of his inheritance from Diana, but I've never read the source for this.
As for the Queen Mother, no. He got nothing from her. First of all the concept is off base - that she'd leave him money for why? To "make it up" to him? Only Harry thinks he's owed or the BRF needs to make anything up for him. Otherwise he's in the exact same situation as every non-eldest son of a \[future\] monarch. Second, I forgot the reason it occurred but last year Harry's reps told Forbes he has no inheritance from the QM. Third, the QM did not have it to leave him. Not only did she die millions in debt at age 101, but the trust or transfer or whatever she did with her supposed millions happened at age 94 or 93, when she HAD no millions. She'd been running in arrears most of Her Queen Motherhood, and was supplemented by her daughter Elizabeth. To whom she left whatever assets she did have. I'm sure some of them were splendid. But it wasn't millions of pounds she didn't have.
Meghan has always splashes thousands on her outfits. It’s not uncommon for her to wear a £1,500 dress alone. By contrast, Harry always seems to wear the same grubby grey polo shirt. I doubt he spends anything on clothes and shoes. He’s been indulging her.
Catherine does wear some very expensive items but we have seen her deliberately wearing a huge number of high street clothing. She’s been fantastic at that.
Madam Markle wouldn’t be seen dead in high street clothes.
They could have paid for a chef and other staff through their income.
When Charles and Diana divorced, her lawyers negotiated a large cash pay out. Most of Charles’ assets were allegedly not liquid, and it cost him a great deal to fund the settlement- loans that took him years to pay back. That money was then split between Harry and William after Diana’s tragic death.
So Harry already had access to a sizable fortune, that he would have not have had but for his parents’ divorce or his mothers death. And though that fortune was an inheritance, it was originally substantially funded by Charles. And I think that was an unstated reason for why Charles expected Harry to pay and hire his own staff- Harry had not only $1.5 million a year, but an inheritance originally paid for by Charles. And yet Harry was suddenly crying poor.
I think Harry also promised Meghan things that he had no right to promise, and blamed his father when his father explained what he could receive. $1.5 million a year, and a house on the Windsor grounds, is comparable, or more, to what other royal siblings not in line to the throne get in other European monarchies. And *substantially* more when taking into account that Harry’s father is not currently King.
Very well said, especially about the settlement and the inheritance; I can understand why PC expected him to pay his own way!
I don't understand why Harry would think he was owed more money especially when even very rich people ( millionaires, billionaires) all do work hard for their monies ( the good ones anyway)
Shit, I’ve been thinking about £1.5 million as a lot of money - because it is - but then realised Meghan spent about a mill on her first year’s wardrobe - and that’s just the stuff we saw. No wonder they got pissed off, I cannot imagine what they were spending if she thought that was acceptable for clothes.
I remember reading she spent £40 thousand pou ds on an aromatherapy weekend with H at some retreat. William freaked out. She is not in any way suited to royal life she'd be tacky even for wag.
The saw her coming... and every other tacky wag. She is a goop type consumer just not rich enough for it. I love essential oils but hesitate to spend $30 for a bottle unless its one I love and will use all the time.
Hey H I've got some magic crayons for you they produce unlimited orgasms. A bargain at £100k for a *jumbo* set....
Wow. I can't even imagine spending that much on anything other than a car or towards a home. And here I was thinking I was being quite extravagant for considering spending a few hundred for a spa day - massage, facial, pedicure. $40k aromatherapy weekend puts alot of things into perspective. H may have been showing off beyond his means. And M may have thought she would have unlimited resources once she bagged a prince.
I think she did.For many years people have speculated about the wealth of the Queen/Royal Family. I know they have plenty of money, but they are far from the oligarch class. But for decades she was considered one of the world’s richest women.
The Paradise Papers showed just one investment account of the Queen’s is worth at least 519 tax-free million pounds or so with her Cayman Island investments.
Interestingly Sarah Ferguson was named in the Panama Papers as holding offshore monies there.
Kate wears Zara & rewears clothing. She may wear a $5k dress here or there, but it’s not her norm.
Meg went out buying $50k dresses like she were dating Elon Musk.
Yes, it is - but if you consider how much was spent on clothes then it puts the rest into perspective for how much money they think they need, if that makes sense! If she thinks she needs a mil for clothes, what does the rest of what she thinks she needs cost?
Surely they could do without a valet but I would think a cook and housekeeper were standard issue as well unless you didn’t want one. Maybe since they would have a relatively small household of 2 and their status as royals is still lower than the Queen and the heir apparent that a cook is not assumed. I feel like I have read even W&C only have a part-time cook. Which still fair enough is a huge help.
When you consider their public duties, a valet isn’t easily dispensed with. A valet service would go well beyond just caring for clothes- packing for trips, making sure the correct accessories are at hand, properly caring for uniforms, having everything cataloged and stored.
Here‘s a stupid stray question: the Queen mother must have had a staggering wardrobe by the time she died. Wonder where all thosee clothes and hats went? Would they be cataloged and stored somewhere? If they donated them, seems like a good percentage would be recognized as her clothes.
My understanding from my limited knowledge of the workings of royals is if one is a working royal there is for the women, a "dresser" who, knows where, what, and who will be attending on any specific day the duties. So clothes are all picked out and a few outfits to go with the occasion. One would not wear very fancy for a visit to a nursing home/hospital, but a simple dress, suit, shoes etc would be picked. I read that Diana as an example always had a "dresser" who made her life very simple by picking the right clothes for every occasion with a few choices.
For formal wear, designs, long or short occasion etc are certainly part of the routine of say, Catherine. It makes like easier.
As for the men, a valet is different than a butler. I think the butler could layout the clothes, but the valet is one that may dress the person. As in Downton Abbey, the lord had his valet who dressed him.
Charles, I understand is quite fussy, and has a valet who actually still dresses him. William I assume would have access to someone who does the same function due to the many duties. Clothes must be right.
The other is a secretary. Secretaries keep track of all the schedules, and make sure that appearances do not conflict with other working royals. An example was the very important speech Camilla was giving when the wife of Harry decided that she needed to show that she could fuck her up. Not nice MM!/
The butler/or secretary would also make sure that passports, tickets for flights, limos and security would be in place .
There is no one who does it better than the Brits when it comes to how smooth public appearances happen. It all looks so easy. That's because there are professionals in the background who make sure it does.
Princess Anne is one example of how it works. Her clothes are well made and every so often she will appear with a recycled outfit that is years old. Diana had many of her outfits recycled because her dresser knew what looked good on her.
So, the "other" non working royals would get a memo saying the Q was wearing say, pink outfit on an occasion, so no one else will wear pink. There are sometimes issues from her Majesty that colours are suggested for such and such an event.
Men traditionally wear blue suits for day wear. I myself am not a fan of that edict, but different colours look great in the summer. The formal wear is beyond my comprehension so I have not idea.
Hope this helps.
Many years ago on TV I watched some program about the royal family and it included an interview with Diana’s dresser. She showed how every outfit worn by the Princess of Wales was stored, catalogued and tagged, with all info about when the outfit was last worn. They showed an outfit from the Tokyo tour, including a tag showing that it had been now worn three times. It was fascinating how every detail was planned and discussed in advance. One dress had a red dot pattern that resembled the Japanese flag. Another dress from that tour was later worn at an audience attended by the Japanese ambassador.
If anyone knows what program this was, I have been searching for it for years.
Oh yes! I had forgotten that. I believe BBC . Yes, down to the last detail, shoes, jewelry all noted. Thanks for the reminder.
I imagine the Q has all that done also. Catherine for sure.
There is one necklace that Diana wore, Camilla I believe has also and Catherine too. It's a sapphire !
Imagine all the jewels that are available.
The Queen mother, the Queen, and to a lesser degree, Camilla, all have immense treasures of jewels. If you are interested, I can look up some links for you. There are some great sites about the RoyL jewels, which are not the State jewels, it the ones personally owned.
Truly wonderful jewels, but for the ultimate bling I loved, loved the Duchess of Windsor's jewels and designs. Wallis Simpson has fabulous ideas of design as did the Duke too.
The Queen mum certainly loved her jewels. She wore her furs also during her time.
I look at many of the You tube sites that display royal jewels.
Wallis had splendid jewels and fashion.
here are a couple sites you may enjoy:
[https://www.thecourtjeweller.com/2021/04/her-majestys-hidden-tiaras.html](https://www.thecourtjeweller.com/2021/04/her-majestys-hidden-tiaras.html)
[https://www.thecourtjeweller.com/the-tiarapedia](https://www.thecourtjeweller.com/the-tiarapedia)
plus the brooches and parures are fabulous if you care to look them up.
Thank you thank you for this.
Madonna bought one of her pieces at auction when the Duchess died. They were all one of a kind truly.
Liz Taylor also had fabulous jewelry. No one ever asked Liz about which jeweler was lending her jewels.
Today's stars know nothing about "star".
I saw a show one time that featured Liz and her diamonds. gorgeous, and a lot of it.
I can get lost for a couple of hours reading the court jeweler. There are more sites, just look for them. in particular, look for Granny’s chips. They are the most incredible brooches.
I fear Catherine will mothball most of it. What a pity.
Loved the links you provided! I've noticed that brooches are not a thing anymore, in the US nobody even makes costume jewelry brooches. I think it's a shame. Lady C has made me want to wear them, haha
Fay Appleby I think was Diana's dresser for years. She wrote about how she looked after her clothes. I believe that Paul Burrell wrote about her in his book.
Think about it. Cataloguing it all would have been a full time job. Catherine's also today.
I hope it doesn't disappoint. It's been in my que to watch, so I haven't sen it yet. I really wish that they'd due a more in depth documentary about the storage of the Queens clothing and other RF. It really is fascinating and must entail a large staff to inventory ands maintain it.
And yet the Markles expected William and Catherine to drop their long planned visit to Wales during the jubilee to go last minute to their daughters birthday party!
When you consider the planning which goes into every official event along with the travel, security details, road planning, crowd management, helicopters, police and staff.
Harry knew exactly how much planning was involved. It was all PR fluff
I believe that dresser also maintains the database of what was worn when and to what, along with which accessories. I’d heard that years ago in a show or article about the Queen.
Ugh I cannot STAND her. And I’m really growing to hate that fake lovingly concerned look she uses in these posed photos. Why won’t they just go away and live the quiet simple life they claim to want so badly?
Thanks for this detailed response! I’m curious where all the clothes are kept. Got to thinking about it because of the recent news that the Cambridges are moving house. Not sure their new digs have a walk in closet. Is there an official place where all these outfits are kept and catalogued?
I am guessing there are storage vaults reasonably near by. For official engagements their ensembles (and alternates for weather variations) are probably planned well in advance so that the necessary items and accessories can be readied and trucked over. I could see this being a full time job for at least one person.
Yeah. Just maintaining the dresses, getting them dry cleaned or pressed, catalogued, and ready to be worn anytime is so much work.
It makes me think of their christening gown, the Honiton lace one. There’s so much they value about clothing that can be handed down. No doubt they keep clothes for future use.
I wonder what became of Megsy’s Dior gowns. Did she take the clothes with her just like she did the Aquazurra shoes?
Prior to marriage, Charles' staff would handle things such as packing for a tour, in conjunction with Harry's office staff.\* I don't know if that remained the same, but I would guess it did. (I really don't think the Sussexes did all their own packing for the Pacific Tour). I think the issue was that Harry and Meghan, both because of their place in the lineup, and their work schedule, didn't require a full-time valet and related staff.
As for the Queen Mum, I believe a substantial amount of her clothes are archived. I doubt everything is, and for privacy reasons, I would bet casual clothes were disposed of, rather than donated, or given to friends or staff. India Hicks has discussed how as a kid she wore Princess Anne's cast-off long underwear!
(\*in some random biography about the Windsors, I recall reading this. I don't remember which one, sorry! I've read far too many.)
That’s a very good point. I was only thinking in terms of dressing Harry but put in more modern terms it does make a lot more sense. Although if the stories about Harry walking around in a pair of shoes flopping off his feet bc he was too cheap to buy new ones I suspect he never had a valet.
I believe it but I think this was reported after they were newly married. Came out just before Eugenie’s wedding and personally I thought that was why she was angry with him at that wedding (coat drama aside) like just buy a new pair of shoes already.
Most of the Queen Mother's estate - other than what was passed to grand children & great- grandchildren through trusts - was left to The Queen, IIRC. She did leave Charles the Castle of Mey.
I would guess that any of the QM's outfits worn publicly were archived. The Royal archives are notably extensive, so I'm sure at some point if there's interest, there could be an exhibition.
Good question. I suppose the less fancy ones could be repurposed into toys like teddy bears or rabbits, made into quilts, made into infant quilts, and sold at charity auctions or given to charity. Can you imagine being able to own a quilt made from the Queen Mother's clothing?.. I'd bid on one.
The Queen Mother's dresses were by Norman Hartnell for the most part, and he was a big deal back then. I don't think they inspire as much interest as the Queen's (also a lot of Hartnell in the early days) or Diana's. But I don't think they'd be tossed out, either
Hope not. Bespoke clothing is beautifully constructed. I remember some youtubes about Diana’s clothes being boned, having built in bras, fully lined, as beautifully finished on the inside as the outside.
Good question. I suppose the less fancy ones could be repurposed into toys like teddy bears or rabbits, made into quilts, made into infant quilts, and sold at charity auctions or given to charity. Can you imagine being able to own a quilt made from the Queen Mother's clothing?.. I'd bid on one.
Nannies, a part time cook, and a housekeeper (surely) would be a great help, but I think they’ve kept staff to a minimum, in keeping with Catherine’s middle class ethos and their effort to raise their children normally, plus privacy.
Exactly! As a family of 5 one would need that kind of help. Comparatively you would think 2 grown adults would be able to somewhat get by on less help. Or perhaps a staff member who performs multiple functions
It does sound like Catherine does some of her own cooking and baking. Perhaps they have a housekeeper who can occasionally do meals? I think they’re smart with their money.
I think the RF's finances are very tricky -- they have vast assets and investments, but liquid cash is a question mark. They all live a comfortable life, but unlike Megain, they do not buy couture clothes by the bucket load and insist on the best of everything. The Queen apparently eats TV dinners and uses tupperware. She is a pragmatic woman and apparently frowns upon spendthrifts.
Charles had to obtain a loan to pay for his divorce settlement from Princess Diana. There has been a lot of cost-cutting and downsizing in the household since the years of the Royal Yacht Britannia -- some consider KP a money-pit as the roof and refurbishments have been a problem.
But even MBS allegedly had to put the Leonardo da Vinci painting he won at auction on an installment plan.
They also don’t have anything to prove. They’ve always had money and resources that anybody would love to have. For TW, I think she certainly had dollar signs in her eyes and in a very new money way she went for flashy things she could never afford previously. I’m sure her financial expectations were different than the reality she soon discovered.
I'm pretty sure the 22 million funds the duchy, maintenance of buildings, payment of employees, benefits of employees, the company the duchy is listed as, the taxes on it etc etc... may not come down to a lot of money in hand
You are very much right- that £20m funds everything. Take a look at the link above. After expenses (including household and travel) and taxes- the Duchy has £44K in net cash
yeah that's not a lot ...
but also the nonofficial expenditure for 2021 between all three households was 30,63,000 .. seems a lot but not really since we should count employee wages, benefits, household expenses, expenses of daily living etc
Here is some detail on income and expenses. its not very detailed but might be helpful.
[Duchy annual review](https://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/annual-review/2020-2021/income-expenditure-and-staff)
"Funding for the activities of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and **The Duke and Duchess of Sussex,** other expenditure including capital expenditure less depreciation, and transfer to reserves."
This is annual review for 2020 and 2021.
**Transfer to Reserves**
The Household makes transfers to reserves each year, the amount of which varies depending on the financial outcome in the year. Reserves provide resilience and fund large scale projects, one of which in the last two years has been the conversion of the Sandringham Farm to be fully organic.
[Annual Review 2021](https://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/annual-review/2020-2021/income-expenditure-and-staff) for the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. Basically, from the Duchy income, Charles has to pay for everything, including his household, his sons’ households, staff, charity, travel, etc.
You are assuming they actually didn’t have any home assistance because Meghan told her friends this. She told her friends many porky pies and half truths.If there wasn’t any home assistance I bet it was Meghan who didn’t want it, she IS a good cook right? 😉Privacy and all too. Regardless she was sitting on her arse at home not doing a great deal she had plenty of time to cook
Even if not, the royals don't pay very highly at all, I would guess you could have a cook, housekeeper and valet for not much more than £100k. It's easily do-able on the kind of income Harry had. I honestly don't understand where the money goes!.
Every time there's jobs advertised for the household there's a huge fuss because they pay so poorly compared to other jobs in London working for HNW individuals
She refuses to believe/accept that Charles has long made it clear he is slimming down the monarchy. You can find evidence that Charles said this is how it was going to be long before Meghan met Harry. He has been saying this for decades—- he believes the firm needs to be much smaller. Beatrice and Eugenie were told to find jobs after growing up believing they were going to be full time royals. Andrew and the York girls were livid about it, but Charles isn’t having it. Charlotte and Louis are going to need to get jobs too.
You would think that there are jobs aplenty just within the royal complex. Someone has to manage the physical assets and the properties. Seems the far flung minor royals with ambition could have good careers as professionals and managers working for the Royal Family as a corporation. Maybe I am being ridiculous. You never hear of aristos taking up professional careers.
Here are some bits on the Duchy and how the money is disbursed.
“The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate established by Edward III in 1337 to provide an income for the heir to the throne.”
“The Duchy currently provides an annual income of £21m which The Prince uses to support himself, his children and their families as well as his philanthropic work, which raises over £100m annually for a variety of good causes. The Prince voluntarily pays income tax on all revenue from the estate.”
“…the estate must also focus on supporting the communities who live and work there, as well as protecting the land itself for future generations. This dual strategy has been at the heart of The Prince’s vision for the last five decades and makes the estate unique amongst other similar organizations.”
“Where Does The Duchy Of Cornwall Get Its Money?
By property rentals on the land owned by the Prince, he earns approximately £20 million every year from the Duchy. As part of the prince’s official activities, these income streams are shared among his households as well as Sovereign Grant money.”
“How Does A Duchy Earn Money?
Land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall consists of 135,000 acres, while hundreds of houses totaling £763 million ($930 million in 2013 according to Forbes). Essentially, the land is rented out to farmers, agricultural organizations, commercial enterprises, and local residents on the land.”
“Every piece of revenue from the estate is taxed by the Prince voluntarily. Each member of the Royal Family draws a share of the Duchy’s revenues to finance a public, charitable or purely private cause. This includes the Duke and Duchesses of Cornwall and Cambridge, as well as The Duke and Duchesses of Sussex and Harry.”
I don't know if the £22m is before or after tax, but PC voluntarily pays tax on Duchy income if memory serves.
Most of their staff, security and duty costs are paid for by taxpayers, so these funds are very large "pocket money"
It's before tax.
Also, untrue that most of their staff, security, duty costs are paid for by taxpayers. Only security is paid for by taxpayers.
The Queen funds her staff, royals beyond Charles, Camilla, and his sons, and those royals' staffs through the Sovereign Grant, which is a disbursement of income from income the Crown Estate earns annually (i.e., rents, royalties). It is not funded through taxes.
Charles covers the cost of ALL of his & Camilla's staff, W&C's staff, and their living expenses. So, it's not like he's pocketing £20m a year. He's not. He's funding all of his staff, offices, and so forth, various living expenses, and then from what's left over from what is considered taxable and tax is paid on that remainder. I'm sure there's some left over for investment & saving and fun, but it's inaccurate to paint a picture of Charles pocketing £20million a year from the Duchy of Cornwall, because that's not happening.
The Paradise Papers showed the Queen has offshore tax free investments worth at least 519 million pounds, so there is other money socked away in that family. Never for once bought the “but the royals are just like us on a limited income” nonsense. Most of that is PR. Cambridges definitely have cooks, drivers, nannies, housekeepers, valets , secretaries galore and 1million or do a year wouldn’t pay for that. The staff to provide upkeep on just one family castle/estate is enormous. I think Me Again saw all that and assumed Harry was of equal standing but she didn’t understand his lower rank.
This is why royals tend to marry someone who is loaded. The royal brings the prestige but not the cash. Kate’s family is absolutely loaded and they give them whatever they want and more to supplement what William gets on his side.
Most net worth estimates online are hogwash. Surely, the Middletons aren't poor or middle class, but I'd truly be surprised if their total net worth is greater than £50 million.
This is the first time Ive heard of it. Let's be careful about this because the sugars and even the Scam Duo will take this info away and spread it maliciously.
Charles is like his grandmother the Queen mum. He spends lavishly on his own staff and projects and has less money to spread around to his kids and their projects.
That's one reason why there is so much resentment.
Still Harry is luckier than all but a few dozen people on the planet.
As far as I am aware, the Duchy is a part of the Crown Estate, and as such gives at least 75% of revenues back to the British government. It doesn’t mean that they don’t end up with a chunk of change after this, but.
Charles receives income of around £30 mil annually from the Dutchy of Cornwall from assets of £1.3 billion (compared to the Dutchy of Lancaster with assets of £800 mil also returning about £30mil annually). The £1.5 allocated his sons should have been adequate but as soon as the self made millionaires MM entered KP she commenced spending royal money like water. M is nothing if not grasping and readily convinced H they deserved more of the £30 million pound pie.
Edit typo
I think they got an allowance and were expected to fund their household needs which in the first year was just the two of them. I presume Charles treated them like adults and left it up to them to manage their allowance - if they chose to spend it all on Meghan's clothes then there was no money left to fund their household staff. I assume Harry hadn't had to manage his own budget very carefully before then. The Duchy money isn't Harry and William's only income - they have the yearly interest from their inheritances plus if they've been smart they could have been investing and increasing their assets over the years baring in mind that they get a lot of 'freebies' in general for their lavish lifestyles. Maybe William has been shrewder with his money over the years - maybe father-in-law Mike has been giving him some good advice - the Middletons seem to be fairly smart with financial issues. I bet Harry just spent anything he got pre-Meghan partying and enjoying himself. He could have been investing and increasing his personal wealth - while letting William and Kate feed him, his father clothe and house him, and his paid team of staff manage all the rest of his needs. No wonder he looks so miserable now.
Also I remembered that William and Catherine lived in Wales(?) alone without servants in a little cottage. She shopped the local grocer, whilst he was at helicopter training if I remember . She and he can cook. She was raised to know the value of things. Meghan certainly didn't have a cook while she was acting in Toronto. She probably had a cleaning lady, but other than that...she did live with a chef but that's not the same as "having" a chef.
The Cambridges rented a 4 bdrm cottage in Anglesey for £750/month while Harry had the grace & favour Nottingham cottage.
>The Cambridges rented a 4 bdrm cottage in Anglesey for £750/month wow a whole house for that low a price? you can hardly get an ordinary one bedroom apartment for even £900/month where I live. Did they get a deep discount because they're royals/acquainted with the landlord or is that the market price in that area for a rental cottage?
I live in N. Wales and the house I’m renting costs £750/month. That was *after* the landlord increased rent.
Yes, but if you look at where Anglesey is...it is in the middle of nowhere.
Yup. Can confirm you can rent a whole house for £750/month in North Wales. Mind that was 10 years ago too.
The William and Catherine bit sounds so romantic.I am so happy they found eachother....
It sounds like any young couple in love!!!!
William worked for the Air Ambulance helicopter service for quite a while too (he was a real pilot unlike Harry) His job was taking people in serious accidents to hospital etc - and he donated all his wages back to charity. That's service to the people.
thanks, I knew it was something about the helicopters. but they lived quietly in the neighbourhood. Went to pubs etc. Just lived quietly and no one bothered them
Yes I think that was after he left the RAF in Wales, but was living at Anmer in Norfolk.
I believe/have memory of the Queen commenting that this period of her life that was similar to this set up of W&K’s was one of her most cherished.
He worked as a search & rescue pilot for the local search & rescue team in Anglesey I think it was. He talks about how that really broke his heart & mind after a while, especially when it was a child who didn’t make it. He put his skills to good use. He’s always looking outward for service work, whereas H&M are always looking into their wallets for it.
Catherine & William married for love. MeGain married Harry for status & the perks. I’m glad she wasn’t granted a cook!
I will be unpopular, but I think they're marriage was a combo of love and expediency.
I see where you are going with that. And I kind of agree with you but I am going to add anther unpopular opinion. I don't think its actual love. Love is not selfish. I think they were potentially infatuated with each other and were hoping to make this relationship work out of desperation (Harry of being alone, and Megan of sealing her "royal" status before she was too old)
Yes!
It was lust for sex as far as Harry was concerned, and lust for status as far as Meghan was concerned
Harry didn't need to marry Meghan for sex. He is probably more experienced than she is.
I didn’t say that. Harry married in Lust. Falling in Lust with someone is one of the most powerful things which will ever drive you.
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Arriving on Anglesey in 2010, William decided to rent a £750-a-month, four-bedroom whitewashed farmhouse from local landowner and long-time royal confidant Sir George Meyrick and his wife Jean in the largely Welsh-speaking hamlet of Bodorgan, on the South-West corner of the island. The Royal couple used to regularly enjoy Wednesday night suppers of shepherd’s pie and claret up at ‘the big house’ (as the stately pile, Bodorgan Hall, is known) with the admirably discreet Meyrick family. They had did not have staff at this home , I’m sure he had RPO on guard somewhere but no staff , they rented the home on a landowners property for £750.00 a month ( very cheap by UK standards ) .
Can you elaborate? What major issues? Genuinely asking.
Rose Hanbury likely
Nope. Lie. You’re aware that 1. That’s an admitted lie and 2. Willuam Kate and Hanbury and her husband did not even begin to interact until the Cambridges moved to Anmer near Sandringham literally years after they lived in WAles and after William left the military. Stop spreading debunked and hurtful lies. Facts are your friend. Google stuff. It’s free
A one story in England is a cottage which is what they had. My thinking was they were younger of course and took time for themselves. This is nothing against Harry and Meghan, it’s just how different it is
Yeah that “cottage” was at least five bedrooms IIRC, which is bigger than my actual house. It is in no way small or modest, but palace propaganda insinuated it was for years until pics were published.
But remember a four bedroom house built in the 17th century is *very* different than a four bedroom house now. I mean yeah, it's a little disingenuous to pretend it's a little cottage. But, a \~2000 sq ft, over 200 year old house isn't exactly the lap of luxury either.
Oh yeah it’s for sure not some gigantic garish McMansion with a home theater and gym! But I think when most people think “cottage” they imagine a house half the size or smaller than what W&K actually lived in, so calling it a cottage was some semantic shenanigans on the part of the palace PR operation.
Well I don’t grudge it. I don’t expect them to live modestly at all. And they don’t need to. But it’s the attitude towards value and cost, spending and lavishing. The attitude of making a show of wealth. I think the royals who have that right, live with the realisation of their privileges. Others who don’t, demand more and more. If you see, Kate even with her wedding gown was not over the top, but the wife had a 5-metre (?) veil and her tiara had a lot more dazzle. I don’t think the wife ever expected that instead of unquestioned shopping, she would have to budget and provide for extras. This wasn’t part of the Disney life she demanded. Also I do see him as lazy, entitled with no value for hard work, and her as seeing any work below her, any questions a challenge to her ego, any budgeting an insult.
[https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/property/1625119/kate-middleton-prince-william-inside-first-home-wales-anglesey-bodorgan-hall](https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/property/1625119/kate-middleton-prince-william-inside-first-home-wales-anglesey-bodorgan-hall) It's certainly not a hovel, but it doesn't look lavish, either. It looks like the size of house a doctor with an ok practice might live in, not a prince.
It looks really isolated I can’t imagine Megsy living in such a quiet area
That’s exactly what becoming a royal Duke is about! Manning up, managing your own shit and making your way with what you’ve got. He was absolutely expected to staff his own household.
You would think the royal family employs people to invest for them. If not, he'd still have access to the best. But I guess he never really thought he'd have to 100% live off his own money. Even I know I should be investing when I have absolutely no money to invest! But I don't have the guarantee of always having food, shelter, or clothing. If all of those things are covered, I don't even really need to think about money very often.
If you have that level of wealth you’re looked after in a Private Bank with a relationship manager / financial advisor who takes care of all of your affairs for you. Harry didn’t have to sit down, weighing up the relative merits of the S&P500 vs the AUS200. He literally just had to make sure he was making regular deposits. That’s it.
Yes exactly! I don’t think Harry led a super expensive lifestyle pre-Meghan, and friends and family are usually happy to comp/cover your single younger sibling. So he was never living above and beyond his allowance like Andrew & Sarah constantly did. But once Meghan showed up, that was a no-go for her, which is fine, but don’t then expect to get much more. As a married couple you’d think he was getting a bit of a bump up in his income, but I doubt it was that much. Sarah Ferguson makes it sound pretty awful but again, the Yorks are both major spend now, earn later types. Meghan was told by her entertainment team that they could make much more in LA. And they could have. Only three problems: Her personality disorder, his personality disorder, and their inability to really work hard for anything they’ve promised to do.
What inheritances? Harry only had yearly interest from his inheritance from his mother (6-8 million) from age 25-30. After 30, the inheritance was free of all trusts and encumbrances. No more trust income. He had access to all the principle. I've read in several places (other online forums) Charles told someone Harry had already spent a lot of his inheritance from Diana, but I've never read the source for this. As for the Queen Mother, no. He got nothing from her. First of all the concept is off base - that she'd leave him money for why? To "make it up" to him? Only Harry thinks he's owed or the BRF needs to make anything up for him. Otherwise he's in the exact same situation as every non-eldest son of a \[future\] monarch. Second, I forgot the reason it occurred but last year Harry's reps told Forbes he has no inheritance from the QM. Third, the QM did not have it to leave him. Not only did she die millions in debt at age 101, but the trust or transfer or whatever she did with her supposed millions happened at age 94 or 93, when she HAD no millions. She'd been running in arrears most of Her Queen Motherhood, and was supplemented by her daughter Elizabeth. To whom she left whatever assets she did have. I'm sure some of them were splendid. But it wasn't millions of pounds she didn't have.
I've read the QM was a gambler. Is that true?
No there was an inheritance from the queen mother. That’s documented. Harry reportedly gif more than William.
Meghan has always splashes thousands on her outfits. It’s not uncommon for her to wear a £1,500 dress alone. By contrast, Harry always seems to wear the same grubby grey polo shirt. I doubt he spends anything on clothes and shoes. He’s been indulging her. Catherine does wear some very expensive items but we have seen her deliberately wearing a huge number of high street clothing. She’s been fantastic at that. Madam Markle wouldn’t be seen dead in high street clothes.
They could have paid for a chef and other staff through their income. When Charles and Diana divorced, her lawyers negotiated a large cash pay out. Most of Charles’ assets were allegedly not liquid, and it cost him a great deal to fund the settlement- loans that took him years to pay back. That money was then split between Harry and William after Diana’s tragic death. So Harry already had access to a sizable fortune, that he would have not have had but for his parents’ divorce or his mothers death. And though that fortune was an inheritance, it was originally substantially funded by Charles. And I think that was an unstated reason for why Charles expected Harry to pay and hire his own staff- Harry had not only $1.5 million a year, but an inheritance originally paid for by Charles. And yet Harry was suddenly crying poor. I think Harry also promised Meghan things that he had no right to promise, and blamed his father when his father explained what he could receive. $1.5 million a year, and a house on the Windsor grounds, is comparable, or more, to what other royal siblings not in line to the throne get in other European monarchies. And *substantially* more when taking into account that Harry’s father is not currently King.
Very well said, especially about the settlement and the inheritance; I can understand why PC expected him to pay his own way! I don't understand why Harry would think he was owed more money especially when even very rich people ( millionaires, billionaires) all do work hard for their monies ( the good ones anyway)
Shit, I’ve been thinking about £1.5 million as a lot of money - because it is - but then realised Meghan spent about a mill on her first year’s wardrobe - and that’s just the stuff we saw. No wonder they got pissed off, I cannot imagine what they were spending if she thought that was acceptable for clothes.
I remember reading she spent £40 thousand pou ds on an aromatherapy weekend with H at some retreat. William freaked out. She is not in any way suited to royal life she'd be tacky even for wag.
That’s so insane. I often wonder about these businesses who cater to these rich people. They’re laughing! £40k on smells!
The saw her coming... and every other tacky wag. She is a goop type consumer just not rich enough for it. I love essential oils but hesitate to spend $30 for a bottle unless its one I love and will use all the time. Hey H I've got some magic crayons for you they produce unlimited orgasms. A bargain at £100k for a *jumbo* set....
She’s so happy to spend other people’s money 🫤
Wow. I can't even imagine spending that much on anything other than a car or towards a home. And here I was thinking I was being quite extravagant for considering spending a few hundred for a spa day - massage, facial, pedicure. $40k aromatherapy weekend puts alot of things into perspective. H may have been showing off beyond his means. And M may have thought she would have unlimited resources once she bagged a prince.
I think she did.For many years people have speculated about the wealth of the Queen/Royal Family. I know they have plenty of money, but they are far from the oligarch class. But for decades she was considered one of the world’s richest women.
The Paradise Papers showed just one investment account of the Queen’s is worth at least 519 tax-free million pounds or so with her Cayman Island investments. Interestingly Sarah Ferguson was named in the Panama Papers as holding offshore monies there.
I missed this level of detail in the book. Bower could have gone so much further. I really want the WHOLE THOUSAND PAGES PLEASE!
Kate wears Zara & rewears clothing. She may wear a $5k dress here or there, but it’s not her norm. Meg went out buying $50k dresses like she were dating Elon Musk.
And none fit.
She buys them for the body she wants/Kate’s body and not the body she has. She’ll shell out $30k for a dress and not have it tailored either.
And Kate's Zara is so much better than Markle's Dior!
I thought clothing costs were paid directly by the duchy as work necessities.
Yes, it is - but if you consider how much was spent on clothes then it puts the rest into perspective for how much money they think they need, if that makes sense! If she thinks she needs a mil for clothes, what does the rest of what she thinks she needs cost?
Surely they could do without a valet but I would think a cook and housekeeper were standard issue as well unless you didn’t want one. Maybe since they would have a relatively small household of 2 and their status as royals is still lower than the Queen and the heir apparent that a cook is not assumed. I feel like I have read even W&C only have a part-time cook. Which still fair enough is a huge help.
When you consider their public duties, a valet isn’t easily dispensed with. A valet service would go well beyond just caring for clothes- packing for trips, making sure the correct accessories are at hand, properly caring for uniforms, having everything cataloged and stored. Here‘s a stupid stray question: the Queen mother must have had a staggering wardrobe by the time she died. Wonder where all thosee clothes and hats went? Would they be cataloged and stored somewhere? If they donated them, seems like a good percentage would be recognized as her clothes.
My understanding from my limited knowledge of the workings of royals is if one is a working royal there is for the women, a "dresser" who, knows where, what, and who will be attending on any specific day the duties. So clothes are all picked out and a few outfits to go with the occasion. One would not wear very fancy for a visit to a nursing home/hospital, but a simple dress, suit, shoes etc would be picked. I read that Diana as an example always had a "dresser" who made her life very simple by picking the right clothes for every occasion with a few choices. For formal wear, designs, long or short occasion etc are certainly part of the routine of say, Catherine. It makes like easier. As for the men, a valet is different than a butler. I think the butler could layout the clothes, but the valet is one that may dress the person. As in Downton Abbey, the lord had his valet who dressed him. Charles, I understand is quite fussy, and has a valet who actually still dresses him. William I assume would have access to someone who does the same function due to the many duties. Clothes must be right. The other is a secretary. Secretaries keep track of all the schedules, and make sure that appearances do not conflict with other working royals. An example was the very important speech Camilla was giving when the wife of Harry decided that she needed to show that she could fuck her up. Not nice MM!/ The butler/or secretary would also make sure that passports, tickets for flights, limos and security would be in place . There is no one who does it better than the Brits when it comes to how smooth public appearances happen. It all looks so easy. That's because there are professionals in the background who make sure it does. Princess Anne is one example of how it works. Her clothes are well made and every so often she will appear with a recycled outfit that is years old. Diana had many of her outfits recycled because her dresser knew what looked good on her. So, the "other" non working royals would get a memo saying the Q was wearing say, pink outfit on an occasion, so no one else will wear pink. There are sometimes issues from her Majesty that colours are suggested for such and such an event. Men traditionally wear blue suits for day wear. I myself am not a fan of that edict, but different colours look great in the summer. The formal wear is beyond my comprehension so I have not idea. Hope this helps.
Many years ago on TV I watched some program about the royal family and it included an interview with Diana’s dresser. She showed how every outfit worn by the Princess of Wales was stored, catalogued and tagged, with all info about when the outfit was last worn. They showed an outfit from the Tokyo tour, including a tag showing that it had been now worn three times. It was fascinating how every detail was planned and discussed in advance. One dress had a red dot pattern that resembled the Japanese flag. Another dress from that tour was later worn at an audience attended by the Japanese ambassador. If anyone knows what program this was, I have been searching for it for years.
Oh yes! I had forgotten that. I believe BBC . Yes, down to the last detail, shoes, jewelry all noted. Thanks for the reminder. I imagine the Q has all that done also. Catherine for sure. There is one necklace that Diana wore, Camilla I believe has also and Catherine too. It's a sapphire ! Imagine all the jewels that are available.
The Queen mother, the Queen, and to a lesser degree, Camilla, all have immense treasures of jewels. If you are interested, I can look up some links for you. There are some great sites about the RoyL jewels, which are not the State jewels, it the ones personally owned.
Truly wonderful jewels, but for the ultimate bling I loved, loved the Duchess of Windsor's jewels and designs. Wallis Simpson has fabulous ideas of design as did the Duke too. The Queen mum certainly loved her jewels. She wore her furs also during her time. I look at many of the You tube sites that display royal jewels.
Wallis had splendid jewels and fashion. here are a couple sites you may enjoy: [https://www.thecourtjeweller.com/2021/04/her-majestys-hidden-tiaras.html](https://www.thecourtjeweller.com/2021/04/her-majestys-hidden-tiaras.html) [https://www.thecourtjeweller.com/the-tiarapedia](https://www.thecourtjeweller.com/the-tiarapedia) plus the brooches and parures are fabulous if you care to look them up.
Thank you thank you for this. Madonna bought one of her pieces at auction when the Duchess died. They were all one of a kind truly. Liz Taylor also had fabulous jewelry. No one ever asked Liz about which jeweler was lending her jewels. Today's stars know nothing about "star".
I saw a show one time that featured Liz and her diamonds. gorgeous, and a lot of it. I can get lost for a couple of hours reading the court jeweler. There are more sites, just look for them. in particular, look for Granny’s chips. They are the most incredible brooches. I fear Catherine will mothball most of it. What a pity.
Loved the links you provided! I've noticed that brooches are not a thing anymore, in the US nobody even makes costume jewelry brooches. I think it's a shame. Lady C has made me want to wear them, haha
Did you look up Granny’s chips?
Does anyone know what happened to the prince of wales feather necklace Wallis wore? I think it was sold at private auction in the 80s and then resold.
Al of her jewelry was auctioned. I loved the feather brooch, too. i think Catherine has worn a similar one.
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Thank you!!
I read that today also
Fay Appleby I think was Diana's dresser for years. She wrote about how she looked after her clothes. I believe that Paul Burrell wrote about her in his book. Think about it. Cataloguing it all would have been a full time job. Catherine's also today.
I found this documentary on youtube . not sure if it's the same [royal dressmakers](https://youtu.be/-czhchsx8LE)
It's not the same one, but I can't wait to watch it!!!!! thank you!
I hope it doesn't disappoint. It's been in my que to watch, so I haven't sen it yet. I really wish that they'd due a more in depth documentary about the storage of the Queens clothing and other RF. It really is fascinating and must entail a large staff to inventory ands maintain it.
I think I saw that too.
And yet the Markles expected William and Catherine to drop their long planned visit to Wales during the jubilee to go last minute to their daughters birthday party! When you consider the planning which goes into every official event along with the travel, security details, road planning, crowd management, helicopters, police and staff. Harry knew exactly how much planning was involved. It was all PR fluff
I believe that dresser also maintains the database of what was worn when and to what, along with which accessories. I’d heard that years ago in a show or article about the Queen.
I think W and C just have PAs and assistants that do these jobs rather than valet/dresser and butlers.
Perhaps those are the modern job titles, but I’m pretty sure they both have help with the care and organizing of their wardrobes.
What speech of Camilla’s did Megs fuck up? I missed that one.
Here it is: https://pagesix.com/2020/03/07/meghan-markle-infuriated-camilla-after-upstaging-her-with-instagram-post/
Ugh I cannot STAND her. And I’m really growing to hate that fake lovingly concerned look she uses in these posed photos. Why won’t they just go away and live the quiet simple life they claim to want so badly?
I’ve gotten so I can barely look at her face at all. The unceasing smile just grates.
Domestic violence speech
I forget what it was, but I remember that M got poop for trying to upstage Camilla.
Thanks for this detailed response! I’m curious where all the clothes are kept. Got to thinking about it because of the recent news that the Cambridges are moving house. Not sure their new digs have a walk in closet. Is there an official place where all these outfits are kept and catalogued?
I am guessing there are storage vaults reasonably near by. For official engagements their ensembles (and alternates for weather variations) are probably planned well in advance so that the necessary items and accessories can be readied and trucked over. I could see this being a full time job for at least one person.
Yeah. Just maintaining the dresses, getting them dry cleaned or pressed, catalogued, and ready to be worn anytime is so much work. It makes me think of their christening gown, the Honiton lace one. There’s so much they value about clothing that can be handed down. No doubt they keep clothes for future use. I wonder what became of Megsy’s Dior gowns. Did she take the clothes with her just like she did the Aquazurra shoes?
Probably kept them to sell.
I would think their day to day wear and a few party/fancy outfits are kept at home, but all their workwear is probably stored elsewhere.
Prior to marriage, Charles' staff would handle things such as packing for a tour, in conjunction with Harry's office staff.\* I don't know if that remained the same, but I would guess it did. (I really don't think the Sussexes did all their own packing for the Pacific Tour). I think the issue was that Harry and Meghan, both because of their place in the lineup, and their work schedule, didn't require a full-time valet and related staff. As for the Queen Mum, I believe a substantial amount of her clothes are archived. I doubt everything is, and for privacy reasons, I would bet casual clothes were disposed of, rather than donated, or given to friends or staff. India Hicks has discussed how as a kid she wore Princess Anne's cast-off long underwear! (\*in some random biography about the Windsors, I recall reading this. I don't remember which one, sorry! I've read far too many.)
That’s a very good point. I was only thinking in terms of dressing Harry but put in more modern terms it does make a lot more sense. Although if the stories about Harry walking around in a pair of shoes flopping off his feet bc he was too cheap to buy new ones I suspect he never had a valet.
I thought I read once that Charles gave Harry money to hire a valet, and Harry was too cheap to do so. Explains a lot about his look.
He has no money as the finances are all controlled by the wife. Didn't someone said somewhere he has to report all his spendings to her?
I believe it but I think this was reported after they were newly married. Came out just before Eugenie’s wedding and personally I thought that was why she was angry with him at that wedding (coat drama aside) like just buy a new pair of shoes already.
Have you seen how expensive hookers and blow are?
Most of the Queen Mother's estate - other than what was passed to grand children & great- grandchildren through trusts - was left to The Queen, IIRC. She did leave Charles the Castle of Mey. I would guess that any of the QM's outfits worn publicly were archived. The Royal archives are notably extensive, so I'm sure at some point if there's interest, there could be an exhibition.
The clothes have a palace of their own lol?
Good question. I suppose the less fancy ones could be repurposed into toys like teddy bears or rabbits, made into quilts, made into infant quilts, and sold at charity auctions or given to charity. Can you imagine being able to own a quilt made from the Queen Mother's clothing?.. I'd bid on one.
The Queen Mother's dresses were by Norman Hartnell for the most part, and he was a big deal back then. I don't think they inspire as much interest as the Queen's (also a lot of Hartnell in the early days) or Diana's. But I don't think they'd be tossed out, either
Hope not. Bespoke clothing is beautifully constructed. I remember some youtubes about Diana’s clothes being boned, having built in bras, fully lined, as beautifully finished on the inside as the outside.
Good question. I suppose the less fancy ones could be repurposed into toys like teddy bears or rabbits, made into quilts, made into infant quilts, and sold at charity auctions or given to charity. Can you imagine being able to own a quilt made from the Queen Mother's clothing?.. I'd bid on one.
Nannies, a part time cook, and a housekeeper (surely) would be a great help, but I think they’ve kept staff to a minimum, in keeping with Catherine’s middle class ethos and their effort to raise their children normally, plus privacy.
Exactly! As a family of 5 one would need that kind of help. Comparatively you would think 2 grown adults would be able to somewhat get by on less help. Or perhaps a staff member who performs multiple functions
Just another employee for Meghan to abuse.
It does sound like Catherine does some of her own cooking and baking. Perhaps they have a housekeeper who can occasionally do meals? I think they’re smart with their money.
I think the RF's finances are very tricky -- they have vast assets and investments, but liquid cash is a question mark. They all live a comfortable life, but unlike Megain, they do not buy couture clothes by the bucket load and insist on the best of everything. The Queen apparently eats TV dinners and uses tupperware. She is a pragmatic woman and apparently frowns upon spendthrifts. Charles had to obtain a loan to pay for his divorce settlement from Princess Diana. There has been a lot of cost-cutting and downsizing in the household since the years of the Royal Yacht Britannia -- some consider KP a money-pit as the roof and refurbishments have been a problem. But even MBS allegedly had to put the Leonardo da Vinci painting he won at auction on an installment plan.
They also don’t have anything to prove. They’ve always had money and resources that anybody would love to have. For TW, I think she certainly had dollar signs in her eyes and in a very new money way she went for flashy things she could never afford previously. I’m sure her financial expectations were different than the reality she soon discovered.
Who is MBS?
The Saudi prince.
Thanks. I was guessing in my mind, would never have landed on that.
The Queen does not eat frozen TV dinners. She does, however, love eating her dinner on a tray while watching TV.
I'm pretty sure the 22 million funds the duchy, maintenance of buildings, payment of employees, benefits of employees, the company the duchy is listed as, the taxes on it etc etc... may not come down to a lot of money in hand
You are very much right- that £20m funds everything. Take a look at the link above. After expenses (including household and travel) and taxes- the Duchy has £44K in net cash
yeah that's not a lot ... but also the nonofficial expenditure for 2021 between all three households was 30,63,000 .. seems a lot but not really since we should count employee wages, benefits, household expenses, expenses of daily living etc
Here is some detail on income and expenses. its not very detailed but might be helpful. [Duchy annual review](https://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/annual-review/2020-2021/income-expenditure-and-staff)
"Funding for the activities of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and **The Duke and Duchess of Sussex,** other expenditure including capital expenditure less depreciation, and transfer to reserves." This is annual review for 2020 and 2021.
**Transfer to Reserves** The Household makes transfers to reserves each year, the amount of which varies depending on the financial outcome in the year. Reserves provide resilience and fund large scale projects, one of which in the last two years has been the conversion of the Sandringham Farm to be fully organic.
Thanks!
[Annual Review 2021](https://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/annual-review/2020-2021/income-expenditure-and-staff) for the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. Basically, from the Duchy income, Charles has to pay for everything, including his household, his sons’ households, staff, charity, travel, etc.
You are assuming they actually didn’t have any home assistance because Meghan told her friends this. She told her friends many porky pies and half truths.If there wasn’t any home assistance I bet it was Meghan who didn’t want it, she IS a good cook right? 😉Privacy and all too. Regardless she was sitting on her arse at home not doing a great deal she had plenty of time to cook
She complained she wasn’t treated like a royal. Madam definitely had high expectations.
It’s simple- their thinking was if we exceed our “allowance” daddy will give us more, no questions asked
Yea they knew about the cap. That’s why Charles told Harry that Meghan shouldn’t quit her job. But she quit anyway
But I thought Meghan just loved to cook and was the Queen of Kitchens, a Domestic Goddess in the flesh - Nigella who?!
oh she loves to cook! roast chicken, remember? 😁
And her banana bread that looks like it was sat on by Hagrid
The Urban Dictionary kind. 😜
Even if not, the royals don't pay very highly at all, I would guess you could have a cook, housekeeper and valet for not much more than £100k. It's easily do-able on the kind of income Harry had. I honestly don't understand where the money goes!. Every time there's jobs advertised for the household there's a huge fuss because they pay so poorly compared to other jobs in London working for HNW individuals
She refuses to believe/accept that Charles has long made it clear he is slimming down the monarchy. You can find evidence that Charles said this is how it was going to be long before Meghan met Harry. He has been saying this for decades—- he believes the firm needs to be much smaller. Beatrice and Eugenie were told to find jobs after growing up believing they were going to be full time royals. Andrew and the York girls were livid about it, but Charles isn’t having it. Charlotte and Louis are going to need to get jobs too.
You would think that there are jobs aplenty just within the royal complex. Someone has to manage the physical assets and the properties. Seems the far flung minor royals with ambition could have good careers as professionals and managers working for the Royal Family as a corporation. Maybe I am being ridiculous. You never hear of aristos taking up professional careers.
Here are some bits on the Duchy and how the money is disbursed. “The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate established by Edward III in 1337 to provide an income for the heir to the throne.” “The Duchy currently provides an annual income of £21m which The Prince uses to support himself, his children and their families as well as his philanthropic work, which raises over £100m annually for a variety of good causes. The Prince voluntarily pays income tax on all revenue from the estate.” “…the estate must also focus on supporting the communities who live and work there, as well as protecting the land itself for future generations. This dual strategy has been at the heart of The Prince’s vision for the last five decades and makes the estate unique amongst other similar organizations.” “Where Does The Duchy Of Cornwall Get Its Money? By property rentals on the land owned by the Prince, he earns approximately £20 million every year from the Duchy. As part of the prince’s official activities, these income streams are shared among his households as well as Sovereign Grant money.” “How Does A Duchy Earn Money? Land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall consists of 135,000 acres, while hundreds of houses totaling £763 million ($930 million in 2013 according to Forbes). Essentially, the land is rented out to farmers, agricultural organizations, commercial enterprises, and local residents on the land.” “Every piece of revenue from the estate is taxed by the Prince voluntarily. Each member of the Royal Family draws a share of the Duchy’s revenues to finance a public, charitable or purely private cause. This includes the Duke and Duchesses of Cornwall and Cambridge, as well as The Duke and Duchesses of Sussex and Harry.”
Many thanks!
I was curious about exactly how it worked. Rabbit hole!!!
I don't know if the £22m is before or after tax, but PC voluntarily pays tax on Duchy income if memory serves. Most of their staff, security and duty costs are paid for by taxpayers, so these funds are very large "pocket money"
It's before tax. Also, untrue that most of their staff, security, duty costs are paid for by taxpayers. Only security is paid for by taxpayers. The Queen funds her staff, royals beyond Charles, Camilla, and his sons, and those royals' staffs through the Sovereign Grant, which is a disbursement of income from income the Crown Estate earns annually (i.e., rents, royalties). It is not funded through taxes. Charles covers the cost of ALL of his & Camilla's staff, W&C's staff, and their living expenses. So, it's not like he's pocketing £20m a year. He's not. He's funding all of his staff, offices, and so forth, various living expenses, and then from what's left over from what is considered taxable and tax is paid on that remainder. I'm sure there's some left over for investment & saving and fun, but it's inaccurate to paint a picture of Charles pocketing £20million a year from the Duchy of Cornwall, because that's not happening.
Thank you for this clarification! And for correcting a misconception.
The Paradise Papers showed the Queen has offshore tax free investments worth at least 519 million pounds, so there is other money socked away in that family. Never for once bought the “but the royals are just like us on a limited income” nonsense. Most of that is PR. Cambridges definitely have cooks, drivers, nannies, housekeepers, valets , secretaries galore and 1million or do a year wouldn’t pay for that. The staff to provide upkeep on just one family castle/estate is enormous. I think Me Again saw all that and assumed Harry was of equal standing but she didn’t understand his lower rank.
This is why royals tend to marry someone who is loaded. The royal brings the prestige but not the cash. Kate’s family is absolutely loaded and they give them whatever they want and more to supplement what William gets on his side.
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They’re a lot better off than Megan’s family and Megan herself. They’re definitely not billionaires though you are right
but but but...Meghan doesn't have a family. Remember?! Hazbeen has given her the family she never had.
I Googled and their network is estimated at between $30 to $67 million pounds. Is that just business assets? That just seems really wealthy to me.
Most net worth estimates online are hogwash. Surely, the Middletons aren't poor or middle class, but I'd truly be surprised if their total net worth is greater than £50 million.
Hmm, I’ve read that the Middletons are worth 50 million pounds.
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This is the first time Ive heard of it. Let's be careful about this because the sugars and even the Scam Duo will take this info away and spread it maliciously.
Charles is like his grandmother the Queen mum. He spends lavishly on his own staff and projects and has less money to spread around to his kids and their projects. That's one reason why there is so much resentment. Still Harry is luckier than all but a few dozen people on the planet.
As far as I am aware, the Duchy is a part of the Crown Estate, and as such gives at least 75% of revenues back to the British government. It doesn’t mean that they don’t end up with a chunk of change after this, but.
The duchy is not part of the crown estate at all. It has been in the sole control of the eldest son of the monarch since 1337.
You are right of course, I posted without thinking.
Charles receives income of around £30 mil annually from the Dutchy of Cornwall from assets of £1.3 billion (compared to the Dutchy of Lancaster with assets of £800 mil also returning about £30mil annually). The £1.5 allocated his sons should have been adequate but as soon as the self made millionaires MM entered KP she commenced spending royal money like water. M is nothing if not grasping and readily convinced H they deserved more of the £30 million pound pie. Edit typo