How much was Queen Elizabeth II's wealth? What happens to it now? (2024)

She was reputed to one of the richest women in the world. Now, after her death, the wealth of Queen Elizabeth II and how it would be distributed will remain a secret.

That's because historically the wills of the sovereign have remained private along with other members of the British royal family.

There were guesstimates in the past on how much wealth she held.

• The British monarchy as a brand was valued at around USD 88 billion in 2017 by valuation consultancy firm Brand Finance.
• The Queen's personal wealth from investments, art, jewels and real estate was estimated by ‘Forbes' to be worth around USD 500 million.
• ‘The Sunday Times Rich List' calculated the late Queen's wealth at 340 million pounds in 2015.
• The major source of a British sovereign's personal money is the Duchy of Lancaster, a private estate existing purely to give the reigning monarch an income.
• In the financial year ending March 31 the estate was valued at about 652 million pounds and generated a net surplus of 24 million pounds.
• Reportedly, that would not even appear in the Queen's will and is assed from sovereign to sovereign without any tax being paid.

No inheritance tax is liable on the Queen's personal wealth due to a deal struck in 1993 with the then John Major-led government. As part of that deal the Queen agreed for the first time to pay income tax.

There have been legal references to why the monarch's wealth has been kept out of the public domain.

• The Queen was the source of legal authority – her will does not have to be published like others.
• The Treasury Memorandum of Understanding on Royal Taxation ( 2013) said the monarchy as an institution needs sufficient private resources to enable it to continue to perform its traditional role in national life. And to have a degree of financial independence from the government of the day.
• During a legal battle over the will of Princess Margaret, the Queen's younger sister, a court was told that the “primary reason and purpose of sealing royal wills is to protect the privacy of the sovereign”.

But things like the palaces, the Crown Jewels and the works of art, do not fall in the category of her private property but are held in trust for future generations. King.

Queen Elizabeth II's son and heir King Charles III reaffirmed the tradition of surrendering all royal revenues from the Crown Estate to the nation, in return for the Sovereign Grant that covers the costs for the UK's royal family.

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