Queen Elizabeth II’s Net Worth Explained: Who Will Inherit Her Fortune?

King Charles III ascended the throne on September 8, 2022, the very day his beloved mother, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away. And he will be officially crowned on May 6. But along with the most coveted title in the land, does the King also inherit wealth beyond our wildest dreams? The short answer is, of course, yes. But the correct answer is much more complicated than that. The late Queen's net worth was extraordinary — and the money behind the Crown is even more mind-boggling than we can possibly imagine — but not everything goes directly go to the new King now that he wears the crown.

The Queen's net worth

It can sometimes be a fairly straightforward game to estimate somebody's net worth. Want to know how much Patrick Mahomes is worth? Well, it was all over the news that he signed a $450 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020, so that's a good place to start. But Elizabeth didn't make announcements about her investment deals, talk about her financial situation in public, or even have her own bank account. So in valuing her net worth, you need to parse the details with a fine tooth comb. Yet there is at least an obvious starting point: the Crown Estate.

The Crown Estate

This is the most valuable part of the royal family's finances. It is a property portfolio, but one with so many assets that it would be impossible — and frankly, boring — to list them all here. But you'll no doubt recognize some of the high-profile properties that are technically under the management of the Crown. For example, you've probably heard of Regent Steet in London. It's one of the most famous shopping districts in the world, home to brands such as Armani and Kate Spade. And that is just one tiny part of the Crown Estate.

A monster property portfolio

Another big one in the Crown Estate is Ascot Racecourse. The horse racing at Ascot showcases some of the biggest meets in the U.K., with the prize money available in 2023 totaling over $20 million. And the Royal Ascot event in June is a key calendar date for celebrities and fashionistas around the world. But it's not just land that is part of the Crown Estate. In fact, it owns much of the seabed of the U.K. as well as half of the foreshore. So all in all, the value of the properties in the portfolio is estimated to be worth almost $19 billion. Yet they don't actually belong to the British monarchy.

The financial breakdown

As the official website states, "The Crown Estate is not the personal property of the monarch. It cannot be sold by the monarch, nor do any profits from it go to the sovereign." So while the Crown Estate is in charge of Regent Street and Ascot, the Queen didn't see any of that money nor did she even have a say in its operation. The Crown Estate is actually controlled by an independent institution with a board. a chief executive, and all the things you'd expect from a public company. That's a shame for the monarch's net worth — because the figures involved are eye-opening. The latest annual report from the Crown Estate covers the financial period from April 2021 to the end of March 2022.