Prince Charles is the second richest member of the royal family.
According to Forbes the royal family is worth $28 billion (£20 billion) and of that amount $500 (£352 million) is owned by his mother Queen Elizabeth in personal assets, which will pass down to the Prince of Wales when he becomes king. They state that Charles’ income comes primarily from his Duchy of Cornwall estate, which owns a significant amount of land and properties, and is said to be worth almost $1.3 billion £1 billon.
Despite its name, only 13 percent of the estate is actually in Cornwall however, with the rest spread out across 23 counties in England and Wales.
The Duchy of Cornwall website suggests the vast majority of its income used to support the public duties and charitable work of Charles, his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, as well as his son Prince William and his wife the Duchess of Cambridge. The same used to apply to his other son Prince Harry and his wife the Duchess of Sussex, before they decided to step back as full-time members of the royal family and relocate to California.
The Duchy’s website states: “Since 1337, the revenues from the Duchy have either passed to an eldest surviving son and heir or where there has not been one, the Sovereign. These revenues can be spent as the Heir or Sovereign see fit.
“However the current Prince of Wales chooses to use a substantial proportion of his income from the Duchy estate to meet the cost of his public and charitable work as well as the public and private lives of his family, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and their children.”
Charles, 72, also receives funding from the Sovereign Grant, which meets the running expenses of the queen’s official household as well as covering the maintenance of the Royal Palaces in England.