If money can buy you happiness, then Britain’s new monarch must be a very happy man indeed. A new investigation from The Guardian — which, to be fair, was disputed by a spokesperson for the king — estimates that the private wealth of King Charles III is in the neighborhood of $2.2 billion. Some of that fortune comes in forms that longtime watchers of the British monarchy will be familiar with — for instance, the new king inherited two rural estates from his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II. But there are a few other items on the metaphorical ledger that might surprise you.
Stamps, for one. The royal family’s stamp collection is reportedly valued at around $124 million. This includes several sets of rare stamps that various nations gave to the royals as official state gifts, including highly-prized sets from Laos and Canada. The Guardian also notes that King Charles’s art collection includes work by Marc Chagall, Claude Monet and Salvador Dalí.
The Guardian‘s reporting also points to the Duchy of Lancaster, which both contains highly valued real estate and brings in an annual income of around $24 million. As the article reveals, there’s plenty of debate over whether the income from this should instead be going to the government — but it’s not like the U.K.’s government is having issues providing basic services right now, where that money could come in handy. Oh, wait.
Artwork By Queen Victoria Is Heading to Auction
If you’ve ever wanted to own art with a royal pedigree, now’s your chanceA spokesperson for the king contested some of The Guardian‘s math, saying, “While we do not comment on private finances, your figures are a highly creative mix of speculation, assumption and inaccuracy.”
Still, the financial breakdown looks pretty convincing, and seems to have erred on the side of caution in a few areas. Turns out the wealthy and powerful might be even wealthier than you suspected.
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