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Queen Elizabeth II’s death has greatly disrupted normalcy. For followers of the British royals, one of the main questions they have is what will happen to her wealth and who will inherit these treasured items that include historic jewels, artwork, and more.
The Queen’s will is split in two: her personal belongings and the Crown’s estate. The former is made up of a variety of items, including estates and valuable objects, which, according to the Sunday Times, have a value of over $420 million dollars.
The Queen inherited jewels, land deeds, castles, and a lot of money from her family. Among these is Balmoral castle, one of the Queen’s favorite homes, where she spent her summers and where she lived her last days. She also had a house in Sandringham, where the family gathered to spend Christmas and the Holidays. The new owners of these lands remain unknown, but it’s possible that the estate will be inherited by the Queen’s youngest children, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew or Prince Edward.
In the case of the Queen’s Jewelry, it’s rumored that she made some last moment arrangements in her will, ensuring that the items will be inherited by Kate Middleton, the future Queen Consort. Her daughter, Princess Charlotte, is also in consideration for inheriting approximately 300 jewels that have a value of over 110 million dollars.
The new arrangements make it clear that Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their kids, Archie and Lilibet, are out of the will. Her decision could be due to the couple quitting their royal duties, something that a lot of people think is fair considering that the items are worn in official events, as they have been over the years.
The Crown’s inheritance
The wealth of the crown is inherited directly to the throne’s successor, Charles III. The eldest son of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip now possesses the Crown Estate, a collection of properties and lands that are located across the United Kingdom. These include Buckingham Palace, the Duchy of Cornwall, Kensington Palace, and the estate of the Crown of Scotland.
The King also inherited the Sovereign Grant, which is the King or Queen’s salary for their role. Forbes estimates that the Queen earned around 98 million dollars on a yearly basis.
Aside from all of the property that we listed above, King Charles is now the owner of all of the swans, whales and dolphins of the United Kingdom, since these species are considered property of the crown.
Queen Elizabeth II’s will, under lock and key
While the will of Queen Elizabeth is under much speculation, there’s no way of knowing to whom each item belongs. While wills are public in the United Kingdom, there are protections for a variety of people, including the Royal Family. For example, in order to read Prince Philip’s will, 90 years must pass since his death for these documents to be released.
In the case of the Queen, a similar clause is expected. This practice has a historical precedent, existing since the 1900s when Queen Mary of Teck made the request that the will of royalty be kept private.
With time, people will start to notice which descendants from the Queen have inherited her jewelry, with these items being used in official events.