Queen Elizabeth II Net Worth: Is the British Queen The Richest Monarch In The World?
Queen Elizabeth II's net worth will surely leave royal fans in shock, especially since she has been growing her wealth throughout her 68 years of reign.
As the head of the monarchy, Queen Elizabeth II handled most of the royal family's patronages. Although she decreased its number in the past few years, Her Majesty is still known for being the wealthiest member of the British royal family.
In 2016, Queen Elizabeth II had an estimated personal net worth of $530 million, per Forbes.
However, the Sunday Times' Rich List reported that Her Majesty's net worth in 2020 is only around $412 million. The same magazine also noted that her ranked has dropped over the past couple of years, sliding by nearly 30 places since 2018.
Queen Elizabeth II's finances has also been affected by the recent global crisis. For what it's worth, she already suffered from a massive decrease of $23 million in her value compared to last year.
The coronavirus pandemic has slowly crippled the monarchy's finances. With that said, Her Majesty ordered the temporary closure of Buckingham Palace and the other royal palaces and units to safeguard visitors from the dreaded disease.
However, despite being nearly half a billion rich, Queen Elizabeth II is not the richest monacrh in the world. In fact, she's far from it.
Who Is the Richest Monarch?
All monarchs in the world definitely experienced a massive blow in their wealth, but Queen Elizabeth II's net worth remains a subject of interest despite that.
Although her current value is already big, it is nowhere near the richest kings.
As of 2020, the richest ruling monarch is King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand. Per Fox Business, his estimated value is around $30 to $45 billion.
He is followed by King Mohammed VI of Morocco, whose net worth is already $2.1 billion. According to Forbes, the monarch spends $1 million per day to cover his personal palaces' operations.
Prince Albert II of Monaco ($1 billion), King Abdullah II of Jordan ($750 million), and Queen Elizabeth II complete the top 5.
Despite not being able to be on the top spot of the wealthiest monarchs, Her Majesty is still the "richest Queen in the world."
The Sources Of Queen Elizabeth II's Net Worth
Her Majesty mostly gets her wealth from inherited lands and investments. But aside from those things, the Queen also enjoys her direct control over the sovereign grant issued by the treasury.
The said grant is reserved to cover her expenses during her royal engagements and official duties as a monarch. This even includes travel, entertainment, and property maintenance expenses.
Furthermore, she enjoys benefits from the Crown Estate. It collects about $400 million per year, including the monarchy's income from 263,000 acres of farms and buildings located in central London.
While she does not personally own the Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth II built the $140 million Balmoral Castle and the family's $65 million country home Sandringham.
Queen Elizabeth II's net worth does not make her the richest, but the way she rules the monarchy is the most important in Britons' eyes.