Is Prince Harry Included in Prince Philip's Will? Queen Elizabeth II Share Duke's Fortune With 3 Non-Royal Members
Just before his death, Prince Philip has already laid out the plans for his funeral and his last will.
The Duke of Edinburgh, who died last month at the age of 99, has left behind an estimated $42 million fortune.
According to The Sun, while his wife Queen Elizabeth II is expected to be the main beneficiary, Prince Philip also made sure that he gave shares to three of his royal aides, something that is considered unconventional, per a royal source.
The source told the outlet, "Unlike some other royals, Prince Philip will be generous to the three men who looked after him."
These three royal aides include his private secretary Brigadier Archie Miller Bakewell, his page boy William Henderson, and his valet Stephen Niedojadio.
In the final years of the Duke's life, all three men were reportedly supportive of him, with Brigadier Miller Bakewell even standing in for him on times he couldn't make it to an engagement.
Henderson and Niedojadio took turns to be with Prince Philip during his stay on the Sandringham Estate. Henderson was also said to be with him during his final two days at Windsor.
It's unclear how much of Prince Philip's fortune is given to his three royal aides, but his generosity is outstanding.
The Duke was born penniless on a Corfu kitchen table in Greece and even slept in an orange box, per the outlet.
When he married Queen Elizabeth II in 1947, the Duke of Edinburgh was only receiving a naval income of $16 a week.
In 1969, he pleaded on US TV saying that the royals were not rich, saying that they may even have to sell their polo ponies.
But just before his death, the Prince was getting about $509,000 yearly in Sovereign Grant, however, a palace insider believes that the money wasn't enough and that thankfully Her Majesty had to supplement it.
Many of the Duke's possessions were co-owned by the monarch and will now take full ownership of them. Hearsays indicate that he may have had invested in stocks and expensive art pieces.
What Did Prince Philip Leave Behind for The Royal Family Members?
While Queen Elizabeth II is the main beneficiary of Prince Philip's left-behind fortune, other family members will also inherit some of his money and belongings, even royal renegade Prince Harry.
Despite launching several damaging attacks on the royal family for the past few months, The Sun's source said that the Duke of Edinburgh "was not the sort of character to punish a grandson for misbehaving."
They added, "He was a very fair, even-handed, and lovely man. Never held a grudge."
Meanwhile, Prince Philip's children, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and Prince Andrew, were allowed to take what they want from his book collection of 13,000 pieces at his library in Buckingham Palace.
The Duke also reportedly signed pictures of himself placed in frames with his cipher on them. The source believes that these are intended to be as gifts to those who looked after him.
