The role of the Royal Family in the United Kingdom might be mostly ceremonial, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t lucrative for those who participate in it, a fact we know for sure thanks to a new report from PEOPLE that revealed Prince William’s massive first full year’s income, paid by the Duchy of Conrwall estate, which is a title and estate he has inherited from King Charles after he ascended to the throne.
Any guesses how much his salary was?
Try somewhere in the ballpark of $30 million.
How much do you make a year? How much work do you put in to earn that salary?
Prince William earned a butt ton more than you with not even a microscopic amount of actual, real, legitimate, sweat-of-your brow kind of work to earn it. It’s good to be the prince, right? Geesh.
The Duchy of Cornwall published its Integrated Annual Report on Thursday, July 24 (local time), revealing a distributable surplus of £23.6 million ($30.4 million) for the 2023-2024 financial year, Prince William’s first full year as the Duke of Cornwall. This sum covers the official, charitable and private expenses of Prince William, Kate Middleton and their three children.
As a working member of the royal family, the Prince of Wales, 42, doesn’t receive a traditional income. Instead, his annual expenses are largely covered by the Duchy of Cornwall, an estate established by King Edward III in 1337 to provide funds for the heir to the throne. This vast estate, worth over $1 billion, spans 130,000 acres across 23 counties in England and Wales and includes land, farms, houses and other assets to support the heir and their family.
Prince William is understood to pay income tax on the entire income he receives from the Duchy of Cornwall, after subtracting household expenses, which have not been specified. After Queen Elizabeth died, a royal source said that Prince William was “fully immersing himself” in his role as head of the Duchy of Cornwall. The Prince of Wales has made several stops in the estate since inheriting it, including an overnight trip in May when he visited the site of the Duchy of Cornwall’s innovative housing project aimed at addressing homelessness in Newquay.
PEOPLE then pointed out updates have been made to Prince William’s patronages, which includes a shift working for The Football Association. He’s a huge fan of the sport, which is actually known as soccer here in the U.S., and will now serve as patron of the organization, which was previously held by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth. Will had previously served as the president of The Football Association since 2006.
Additionally, Prince William will assume new patronages with the Welsh Guards Charity and the Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association, as well as become president of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association. He will also transition from president to patron of Fields in Trust.
What does one even do with that much money? Personally, if I ever come into a massive windfall of cash, I’m going to retire early and try and enjoy of what as much time as possible doing things with my family. There could be a new car thrown in the mix somewhere too.
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