William's Net Worth Hits £1.2bn, Topping Charles

Prince William has become a billionaire — and, for the first time, is officially wealthier than his father. Newly published Sovereign Grant accounts reveal that the Prince of Wales has a net worth of £1.2billion, built almost entirely through the Duchy of Cornwall estate he inherited when he became heir to the throne four years ago.

The figures place William comfortably ahead of King Charles III, who was listed in the Sunday Times Rich List this year with a personal fortune of £640 million — itself a rise of £30 million from the previous year. In short, the son has now outpaced the father by a considerable margin.

The Duchy of Cornwall is one of the oldest and most valuable private estates in the country, spanning roughly 135,000 acres across England and Wales. When Charles became King in September 2022, the Duchy passed automatically to William as the new Prince of Wales — and with it came a substantial private income. In 2025-26 alone, William received £21.6 million from the estate.

Since taking on the role, William has also paid more than £20 million in tax, with the annual accounts showing he contributed £7.76 million in income and capital gains tax in 2024-25 and £8.34 million the year before. The transparency is deliberate — both the King and the Prince of Wales have made the decision to publish their private tax contributions as part of a broader effort to show the public exactly how the Royal Family is funded.

The Sovereign Grant — the annual funding from the Treasury used to cover the Royal Household's official duties — has long attracted scrutiny, and the decision to publish detailed accounts alongside private tax figures marks a notable shift in approach. Critics have historically questioned whether the monarchy does enough to account for its finances publicly, making these disclosures a meaningful gesture toward openness.

William has also moved to distance himself from one particularly contentious income stream. Earlier this week it emerged he will no longer personally benefit from the £1.5 million in annual rent generated by the abandoned Dartmoor Prison, a decision that had attracted criticism given the site's bleak history.

The financial milestone arrives at a complicated moment for the Prince of Wales personally. While the accounts paint a picture of a future king in confident financial standing, William is said to be privately frustrated by developments on the family front.

King Charles has extended an olive branch to Prince Harry, with the Duke of Sussex set to return to the UK next month alongside Meghan, Archie and Lilibet — the first such visit in four years. Charles has reportedly offered the family use of a royal residence, a gesture Harry has accepted after concluding the security arrangements are sufficient. The trip coincides with events marking the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham.

William, according to sources close to the family, has no plans to see his brother during the visit and is expected to ensure he is elsewhere when Harry arrives. The last time the two brothers were in the same room was at their maternal uncle Sir Robert Fellowes' funeral in August 2024, where they reportedly did not exchange a single word.

Royal author and historian Andrew Lownie believes Charles is making a calculated move, driven by both personal feeling and an eye on the monarchy's image.

Sources close to the family suggest the two brothers' characters pull them in opposite directions on the question of forgiveness. "William is known to hold a grudge, whereas Charles just wants peace," one source told Vanity Fair. "Charles is of the view that one must forgive and move on. William won't do that. Not yet and maybe never."

For now, at least, William's public-facing story is one of a future king quietly amassing one of the largest private fortunes in the country — and paying handsomely for the privilege of doing so.