Here's How Much Prince William And Kate Middleton's Kids Are Actually Worth
Prince William and Princess Catherine's children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are already worth a hefty penny, even at their young ages. The young royals, who are ahead of their uncle Prince Harry in the line of succession, contribute a great deal to the British economy simply because of their presence.
Just consider this statement from Brand Finance Group CEO David Haigh, made before the birth of Prince Louis: "It is a tremendous marketing opportunity for producers and retailers of baby products who can build their promotional campaigns around the good news from Kensington Palace, but the economic impact of the royal children grows with them. Over the years, the youngest royal baby will continue to boost the sales of clothes and toys brands they wear or play with."
Haigh goes on to share that "the forthcoming birth of the new prince or princess comes with benefits to tourism and Britain's image abroad, and is already drawing the attention of the world to London. Many visitors who come to the capital for pomp and circumstance hope to see the royal children during their parents' official engagements." Here's how much the royal children are really worth.
Prince George's staggering net worth
Prince George's net worth is calculated by his value to the British economy, since he's too young to have an income or own land — though, obviously, this will come one day. George's value to the economy is estimated to be over $3 billion, as Reader's Digest reported.
His value has to do with his influence on consumer interest, and this centers around the clothing he wears. Parents try to mimic the style of Prince William and Princess Catherine's firstborn child. This influence was evident from the first moment that George was introduced to the world. When his parents stepped out with him at the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital in London where he was born, the woolen blanket he was wrapped in sold out, and the company had to rush production to get more on the market. This sway isn't just relegated to his mother via the "Kate effect." There's also obviously the "George effect" based on the interest he generates in products affiliated with him.
There's also considerable influence over the toys and games he's seen playing with, based on the logic that if it's good enough for a prince, it's good enough for other kids. So George has been influencing the economy from day one.
Princess Charlotte's worth is more than her brothers
Gender plays a big role in the varying net worths of the Wales children, and favors the girls and women. Princess Charlotte is worth more than both of her brothers, sitting at an eye-watering $5 billion, according to Reader's Digest. She's worth more to the British economy simply because girls hold more sway over fashion than boys do.
If a princess is seen wearing a particular item, then that's going to rev up consumer interest. What makes the "Charlotte effect" even more powerful is that the little princess is often spotted wearing accessible brands, as opposed to couture. As Vogue notes, Charlotte is often seen wearing Amaia Kids or Doña Carmen, and since these brands aren't prohibitively expensive, more parents are able to purchase the same looks for their daughters.
When Charlotte wore a dress by Rachel Riley in 2021, the dress sold out, and Riley herself commented on Charlotte's appearance in her clothing. "It was such a treat to see Princess Charlotte wearing our button-front floral dress to mark her 6th birthday!" Riley said, per Express. "She looks so happy in the picture." No doubt Riley was happy too, knowing that the Charlotte effect is the golden ticket for any children's brand.
Prince Louis' net worth is less than that of his siblings
The youngest of the Wales brood, little Prince Louis, also has a powerful pull on the British economy. Interestingly, Louis' birth occurred so close to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding that the economic impact of the royal family was extra potent.
"Because the wedding and the birth are so near in time to each other, we feel it can be hard to disentangle the twin effects," Joshua Bamfield, director of the Centre for Retail Research, told Money. Despite this twin effect, it was estimated that Louis' birth alone brought £50 million (around $63 million) in revenue to the British economy. The birth of royal babies always brings a considerable amount of attention — and revenue — to Britain.
Despite coming into the world around the same time as his uncle's wedding, Louis has carved out an impressive sway on his own and has a net worth that's estimated to be somewhere between $70 million and $125 million, per Reader's Digest. Of course, it's very reasonable to expect that this will grow as he gets older.
How the Wales children's net worths will grow
The net worths of the Wales children are expected to do nothing but grow, and their enriching impact on the British economy will continue to make it a symbiotic relationship between the royal family and the United Kingdom. Part of the power that Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis hold is that they're the only youngsters from the royal family who are in the spotlight. Since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle brought their two children to the United States, the Wales kids are the focal point.
Their value to the U.K. economy will expand as they age, especially for Charlotte since she's following in her mom's footsteps as a fashion icon. The older she gets, the more attention the media will pay to her clothing choices, thus enhancing her value. The same applies to George and Louis, but to a lesser extent since cultural fixation in sartorial matters tends to privilege girls and women.
Rachel Riley touched on this projection of Charlotte's when one of her dresses sold out. "We look forward to seeing Princess Charlotte's style develop as she continues to grow and mature and we have no doubt she will become as much of a style icon as her mother is," Riley told Express. With so much interest on Princess Catherine's clothing choices, it makes sense that her daughter will have that sway too.
What Prince George will inherit
The royal children's value to the British economy is not the same thing as their actual financial standing, and since the Wales children are too young to have received their inheritances, their financial standing is based on likely projections of what they'll inherit. Since Prince George is the eldest child of Prince William and Princess Catherine, he's next in line for the throne after his father. Succession is dictated both by birth order but also by "Parliamentary statute," according to The Royal Household.
It's entirely likely that George will also become the next Prince of Wales. The extremely lucrative Duchy of Cornwall gets passed to the Prince of Wales, which is estimated to be worth more than £1 billion along with an impressive real estate portfolio.
It's worth noting though that the Prince of Wales isn't an inherited title, so it's not a given that it will get passed on to George after William becomes king. However, considering the title went from King Charles III to William, it's very likely that it will get passed on to George, since he'll then be the heir apparent.
What Princess Charlotte will inherit
Princess Charlotte has a really interesting future when it comes to possible inheritances. In 2013, the Succession to the Crown Act ensured that succession depends on birth order instead of the archaic practice of bumping girls down the line to prioritize male heirs. As such, Charlotte is next in line for the throne after her older brother, Prince George.
But being the only daughter of Prince William and Princess Catherine comes with some major perks for Charlotte in terms of her inheritance. She is set to inherit the famous Spencer Tiara, which was worn by her grandmother, the late Princess Diana, on her wedding day. The tiara had been in the Spencer family for decades and was also worn by both of Diana's older sisters on their wedding days, as is tradition for Spencer women. "The tiara was most recently worn by Celia McCorquodale — niece of the 10th Earl Spencer Charles — at her wedding in the spring of 2018," a description of the tiara read while it was on display (per Hello! Magazine). "The Spencer Tiara is now set to be inherited by Princess Charlotte."
It's also very likely that Charlotte will inherit the rare title of princess royal, which was given to Princess Anne by the late Queen Elizabeth II. The title is typically given to the eldest daughter of the monarch, and it lasts for life. There can only be one, so Charlotte won't receive the title until Princess Anne's death.
What Prince Louis will inherit
As for little Prince Louis, what he inherits will be determined largely by his father, Prince William, when he becomes king. Royal tradition stipulates that children receive another title upon marriage. For example, William became the Duke of Cambridge when he married Catherine, Princess of Wales. Prince Harry became the Duke of Sussex when he married Meghan Markle. So Louis and George will likely become dukes along the way, in addition to being princes. The problem is that the title sticks for life, so William will have the Cambridge dukedom until he dies. This means that there's limited availability as new royal heirs grow up.
For Louis, this means that it's likely he'll receive the title of Duke of York when he comes of age, which is affiliated with the now-disgraced Prince Andrew. Traditionally, that title has gone to the second oldest son of the monarch. Other available dukedoms are also tainted by dark histories. Clarence is available, but an earlier Duke of Clarence was executed for being a traitor.
But Louis will be well taken care of, no matter what later titles he receives. The royal family has such a vast portfolio of real estate and income streams that Louis, along with his siblings, will have sizable inheritances.