Royal Wealth and Finances 1: Ending 2022


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From what I’ve read about the Queen’s finances the ‘management board’ of the Duchy of Lancaster looks after HM’s investments. I believe they got into a bit of controversy back in 2017 over putting moneys into equity funds in the Cayman Islands.

Anyway this Council administers the Duchy money and investments. They advise the Queen of course, but I doubt she does much herself.

https://www.duchyoflancaster.co.uk/about-the-duchy/our-people/the-duchy-council/

https://www.monarchist.org.au/the_queens_finances


Probably the Duchy of Cornwall has the same sort of arrangement for the POW, but Charles IMO would be more likely to contribute some investment ideas of his own, as he has in the past.
 
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Curryong said:
Probably the Duchy of Cornwall has the same sort of arrangement for the POW, but Charles IMO would be more likely to contribute some investment ideas of his own, as he has in the past.
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One investment that Charles put to the Duchy of Cornwall that was approved and actually has turned out to be quite successful was the purchase of Highgrove. ?
 
So perhaps being "hands on" is a personal choice for Senior Royals?

Osipi, I heartily agree about Highgrove! The whole Tetbury area has benefited from that investment.
 
I would think one area of investments that the Queen keeps her own eyes on and her own choices in are her racing stables investments. We often hear when one of the Queen's horses does well in a race. :D
 
Sir Michael Oswald, who was the long term manager and adviser to the Queen on her horses died only recently. John Warren, whose son is a friend of Harry’s, has been managing the royal Stables at Windsor for a very long time, would also advise the Queen on any purchases of horses. Of course the Queen has an excellent eye for horseflesh and is very knowledgeable on the industry but I imagine she would get advice from John Warren and the successor to Sir Michael.

https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-ra...anager-of-royal-studs-sir-michael-oswald-dies
 
We still don’t know the answer to who manages private investments for senior royals however. Are the Queen’s private investments mixed in with the Duchy of Lancaster ones, or does she have a separate portfolio for them?

And the same for Charles and the Duchy of Cornwall and his private investments though we don’t know what wealth Charles possesses apart from Duchy moneys. Is there an adviser on investments at Coutts, the royal bankers?


As for other senior royals, we know that Andrew had/has several extremely wealthy banker friends and other wealthy acquaintances. I’d rather not enter that murky world. However, it’s possible that the Wessexes and Anne do have people in banking circles who advise them, if they have investment portfolios that is. However, we are never likely to know about any of it.
 
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Curryong said:
Sir Michael Oswald, who was the long term manager and adviser to the Queen on her horses died only recently. John Warren, whose son is a friend of Harry’s, has been managing the royal Stables at Windsor for a very long time, would also advise the Queen on any purchases of horses. Of course the Queen has an excellent eye for horseflesh and is very knowledgeable on the industry but I imagine she would get advice from John Warren and the successor to Sir Michael.

https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-ra...anager-of-royal-studs-sir-michael-oswald-dies
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Before Sir Michael Oswald, there was "Porchie". A life long close friend of the Queen's that shared her enthusiasm for horses. As there had been rumors around about Philip and "dalliances", so were there about the Queen and "Porchie". This article from Tatler covers how it was portrayed in "The Crown" and a rebuttal by Dickie Arbiter.

If I'm not mistaken, the Queen does not, as a rule, attend funerals but she did for Lord Porchester, the 7th Earl of Carnarvon. He died September 11, 2001. The same day of the 9/11 attacks in New York City, USA.

https://www.tatler.com/article/lord-porchester-porchie-the-crown-affair
 
The BRF's division at Coutt's is Villiers. It is run differently than the other areas of the bank. More privacy, for one thing.

It is a matter of record that Sir Jackie Stewart has been very successful in steering investments for Zara and Peter Phillips as they grew up.

Charles seems happy (IMHO) to leave major money handling to staff or designated bankers. I have read that he and and the Duchess of Cornwall have entrusted Somerset Capital Mgmt. with some personal investments. Somerset is the firm founded by Dominic Johnson, Edward Robertson and Jacob Rees-Mogg.

I am wondering if the Royals took a big loss when Lloyd's tanked and if they are still scrambling to get back to where they were.

I have also read that HM owns properties in and around San Francisco, CA. Good for her and her advisors, seeing that coming.
 
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Some interesting information there on royal investments. Thanks!

I have read that HM owns quite a few properties in North America, ie Canada, California and the east coast of the US, including New York. I think I read that round about the time of the Caymen Islands disclosures so quite a while ago. Makes sense though it may well be Duchy of Lancaster investments rather than anything private.
 
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There are posts in this thread about HM the Queen Mother's bequests.

From what I remember, British law at the time of her passing stated that if you gave a bequest to a beneficiary more than 7 years before your demise, it would be tax free.

The Queen Mother accomplished this. But, it may have put her in the red at Villiers. (Coutt's). Not a biggie, HM paid the bank back after her mother's demise.
 
Leopoldine said:
I am wondering if the Royals took a big loss when Lloyd's tanked and if they are still scrambling to get back to where they were.
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I undersand that Camilla had been a name at Lloyds, and had lost a great deal of her capital in te 1990s in the Lloys market. I have never heard about any royal investment in lloyds.
 
Curryong said:
I have read that HM owns quite a few properties in North America, ie Canada, California and the east coast of the US, including New York.
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I've read that too, but it always seems to be based on diplomatic properties owned by the governments of various Commonwealth realms. "Her Majesty the Queen in Right of New Zealand" or wherever will buy a new apartment for the UN ambassador, and all of a sudden the real estate publications are reporting that the Queen has a new pied-à-terre.
 
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The Royal Household today published its annual financial statement, the Sovereign Grant Report, for the financial year 2020-2

https://www.royal.uk/financial-reports-2020-21

  • Official expenditure was more than the Sovereign Grant and the supplementary income earned, with total net expenditure of £87.5 million, a 26% increase on the previous year. This was driven by significant increase in spending, £17.6m (an increase of 83%), on the Reservicing of Buckingham Palace.
  • £2.3m was drawn down from the Sovereign Grant reserve (2019-20 a surplus of £3.3m was transferred to the Sovereign Grant Reserve) principally to pay for work relating to the Reservicing of Buckingham Palace.
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Is there a specific reason for the 90 year limit on the public release of Prince Philip's will?

Why not 10 or 20 years? Even a 30 year limit would be long enough that none of his children are likely to be alive so I can't see who would be embarrassed/lose dignity/etc by an early revelation of the will.
 
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I don't see a point in Philip's will ever being made public. Is it really any of the public's business to know how he left things and to whom? I don't want to know.
 
It is so that no one who knew him would be alive in all likelihood - not just his children but even his great-grandchildren so August, who seems to be the youngest to have actually met him will be 90 while say Louis, who may remember him, will be 87/88 when the 90 year limit is reached. I wonder, if say Louis or George, were still alive whether they would/could apply for an extension beyond that 90 year limit.
 
All other British subjects have their wills available to the public once probate is done. If his will is not the public's business, why are anyone else's?
 
I find the structure of finances interesting. Seems somewhat common for non-royals. Put business and personal needs in an LLC taxed as a s-Corp. Let a trust manage that and buy life insurance for the principal. Principal takes out insurance loan without being taxed. Seems like a good idea.

Sure is a lot of them and income seems good.
Looks like thorough system.

https://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/en-gb/what-we-do/asset-map/

https://duchyofcornwall.org/about-the-duchy/
https://www.duchyoflancaster.co.uk/
 
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The thread about the Crown holdings has been merged with the thread of royal wealth and finances.
 
‘Cars, corgis and castles’: the weird and wonderful things Queen Elizabeth II owns

Archive

I know that The Queen owns all unmarked swans and whales in England and Wales, but I don't know about sturgeons and porpoises (I wonder why it's specifically those fishes?
Edit: correction, just remember that porpoises are mammals, not fishes.

(...)

UK law stipulates that the reigning monarch owns whales, sturgeons and porpoises within three miles of Britain's shore.*

It was enshrined in a statute from 1324, during the reign of King Edward II, which stated: "The king shall have wreck of the sea throughout the realm, whales and sturgeons taken in the sea or elsewhere within the realm, except in certain places privileged by the king."*

That law still stands today so if you accidentally catch one, you must first contact Buckingham Place and offer it to the Queen as a gesture of loyalty.*

The Queen also used to own the bulk of Scotland’s wild marine life as well but this is now owned by Marine Scotland.

(...)
Click to expand...
 
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I don't think this article meant to be a "serious article" or even be taken seriously, hence the swans and sturgeons; corgies and handbags (both have "unique" link to The Queen). For one, personally I'm amused reading this article, that's why I share it here.

And just because some people think unicorn is silly, doesn't mean a "serious" publication like Telegraph and The Times can't have article about national unicorn day, right? For one, as someone who was raised by grandparents who believed about mountain gods, sea gods, and such, I'm certainly in no position to judge ?
 
It's quirky articles such as this one that really kind of amplifies the continuity of the monarchy of the UK. Statements such as this one, "It was enshrined in a statute from 1324, during the reign of King Edward II" show the very long lineage of just why swans and whales and fishes, still to this day, are considered property of The Queen.

We may be in 2022 and celebrating the 70th year of Queen Elizabeth's reign but it's kind of nice to see things too that show the very, very long lineage of the British monarchy that goes back way before so many times in history that we know of and has been continuous in an unbroken line (if you choose to ignore the break of Cromwell and the glorious revolution) into the mists of time.

Articles like this add to the perception of the monarchy rather than are to be deemed "useless" IMO.
 
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