Alongside the sovereign grant, the main source of royal income is the property empire that the family passes down through the generations. The duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall provide millions of pounds annually to the monarch and his male heir. As the Guardian’s Rob Evans tells Maeve McClenaghan, it is not simple to find out exactly how much money this land holding has generated for them, but through painstaking research and careful reading of the accounts filed in the House of Lords, a picture emerges. Since the queen took the throne in 1952, the duchies have provided £1.2bn in income for the family, when adjusted for inflation.
On top of the duchies, the family also has huge wealth tied up in treasures: art, jewels, racehorses – even a stamp collection worth approximately £100m. Reporters David Pegg, Henry Dyer and Greg Wood go out across the country to track down lists of items held by royal collections. Looking closer at some of these possessions reveals an interesting common theme: in several cases it becomes clear that the line is blurred between what is owned by the sovereign on behalf of the nation and what is owned by them personally.
Photograph: Tim Graham/Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images
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