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King Charles‘ net worth revealed as he emerges as the 238th richest man in the UK, raising questions about the source of his wealth. The 2025 edition of The Sunday Times Rich List dropped this week, spotlighting a lineup of wealthy men within the United Kingdom. Ranked based on identifiable fortune, including land, properties, marketable assets, stocks in major companies, and even racehorses, this guide not only highlights the wealth distribution in the country but also the impact of new and existing policies on citizens, non-domiciles, and businesses through the years.
This year recorded a decline in the number of UK billionaires, the sharpest in the last ten years, owing to the abolition of non-dom status, and a “range of tax changes unveiled in last October’s budget,” per the publication. The compiler of The Sunday Times Rich List, Robert Watts, explained,
“Our billionaire count is down and the ur billionaire count is down and the combined wealth of those who feature in our research is falling. We are also finding fewer of the world’s super-rich are coming to live in the UK. This year we were also struck by the strength of criticism for Rachel Reeves’ Treasury.”
King Charles Amasses an Incredible Net Worth In a Short Span
Despite the declining number of wealthy tycoons in the UK this year, the British monarch, King Charles, saw a significant increase in his overall net worth by a whopping £30 million. This shot his ranking in the Sunday Times Rich List, 20th place, to 238 this year, with an estimated net worth of £640 million. Hence, the 76-year-old, who ascended the throne in 2022 following his mom’s death, has now accrued more fortune than the late Queen Elizabeth, who amassed a net worth of £370m after 70 years on the throne as of 2022.
Notably, this climb in the rich list puts King Charles’ fortune on par with former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, whose net worth crashed by £11 million, a sharp decline from the previous ranking. Together, Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, rank 238th in the 2025 Sunday Times rich list, in the same spot as the monarch.
How Did King Charles Make His Fortune?
King Charles’ estimated net worth was determined from a combination of his personal assets, private estates at Lancaster, Balmoral, and Sandringham, as well as his investment portfolio and inheritance from the late Queen. While it’s common to think the royals are a sect fully funded by taxpayers’ money, accounting for their extravagant lifestyle, that line of thought can be erroneous.
Granted, the King receives the Sovereign Grant from the government, which covers his public engagements, staffing, maintaining the various royal lodges, travel expenses, and public engagements. This annual payment is worth £86.3m for the period 2024-2025 and an estimated £132m in 2025-2026, per BBC. However, this sum, largely accumulated from UK taxpayers, only accounts for a fraction of King Charles’ net worth.
Other wealth-generating assets include private estates like the Duchy of Cornwall and the Duchy of Lancaster, which generate profits for the monarch. While the monarch still receives profit from Lancaster, the former has remained under the management of his older son, Prince William, in recent years. Both royals pay voluntary taxes on their respective estates. Like most royals, King Charles has private assets at his disposal, such as jewelry, art, investments, and stamp collections, which he could trade at will to generate additional income. Inherited wealth and other valuable assets owned by the British royal family add to this net worth. However, this does not include profits generated from the Crown Estate.
Additionally, given how impossible it is to pinpoint all of the King’s private assets like cars, horses, and rare stamps, and assign a monetary value to them, King Charles likely has much more than £640m in net worth. Following a 2023 dive into King Charles’ fortune, the Guardian estimated the value of the monarch’s wealth at around £2 billion. This impressive net worth ranks him far above the former PM, Rishi Sunak, and his wife, who tie with the King for the 238th position in the Sunday Times rich list, making him one of the wealthiest royals.
