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Okay, so we fully understand how using the word "poorer" to describe the royal family
could cause the English language to collapse on itself, but try to think of it as a relative
term.
After all, the royal family just aren’t like us.
But from the wannabe model to the freelance writer to the Olympic medalist, we're going
to take a carriage ride with a few royal family members who get by practically paycheck to
paycheck… again, in royal terms, not like the rest of us.
Lady Amelia Windsor
Labeled by some as "the most beautiful member of the royal family," Lady Amelia Windsor
is the great-niece of Prince Charles and 37th in line to the throne.
Lady Amelia has modeled for Dolce & Gabbana, appeared in Tatler magazine, and was featured
in Harper's Bazaar.
Vogue even once claimed that she possesses a "picture-perfect pout."
When discussing her future plans, Lady Amelia told the fashion magazine,
"I would love to make a contribution to any aspect behind the creative process.
On my year abroad I want to really further my understanding of every aspect of a fashion
house: from the making of the fabrics to the production of a catwalk show."
Lord Frederick Windsor
Known as Freddie to his friends, Lord Frederick Windsor is the only son of Prince and Princess
Michael of Kent, and 47th in line to the throne.
A tabloid sensation in the early-2000s for his partying lifestyle and his "junkie" reputation,
Windsor reportedly threw a lavish party in Kensington Palace at the same time mourners
were paying their final respects to the Queen Mother.
Which isn’t a great look.
Labour MP Stephen Pound said at the time that,
"If Freddie Windsor had any decency, he would leave the country."
Fortunately, the lord seems to have found a way to turn it around.
According to Royal Central, quote,
“He worked briefly as a fashion model for a Burberry campaign.
Lord Frederick also tried his hand as a music journalist for Tatler magazine and had planned
to become a solicitor in entertainment law.
He began working as an analyst at the investment bank J.P. Morgan in London in 2006."
Lady Gabriella Windsor
Lady Gabriella Windsor is the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and is
Freddie Windsor’s sister.
Partying seems to run deep in this particular branch of the royal family tree.
In May 2018, journalist Aatish Taseer wrote a piece for Vanity Fair, detailing his former
romance with Lady Gabriella.
He claimed that
"[They] swam naked in the Queen's pool in Buckingham Palace [and] did MDMA in Windsor
Castle.”
Her parents' official statement?
"There won't be any comment on the story."
Well, that settles that.
Lady Gabriella is also a freelance writer.
Her work has appeared in several outlets including the Sunday Telegraph, the Evening Standard,
Country Life, The Spectator, and Hello!
Magazine.
Or the Spanish version, at least.
Lady Rose Gilman
Once 12th in line to the throne, Rose Gilman is now 32nd in line thanks to a never-ending
stream of new royal babies.
Working under the name Rose Windsor, this cousin to Queen Elizabeth II has been working
in the film industry since 2005.
Starting in the art department on the TV series Little Britain, Gilman went on to work on
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as an art department assistant, and Harry
Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as the assistant production buyer.
She was also the assistant set dresser on Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley.
Pretty solid gigs, if you ask us.
Meghan Markle
We know, we know.
Try not to clutch your pearls over this one.
And yes, her financial portfolio will doubtless change as she settles into the role of Duchess
of Sussex but on her own, Markle's film and television career didn't exactly rake in the
big bucks.
InStyle estimated her net worth at only about $5 million before the royal wedding.
We’ve included her here because, well, fairy tale romances don't mean much to the IRS.
If Markle decides to become a US-UK citizen, Harry will have a new uncle: Sam.
According to The Washington Post, "Markle's American citizenship could open up the secretive
finances of the royal family to outside scrutiny.
If she remains a U.S. citizen, Markle will have to file her taxes to the IRS every year.
And if she has more than $300,000 in assets at any point during the tax year […] she
will be expected to annually file a document called Form 8938 that will reveal the detail
of these assets, which could include foreign trusts."
So don’t expect Harry and Markle to be opening up a joint bank account anytime soon.
A pause for the royal family
But how do these minor royals compare to the big guns?
Let’s throw in some context.
"Hail to the King, baby."
According to Business Insider, it pays to be directly related to the Queen.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, reportedly receives $442,000 per year just for having
"prince" in front of his name and is supposedly sitting on a further $30 million.
Prince William and Prince Harry are worth about $40 million each, having, quote, "gathered
most of their wealth on their 30th birthdays."
Kate Middleton, thanks to a couple of wealthy parents, holds a net worth of $10 million.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte are already worth sums they can’t even understand yet
$3.6 billion and $5 billion, respectively.
And the Queen herself?
Hold your royal horses we'll get to her in a minute.
Zara Tindall
Zara Anne Elizabeth Tindall, 17th in line to the throne, is the only daughter of Princess
Anne and the second-eldest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II.
She’s also quite the horse-rider.
She won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, becoming the first royal
to ever find a place on an Olympic podium.
Her mother, who competed at the 1976 Games as a member of the British Equestrian team,
presented Tindall with her medal.
Just take it from us these guys are really into horses.
Peter Phillips
Once described as the Queen's favorite grandson, Peter Phillips is the son of Princess Anne
and the eldest of the Queen’s grandchildren.
Fifth in the order of succession at the time of his birth in 1977, Phillips now sits at
14th.
What does it mean to be the queen's favorite?
You can probably guess.
“all the single dollars? “all the single dollars? “all the single dollars? bills,
bills, bills."
Despite his personal fortune, however, Peter has held positions at Jaguar, Williams F1
racing team and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
According to The Telegraph, in 2016, he helped throw, quote, "the country's largest street
party, to celebrate a much overlooked area of the Queen's record-breaking reign: her
patronage of more than 600 charities and organizations across the United Kingdom and Commonwealth."
Phillips said throwing parties is, quote, "what we do best," even if, quote, "the logistical
headaches […] have been many."
Princess Beatrice
Probably best known in America for rumors that she sliced open Ed Sheeran's face with
a ceremonial sword, Princess Beatrice of York is the oldest daughter of Prince Andrew and
currently sits 8th in line to the throne.
What Princess Beatrice does professionally remains unclear, but in 2016, after leaving
her fourth job in five years, she became a "business matchmaker"...whatever that is.
Per The Telegraph, her first client was artificial intelligence startup Afiniti According to
the report, Princess Beatrice "accompanied Afiniti's founder, Zia Chishti, and his entourage
to meetings and parties at the World Economic Forum in Davos."
According to the Daily Beast, one royal adviser had "no idea" how that business model works.
Let’s assume she’s simply living her best life.
Princess Eugenie
Princess Eugenie of York is the youngest daughter of Prince Andrew and 9th in line to the throne
one spot below the so-called business matchmaker riding shotgun in this photo.
After earning a combined degree in English literature and history of art from Newcastle
University in 2012, Eugenie moved to New York City and got a job at the art auction site
Paddle8.
Apparently, she walked to work every day.
Relatable, right?
In 2015, she returned to London and became an associate art director at the contemporary
art gallery Hauser & Wirth.
Two years later, she became its director.
She told the Independent in 2016: "I've loved art since I was very little.
I knew I definitely wouldn't be a painter, but I knew this was the industry for me.”
Queen Elizabeth II
Depending on who you ask, Queen Elizabeth II's net worth is either $495 million, $530
million, or $550 million.
She also has, quote, "private collections of art, furniture, jewels and horses" rumored
to total around $110 million.
The majority of her cash flow comes from the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant, which netted
her $48.9 million in 2015 after an 8 percent increase in 2017.
In 2012, Parliament took a closer look at where that money goes and discovered the monarchy
really had been making it rain and causing a few droughts along the way.
ABC News reported that
"Overspending had whittled down the royal Reserve Fund to 1 million pounds at the end
of [2013.]"
So where does the money go?
How about a $500 million Buckingham Palace refurbishment project?
Or an electrical bill that's more than 2,200 times the UK average?
Don't forget that $1.89 million grocery bill.
Bottom line: even a family as rich as the royal one still has to revamp its budget every
now and then.
So what’s the justification for this spending?
Usually, it’s that the royal family is great for tourism especially if somebody gets married
or has a baby.
Well, we’ve got to admit a tiny Harry-Meghan would be absolutely adorable.
"Boom."
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