Being born—or marrying—into a royal family certainly has some benefits. Find out what Princess Diana's net worth was and how much her sons inherited.
What Was Princess Diana’s Net Worth—And What Did She Leave to William and Harry?
Updated on May 19, 2025
What was Princess Diana’s net worth?
At the time of her death in August 1997, Diana’s net worth was more than 21 million pounds, about $31.5 million at that time. This included all her funds, stock investments, physical possessions like jewelry and clothing, and her 16 million pound divorce settlement from Charles.
But not all of that went directly to her heirs, as Koenig explains. Here’s the breakdown.
Financial assets left to Harry and William
As the primary beneficiaries, Diana’s sons received the bulk of her financial assets. But after taxes and other fees were paid, “the two princes lost nearly half of their inheritance,” Koenig says. Even more surprising? This could have been prevented to some extent. According to U.K. law, Charles had the right to reclaim the 16 million pounds from the divorce settlement, given that Diana’s death happened within a year of the settlement.
If he had done so, the princes would have only been taxed on the 5 million pounds that Diana had inherited from her father, not the money from the divorce settlement. If Charles had reclaimed it, “he would have then been able to reinvest the funds for his sons, separate from Diana’s estate,” Koenig says. “However, he was advised not to reclaim the money and to have the estate pay the required taxes.”
Discretionary fund to benefit her sons and their families
In addition to Princess Diana’s bequeathed assets, a discretionary fund was set up to benefit her two sons and their future families. One hundred thousand pounds reportedly went into the fund, and the interest and income from the assets of the fund continue to benefit her heirs. And now that William and Harry are married, their wives Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle can accept and use money from this fund as well.
Her jewels and other material possessions
The day after she signed her original will, Diana composed a letter of wishes, which is a document that guides the people who are administrating the estate. Her letter requested that 75% of her jewelry and other material possessions, called “chattels” in the U.K., be evenly distributed between William and Harry. Reportedly, the letter said that she hoped her sons’ future wives would one day wear her jewelry.
That wish has become reality in recent years: Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton with Diana’s engagement ring, and Kate has also been seen wearing Diana’s tiara and sapphire earrings. Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, wore Diana’s diamond Cartier bracelet during her controversial interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The other 25% of the chattels were to be given to her 17 godchildren. However, Koenig says that because the letter was not part of the original will, it was not legally binding. The executors of Diana’s will, which included her mother and eldest sister, “chose to ignore her wishes for her godchildren and did not heed legal advice,” Koenig says. So instead of getting 25% of Diana’s personal property, the godchildren received what some have called “tacky mementos” like hunting figurines, coffee service items and crockery, according to Koenig.
The residuary estate
After the distribution of her material possessions and allocation of the discretionary fund, the remainder of her estate was placed in a trust to be divided between her sons when they turned 25. This bulk of assets is called a “residuary estate.”
But despite Diana’s wishes for her sons to receive their inheritance at age 25, the executors sought and enacted a variance to the will known as “The Arrangement.” This postponed the date Harry and William could inherit their share by five years. They could still receive interest from the trust at 25, but they couldn’t inherit the full sum until they were 30. By that time, the residuary estate amounted to 10 million pounds (about $16 million) for each of them.
Her wedding gown
One of the symbolic items passed down from Diana to her sons was her wedding dress, designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel and featuring a dramatic 25-foot-long train that remains the longest in British royal wedding history. But, like the rest of the residuary estate, it wasn’t given to them straight away; the gown was handed over when they turned 30.
But first, Diana’s dress was part of a collection that belonged to Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer. Part of the year, the gown was displayed at Althorp, the Spencer family estate, and the rest of the time it traveled the world on loan to museums and other exhibits. The money raised was donated to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.
On Harry’s 30th birthday, in September 2014, the silk gown finally changed hands from Diana’s brother to her sons. In 2021, it was displayed at Kensington Palace as part of a royal fashion exhibition.
Her Cartier watch
Another symbolic item passed down from Diana was her Cartier Tank Francaise watch. After Diana’s death, each of her sons was allowed to choose a keepsake from her most beloved belongings at Kensington Palace. Prince William chose this stunning gold watch, which Diana’s father had given her. After her divorce, Diana was frequently photographed wearing this watch, and William felt his mother would want him to have it.
Diana’s engagement ring
For his keepsake, Harry chose the 12-carat sapphire and diamond ring that his father had purchased for Diana in 1981. But Harry and William reportedly agreed that the ring would go to the bride-to-be of whichever brother got engaged first. When William was preparing to pop the question to Kate Middleton, Harry gave the ring to his big brother.
Despite losing out on the engagement ring, Harry was still able to pay tribute to his late mother when he got engaged. Harry designed a ring for his fiancée, and the two diamonds on either side of the larger one came from Diana’s personal collection. And with that, Princess Diana’s legacy for her sons was complete.
Althorp Estate
You might assume that Diana’s sons would inherit her childhood home and final resting place, Althorp Estate. But you’d be wrong! The estate is the ancestral seat of the Spencer family—not part of the royal family inheritance—so it will be passed on to William and Harry’s cousin, Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp, the eldest son of Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer.
Does William or Harry have a higher net worth?
Princess Diana’s net worth passed to her sons, but what about her sons’ net worth? What’s that look like today? Although William and Harry received an equal inheritance from Diana, William has a higher net worth than Harry. William has an estimated net worth of more than 1 billion dollars, while Harry’s net worth is around 60 million dollars.
As the future king, William’s net worth is on track to continue surpassing Harry’s. Koenig says Diana’s will didn’t factor in this detail, so Charles set up a separate trust for Harry to leave him a little extra—and his great-grandmother (the Queen Mother) did the same. According to Koenig, Harry received payments from the inheritance from his great-grandmother when he turned 21, and then again on his 40th birthday.
Adding to the emotional impact of Diana’s bequest to her youngest son, Harry gained independence as well. In his bombshell 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry revealed that his inheritance from Diana played a role in his and Meghan’s ability to step away from royal duties and move to the United States.
Additional reporting by Sunny Fitzgerald.
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Sources:
- Marlene Koenig, royal historian, commentator and author of Queen Victoria’s Descendants; interviewed, May 2025
- Royal Musings: “Diana, Princess of Wales’ Last Will & Testament”
- Worthy: “Princess Diana’s Will And Estate Revealed”
- Forbes: “As Remainder Of Princess Diana’s Estate Passes To Harry, Troubling Questions Remain”
- Popsugar: “The Touching Cartier Connection Between Princess Diana, Prince William, and Kate Middleton”
- Parade: “What Is Prince William’s Net Worth? Find Out More About the Future King’s Wealth”
- People: “See Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Official Engagement Photos — and Her Gorgeous Ring!”
- Trust & Will: “A Look Inside Princess Diana’s Last Will & Testament”
