The Queen's True Worth

Her priceless jewellery, gilded carriages and opulent palaces are all on public display in state ceremonies, but how rich is the Queen and where did her wealth come from?

The Queen’s True Worth lifts the lid on the monarch’s money box by revealing that her main income isn’t simply from family inheritance or public grant.

It uncovers how her secretive “private” estate the Duchy of Lancaster has become the well-spring of her wealth with profits now many millions of pounds higher than when she was crowned. It shows that the estate is not really private since its income has long been used to top up the public funding of the monarchy and its capital can never be independently sold off.

The book casts fresh light on other sources of her wealth – including a £100 million stamp collection, a £10 million fleet of vintage cars, a valuable horse-racing stud and a small fortune in wedding and other semi-private gifts.

Drawing on previously-unseen state papers and interviews with palace insiders, David McClure’s investigation is full of fascinating new insights into the Queen’s finances – from how the Treasury considered moving her out of one her official palaces to why one of her private residences has just been placed in a trust.