What William spends his money on: Analysis of tightly guarded finances,
As a member of the Royal Family, details of Prince William’s personal finances are a closely guarded secret.
But with ski holidays, school fees, football tickets, seven houses to run and a £7million annual income tax bill, even the heir to the throne must try to make ends meet.
The majority of the Prince of Wales’s private income comes from the Duchy of Cornwall, a private estate worth about £1.1billion. It turns an annual profit of around £22million-a-year.
Traditionally, the surplus generated by the Duchy funds charitable and personal activities, including private royal residences, while some expenses – such as Kate’s working wardrobe and costs incurred during royal duties – can be written off against tax.
However, details of how William funds the likes of his personal wardrobe, holidays and football tickets are less clear, though reports have indicated he did receive inheritance from his mother, Princess Diana, and the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Yet while the prince has refused to disclose his tax contributions in the past, a recent report by the Sunday Times has revealed the future King is paying a staggering £7million income tax bill, placing him in the top 0.002 per cent of UK taxpayers.
Royal Author Norman Baker told the Daily Mail: ‘In 2024/2025 the Duchy produced a healthy profit of £22.9million. When Charles was Prince of Wales he would every year declare how much tax he had paid, but William discontinued that practice.’
Describing the Duchy of Cornwall as a ‘royal fruit machine’, Mr Baker noted: ‘The recent Sunday Times story, which suggested he paid about £7million in tax last year, perhaps shows that the solid pressure on him to be more open is bearing fruit.
‘We know from an earlier parliamentary inquiry that Charles, when Prince of Wales, claimed expenses against his Duchy of Cornwall income for 28 personal staff – butlers, valets, gardeners and the like – and some expenditure for Camilla before they were even married, including her travel costs, jewellery, and stabling for her horses.’
‘Charles in 2009 even tried to get his polo ponies accepted as a business expense,’ said Mr Baker, author of Royal Mint, National Debt: The Shocking Truth about the Royals’ Finances.
‘We also know that since becoming Prince of Wales, William has refashioned the board of the Duchy of Cornwall, which he insists is a private estate, to bring in investment bankers and property developers, which indicates the generation of profit for himself, rather than wider royal duties, is his top priority.’
While the exact source of William’s private funds are unclear, Norman ‘suspects’ they may go towards ‘some maintenance costs for his personal property portfolio of seven houses, clothes and other personal expenses for himself and Kate’.
From lavish holidays to expensive school fees and a tasteful watch collection, these are the often extravagant items and experiences William spends his personal money on.
While the Prince of Wales may travel around the globe for royal engagements, private family holidays and trips away must be covered under his own budget. Pictured: the Prince and Princess of Wales during a ski trip in 2016
Holidays
While the Prince of Wales may travel around the globe for royal engagements, private family holiday’s and trips away must be covered under his own budget.
And it is safe to say he has expensive taste.
Earlier this year, William and Kate quietly enjoyed a holiday in the exclusive French Alpine resort of Courchevel. The royal couple were spotted at a high-end mountainside restaurant, where even a ham and cheese toastie costs €85 (£74), albeit a ‘truffle-infused’ one.
Norman Baker, author of Royal Mint, National Debt, told the Daily Mail: ‘In 2024/2025 the Duchy produced a healthy profit of £22.9 million. When Charles was Prince of Wales he would every year declare how much tax he had paid, but William discontinued that practice’
Dubbed ‘the Saint Tropez of the slopes’, Courchevel is known for its Michelin-starred restaurants, designer shopping and celebrity visitors such as George Clooney and the Beckhams.
Meanwhile, last year, the Wales family slipped away to enjoy a quiet break in the Alps with the Middleton family and were spotted enjoying morning hot drinks at a lavish mountaintop restaurant that offers panoramic views of snow-covered peaks.
In August, the future King and Queen whisked their young children away for a summer escape to the Greek isle of Kefalonia onboard £20million yacht Lady Beatrice.
The Lady Beatrice was the prized possession of Sir Frederick and Sir David Barclay and has suites capable of accommodating 16 passengers, with dining areas on the main and lower decks, and a pool on its top deck.
Meanwhile, in 2019, the couple rented a holiday villa for two weeks in the idyllic Caribbean island of Mustique.
Costing £27,000 a week, Villa Antilles boasts a 60ft infinity pool and stunning sea views out to the neighbouring islands of Bequia and Saint Vincent.
Yet it isn’t just holiday locations that fall under the pricey category. In 2012, the prince and princess reportedly spent more than $80,000 on plane tickets from Los Angeles to London.
Pictured: the Prince and Princess of Wales onboard a boat in Ibiza in 2006
School fees for the Wales children
It is no secret that private school fees come at an exorbitant price, and the children of the royals are certainly no exception.
Prince George, 12, who is currently studying at Berkshire’s prestigious Lambrook School, has fees at a staggering cost of £10,669 per term.
Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales will also be forking out the same expenditure for 11-year-old Charlotte’s fees, and an additional £9,804 for young Louis, aged eight.
And there’s a significant likelihood that the cost of George’s fees could be set to rise in the coming months, with the young prince speculated to attend Eton School, where termly fees are more than £21,000.
Bike and electric scooter collection
The Prince of Wales has a long-documented interest in motorcycles, with an evolving collection that has frequently hit the headlines.
Indeed, William was once seen riding through the streets of London in a Ducati Hypermotard, which costs around £14,000 new and can hit a top speed of 130mph.
The prince was also previously the proud owner of a £20,000 Ducati and was last seen riding it the night before his wedding in 2011.
And while he may have left his motorbike days behind, the prince has also shown a liking for e-scooters in recent years.
Appearing on Eugene Levy’s travel show last year, William was seen cruising through the grounds of Windsor Castle on what was reported to be a $6,000 Mii2 YOO2 scooter.
However, later reports suggested that he had been banned from using the vehicle around his Forest Lodge home around Windsor Great Park due to safety concerns.
Pictured: William leaves Coworth Park Polo on his black Ducatti in 2009
Pricey food shops and dinners
A world away from your average high street supermarket, William has previously been spotted shopping at the pricey Norfolk Deli Bakers & Larners of Holt, which sells high-end artisan products and even features a luxury chocolate counter.
In March 2024, the Prince and Princess of Wales were spotted shopping at the pricey Windsor Farm Shop which sells local produce from the royal estate and delightful home-cooked pies.
While the prince has previously discussed his desire to cook at home, the royal is partial to a Sunday roast at the Dabbling Duck in Norfolk, where mains fall at around a £20 price point.
Likewise, the Crown Inn in East Rudham, Norfolk has previously been dubbed the royal couple’s favourite pub – with the pair last spotted enjoying a meal together there back in 2016.
Love of polo and Aston Villa
It has been long documented that the Prince of Wales is a firm fan of polo and has often participated in charity matches with fellow members of the Firm.
While the prince has never disclosed whether he owns his own ponies, in 2021, the Times reported that him and Kate had purchased his children ponies of their own during the pandemic.
A safe and well-trained pony for young children typically costs upwards of around £3,000 to £5,000.
The future King was said to have been ‘thrilled’ that his young children were following in his footsteps.
A life-long fan of Aston Villa, William is often seen in the stands supporting his favourite football team – with a season ticket costing between £676 to £991 for adults.
The prince is even reported to own a VIP season ticket, with some options coming in at a staggering £5,000.
When he isn’t watching a game of the beloved sport, William has also gained a reputation for buying his fellow fans rounds of drinks at the pub.
And as the cost of a pint increases significantly across the UK, that is bound to have been a rather hefty bill.
It has been long documented that the Prince of Wales is a firm fan of polo and has often participated in charity matches with fellow members of the Firm
Watches and touching personal gifts for the Princess of Wales
Like numerous other royals, William is often seen showcasing a high-end watch on his wrist – though one of his most famous watches – the Omega Seamaster Professional at £5,600 – was a gift from Princess Diana.
And it seems that the late princess has passed down her gift-giving nature to her eldest son, who in 2014 purchased a Cartier Balloon Bleu, priced at £5,900, for Kate as a wedding anniversary gift.
The Prince of Wales was also reported to have added platinum beads to Kate’s 12-carat sapphire and diamond ring, estimated to be worth £399,000 and previously owned by Diana, which was adjusted by G. Collins and Sons in 2011.
Over the years, William has also gifted his beloved wife a range of high-end jewellery items – from family heirlooms to $100,000 earrings, including a Garnet and pearl promise ring.
An eternity ring stack, believed to be a touching gift, comes at a staggering cost of $500,000, while Kate’s Cartier Balloon Bleu watch, reportedly gifted by William, retails for just over $8,000.
