Infants influence an economy, toddlers take on fashion,
and the riches that come when you're in line for the throne. They may only be
children but you'll be stunned at how much William and Kate's kids are really worth.
Prince George's net worth is calculated by his value to the British economy,
since he's too young to have an income or own land. In October 2022,
Reader's Digest reported that George's value to the economy is estimated to be over $3 billion.
His value has to do with his influence on consumer interest, and this centers
around the clothing he wears, as parents try to mimic the style of Prince William and Princess
Catherine's firstborn child. When his parents stepped out with him at the Lindo Wing of St.
Mary's Hospital in London where he was born, the woolen blanket he was wrapped in sold out.
There's also considerable influence over the toys and games he's seen playing with,
based on the logic that if it's good enough for a prince, it's good enough for other kids.
Princess Charlotte is worth more than both of her brothers, sitting at an eye-watering $5 billion,
according to Reader's Digest. Gender plays a big role in the varying net worths of the Wales
children, and it generally favors women because girls hold more sway over fashion than boys do.
"Especially for the women, they know that the majority of the coverage that comes
out of any event they do is going to be about the clothes they wear."
If a princess is seen wearing a particular item, then that's going to rev up consumer
interest. What makes the "Charlotte effect" even more powerful is that the little princess is
often spotted wearing accessible brands, as opposed to couture. As Vogue notes,
Charlotte is often seen wearing Amaia Kids or Doña Carmen, and since these brands aren't
prohibitively expensive, more parents are able to purchase the same looks for their daughters.
The youngest of the Wales brood, little Prince Louis,
also has a powerful pull on the British economy. Interestingly, Louis' birth occurred so close to
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding that the economic impact of the royal family was
extra potent. Despite this twin effect, it was estimated that Louis' birth alone
brought £50 million {POUNDS} or around $63 million in revenue to the British economy.
Despite coming into the world around the same time as his uncle's wedding,
Louis has carved out an impressive sway on his own and Reader's Digest reports
that he has a net worth that's estimated to be somewhere between $70 million and $125 million.
The net worths of the Wales children are expected to do nothing but grow,
and their enriching impact on the British economy will continue to make it a symbiotic relationship
between the royal family and the United Kingdom. Part of the power that Prince George,
Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis hold is that they're the only youngsters from the
royal family who are in the spotlight. Since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle brought their
two children to the United States, the Wales kids are the focal point.
Their value to the U.K. economy will expand as they age, especially
for Charlotte since she's following in her mom's footsteps as a fashion icon.
"The 'Kate effect' grew from the unquestionable influence she has on the way we dress."
The same applies to George and Louis, but to a lesser extent,
since cultural fixation in sartorial matters tends to privilege girls and
women. Dress designer Rachel Riley touched on this projection of Charlotte's, telling Express -
"We look forward to seeing Princess Charlotte's style develop as she continues to grow and mature
and we have no doubt she will become as much of a style icon as her mother is."
The royal children's value to the British economy is not the same thing as their actual financial
standing, and since the Wales children are too young to have received their inheritances,
their financial standing is based on likely projections of what they'll inherit. Since
Prince George is the eldest child of Prince William and Princess Catherine,
he's next in line for the throne after his father.
It's entirely likely that George will also become the next Prince of Wales.
The extremely lucrative Duchy of Cornwall gets passed to the Prince of Wales, which
is estimated to be worth more than £1 billion, along with an impressive real estate portfolio.
It's worth noting though that the Prince of Wales isn't an inherited title,
so it's not a given that it will get passed on to George after William becomes king. However,
considering the title went from King Charles III to William,
it's very likely that it will get passed on to George, since he'll then be the heir apparent.
In 2013, the Succession to the Crown Act ensured that succession depends on birth order instead
of the archaic practice of bumping girls down the line to prioritize male heirs. As such,
Charlotte is next in line for the throne after her older brother, Prince George.
But being the only daughter of Prince William and Princess Catherine comes with some major
perks for Charlotte in terms of her inheritance. She is set to inherit the famous Spencer Tiara,
which was worn by her grandmother, the late Princess Diana, on her wedding day.
It's also very likely that Charlotte will inherit the rare title of princess royal,
which was given to Princess Anne by the late Queen Elizabeth II. The title is typically
given to the eldest daughter of the monarch, and it lasts for life. There can only be one,
so Charlotte won't receive the title until Princess Anne's death.
As for little Prince Louis, what he inherits will be determined largely by his father,
Prince William, when he becomes king. Royal tradition stipulates that children receive another
title upon marriage. For example, William became the Duke of Cambridge when he married Catherine,
Princess of Wales. Prince Harry became the Duke of Sussex when he married Meghan Markle.
So Louis and George will likely become dukes along the way, in addition to being princes.
The problem is that the title sticks for life, so William will have the Cambridge
dukedom until he dies. This means that there's limited availability as new royal heirs grow up.
For Louis, this means that it's likely he'll receive the title of Duke of York when he
comes of age, which is affiliated with the now-disgraced Prince Andrew. Traditionally,
that title has gone to the second oldest son of the monarch. But
Louis will be well taken care of, no matter what later titles he receives.