Queen Elizabeth II’s fortune comes mostly from the inheritance she received from her late mother, investments, and income from the Crown Estate. Her net worth is estimated up to $472 million. The Queen is known to be practicing modesty, but she also knows to enjoy lavish lifestyle. We made a list of 15 things she loves to spend her money on. Take a look.
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1. $23 per pair of socks
Source: Modalu. Hacker and Case
Queen’s favorite socks are made by Corhi Hosiery Ltd. They can be from cotton to cashmere, and the hand-knit pair costs up to $209.
2. $104 per bottle of champagne
Source: Getty Images
Queen is not fan of the most expensive nor the cheapest champagne. Her favorite one is Pol Roger. It has been rumored that she sips one glass of it every night before sleep.
3. $600+ on Rachel Trevor Morgan hats
Source: Naaju
It is well known that the Queen loves hats. Most of the time we see her, she wears one. Her Morgan hats are custom made.
4. $2,000+ for Launer handbags
Source: Launer London
The rumor has it that the Queen owns over 200 of Launer handbags.
5. $84,000 for a trip to Germany
Source: Getty Images
The Queen and Prince Philip visited Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, in 2015. They also met German President, Joachim Gauck, and survivors and liberators of the camp. The Queen doesn’t spare expense when it comes to traveling.
6. $786,000 for cleaning, laundry, and chores
Source: Getty Images
The Queen Elizabeth II likes everything to be clean and fresh. In 2016, she searched for a live-in housekeeper and offered annual salary of $22,000.
7. $1.3 million for stationery and stamps
Source: Getty Images
Sending cards to the British celebrating milestone birthdays and anniversaries costs a lot, but the Queen does it each year.
8. $1.4 million for gas and electricity at royal properties
Source: Getty Images
Buckingham Palace is big, so it takes a lot to power it. 29.3 million kilowatts of energy were used by the palace back in 2016. This much energy costs over $2 million a year. A four-year contract which is supposed to save over $1 million, was fixed for the Queen.
9. $1.8 million for food and drink
Source: Getty Images
War veterans, and honoring attendees for community service and contributions are being hosted each year by the Queen. And there are thousands of them, and next to them, she also hosts world diplomats visiting the U.K.
10. $2.7 million for planes, trains, and automobiles
Source: Getty Images
The Queen never travels alone. When it is time for some trip, an entourage of security and personnel go with her.
11. $5.6 million to maintain the royal property
Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms and 78 bathrooms, so it takes a lot of work at maintaining the whole place, from changing the light bulbs to dusting the furniture. Don’t even get us started on the pristine lawn of the royal property.
12. $10.4 million to lease a helicopter
Source: Getty Images
In 2015 Queen leased a helicopter so her grandson, Prince William, and Kate Middleton could easily travel to engagements.
13. $25.5 million to pay for the queen’s staff
Source: Getty Images
A duster, a butler, security, engineers, housekeepers and so on. With many needs when it comes to maintaining Buckingham Palace, come many people that are part of the Queen’s staff.
14. $452 million to renovate Buckingham Palace
Source: Getty Images
The renovation of Buckingham Palace wasn’t taken lightly. Many saw it as misuse of the taxpayers’ dollars since it was a lot of money.
15. $13 million invested in offshore portfolios in Bermuda and Cayman Islands
Source: Getty Images
Spending money is easy, but let’s see how the Queen invests it. In November 2017, Queen’s investments in the offshore havens of Bermuda and the Cayman Islands were leaked. These areas have a lower tax liability, so investing there is lucrative. Most of the Britains weren’t happy about this, questioning the legitimacy of the whole investments, but the public was assured that the Queen has done nothing wrong.
Source: cheatsheet.com
