Princess Diana tragically passed away at the age of 36 after a car accident in Paris’ Pont de l’Alma tunnel.
Not everyone her age would have considered writing a will.
However, the mother of two had specified in writing how she wanted her wealth to be distributed after she passed away because she was born into an aristocratic family and had once been married to the heir apparent to the British throne.
Diana left a generous bequest in her will that not only provided for her sons, Princes William and Harry, but also for her godchildren and favorite employees.
When Diana passed away in 1997, the appendix to her will states that the net value of her estate was more than £21 million.
The funds came from the divorce settlement Diana and Prince Charles reached, as well as from the sale of family shares, jewelry, cash, and personal effects from their Kensington Palace residence.
According to reports, inheritance taxes ultimately took a significant chunk out of the stated amount, leaving her inheritors with about £13 million.
After losing their mother, who would have turned 61 on Friday, July 1 if still alive, William and Harry were the main beneficiaries.
However, other people besides the princes also received large sums of money.
Paul Burrell, Diana’s dependable butler, received a £50,000 bequest.
According to Worthy.com, her 17 godchildren were also listed as beneficiaries and received a bequest that included sentimental china, paintings, and photographs.
The princes, their future spouses, and their families were given benefits from a discretionary fund, and special charities were given £100,000 along with Princess Diana’s wardrobe, which included her famous wedding dress.
The royalties generated by the continued, authorized commercial use of her intellectual property were allowed to go to a select group of charities.
After the above had been distributed, Diana’s two sons, William and Harry, who were 15 and 12 years old at the time of her passing, were to split the remaining estate.
According to reports, their mother left them a fortune worth £13 million, which after death taxes was reduced to £8.5 million.
By the time the fortune returned to the siblings, it had grown to more than £20 million thanks to years of wise investment by royal advisors.
According to Diana’s will, her sons would receive a portion of their inheritance at age 25, and the remainder when they turned 30.
When they received their respective portions of the fortune, both brothers paid inheritance tax.
In the shocking Oprah Winfrey interview he and Meghan Markle gave last year, Prince Harry revealed that the couple relied on their inheritance after stepping down from their senior royal roles in 2020.
Harry claimed that as a result of their choice, the so-called “Firm” cut him off financially.
He said to Oprah: “Without what my mother left me, we would not have been able to complete this.
She’s been with us throughout the entire process, so it seems as though she saw it coming.”
