He was born with the proverbial silver
spoon in his
mouth, but in many ways life has been far from easy for Prince William:
years of scandal surrounding the private lives of Charles and Diana
resulted in the divorce of his parents, the Prince and Princess of
Wales.
Worse was to come with the tragic death of his mother at the age
of just 36.
Now, a decade on, Prince William is preparing to inherit a great legacy
from Diana: not the millions he will draw from her estate when he turns 25 later this year, but the opportunity this
brings to enjoy, if he so wishes, more freedom and independence away from the Royal court.
Details have emerged of just how much William will inherit from Diana. According to the Sunday Times,
the Prince will receive an allowance of a quarter of a million pounds
(£250,000 or approximately $489,000 US) each year from the estate of
Diana, Princess of Wales on his birthday on June 21st.
Prince Harry will receive exactly the same amount as his older brother when he turns 25 on September 15th 2009.
Although £8.5 million of Diana's
estate went straight to the Inland Revenue, William and Harry's joint
inheritance is nevertheless worth at least £20 million.
This will result in an annual income for
both Princes of approximately £500,000, although this will rise through
ongoing investment and inflation.
It must also be remembered that this considerable sum doesn't include
any inheritance or money the Princes receive from other sources.
