Prince Edward was born on 10 March 1964, at Buckingham Palace, London in the United Kingdom, as Edward Antony Richard Louis. He is the fourth, youngest child and the third son of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip. Although at the time of his birth he was the third heir in line to the throne, now he is only the ninth. Since 1999 Edward has been known as His Royal Highness the Earl of Wessex.
So just how rich is Prince Edward? Although the British royal family does have some privacy, sources estimate that the Prince has a personal net worth of $45 million, mostly inherited from his parents through royal privilege, accumulated from his royal duties, and earned through his professional career.
Prince Edward Net Worth $45 Million
In his early years, a professional governess was responsible for the Prince’s education at Buckingham Palace. Edward then continued studying in Ascot and later on he attended Gordonstoun school in northern Scotland, as had his father and brothers. The Earl spent a year in New Zealand, taking the role of a house tutor and junior master in Wanganui Collegiate School. He then undertook successively a BA and MA in history at Jesus College Cambridge, graduating in 1991, only the fourth member of the royal family to obtain a degree.
The Prince was then obliged to repay the university grant he had received from the Royal Marines by undertaking his cadetship, which actually lasted only a few months, apparently to the displeasure of his father. However, his dream had always been a become involved in theater drama – in 1986 Edward had arranged the musical “Cricket” for his mother`s 60th birthday celebration, and subsequently worked for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s theatrical production company. After exiting the Marines, he worked in some television production companies, including producing the show eventually called “It’s a Royal Knockout”, which wasn’t well received, before in 1993 establishing his own theatrical company named Ardent Productions dealing with the production of such movie genres as dramas and short documentaries. Unfortunately, and perhaps inevitably, Edward was accused of using his royal connections to benefit himself financially, particularly by apparently invading the privacy of his nephew Prince William while he was undertaking university studies, but his company was also criticised for predictable and poor quality productions. The Prince was better accepted in the United States, perhaps also predictably, when Edward made a documentary on his uncle King Edward VIII – this program was well received around the world too. Regretfully, Ardent Productions only made a profit in one year of its existence, and was voluntary liquidated in 2009.
In fairness, Prince Edward withdrew almost totally from involvement with Ardent in 2002, to concentrate on royal duties, including taking over many responsibilities from his aging father who was then over 80 years of age. These duties are such as President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, and opening the Commonwealth Games, plus assuming patronage of The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme
In his less-than-private personal life – as befits all royals – in 1999 he married Sophie Rhys-Jones, who the public relations executive in Ardent Productions. On marriage and in accordance with tradition, Prince Edward was created Earl of Wessex, with the understanding that he would ultimately inherit the title of Duke of Edinburgh. The couple has a daughter and a son, and live in Bagshot Park, Surrey, which is a fifty square-mile open land estate. It is known that the Prince rented it from the Crown Estate for £5,000 a year, which after renovation was raised to £90,000 per year.
