UK Monarch wealth

[tali1]

There are richer people in UK than the Queen (ignore buildings, works of art etc etc) but historically over the last thousand years has the monarch been the Uk's richest person? - or were there always richer people(landowners)? -even then , i assume monarch would have been at least top 5 wealthiest?

[jno]

Why ignore buildings and works of art? Our homes are the most expensive thing most of us own. The monarchy's a big landowner. Chalres doesn't own the Duchy of Cornwall but he makes £16 million a year from it.

http://www.centreforcitizenship.org/monarchy/mon4.html

I don't know the situation in the Middle Ages, when there were a lot of powerful local lords; but from the Tudors on I suspect they were always the richest in the land.

[123everton]

I'm not big on the history of the monarchy, but from what I can recall (from T.V shows I've seen) is tha up until Queen Victoria most English kings and Queens were nigh on broke.

[jake-the-peg]

It rather depends on the Monarch.

English and British Kings were unable to Levy taxes on their own behalf. The last one that tried got his head cut off!

In order to raise taxes (Usually for a foreign war ) they had to call get the agreement of Parliament.

However there were lots of other ways to raise money, monarchs had the power of patronage, granting rights, land, monopolies, titles and there were lots of opportuntities for kick-backs. All in all what we would consider corrupt practices.

There was also good opportunities for share of booty in foreign wars.

And earlier monarchs made money by founding bouroughs and charging rents and taxes on them. King John founded Liverpool in this way. They could then raise money and buy the independance of the bourough back from the King.

Of course the most notorious royal money making adventure would be Henry VIII's dissolution of the Monastries. It's difficult to overstate exactly how rich some of these institutions were they owned nearly 1/6 of England with all the farms and enterprises on them