The Queen's True Worth: Unravelling the public & private finances of Queen Elizabeth II
David McClure

Her  priceless jewellery, gilded carriages  and fairy-tale castle have all been on public display in  recent Windsor weddings but how rich is the Queen and where did her wealth come from? “Royal Privilege” lifts the lid on the monarch’s money box by revealing that her main income isn’t simply from the public grant or family inheritance.

It  uncovers how  her secretive  private  estate the Duchy of Lancaster has become the mainspring of  her money  with profits now £16m higher than when she was crowned. It  shows that the  land holding  is not really  private since its income has long been used to top up the public funding of the monarchy and its capital can never be personally sold off.

The book casts fresh  light on other sources of her wealth – including a £100 million  stamp collection, a £10 million fleet of vintage cars, a valuable horse-racing stud  and a small fortune in  wedding and other semi-private gifts.

Drawing on previously-unseen state  papers and interviews with palace insiders, David McClure’s investigation  is full of fascinating new insights into the Queen’s finances – from how the Treasury considered moving her out of Windsor Castle to make it a museum to why another of her residences has just  been placed in a commercial trust with control of some lucrative  fishing rights.