Prince Harry just received a bigger birthday inheritance than Prince William. Here's why.

Prince Harry is ringing in his 40th birthday this weekend, on September 15th to be exact. And while he and the other royals aren't exactly best buds right now, he is receiving ~quite~ the present from the Crown.

According to The Times, the Duke of Sussex is set to inherit £8 million (roughly $15.7 million AUD) for the big 4-0. Damn, that's much better than the Toblerone this author received for her 25th.

But surely King Charles isn't feeling *that* generous towards the son who described him as a bad listener in his memoir, Spare. No, this cash comes from a different royal — the late Queen Mother.

A former palace aide recently said that when Harry was 10 years old, the Queen Mother, then 94, put aside a tax-free £19 million ($37.3 million AUD) for her great-grandchildren.

Reportedly, these inheritances were to be divided into two instalments — one for when Wills and Harry turned 21, and the second for when they turned 40. 

The Queen Mother reportedly set aside £19 million for her great-grandchildren. Image: Getty

"There was a trust fund set up at the time," the aide said. "It was a way in which some of her estate could be ring-fenced for them."

Other sources have added that Harry may be getting more money than the heir apparent. Favouritism? No, more like equity.

Basically, when Charles became king, Wills officially inherited two titles — the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cornwall. With these, it is estimated that he received £23.6 million fortune ($46.3 million AUD) by inheriting the estate.

It is said that the Queen Mother knew that Wills would get a larger fortune than Harry, and purposefully put aside more money for the younger son.

As for the rest of her money? Her entire estate was left to her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, following her death in 2002, aged 101. 

"In her will, she asked The Queen to make certain bequests to members of her staff, and these bequests will be subject to inheritance tax in the normal way," a statement from Buckingham Palace said at the time.

"The Queen has decided that the most important of Queen Elizabeth's pictures and works of art should be transferred to the Royal Collection."

Harry and Meghan earn money in a different way to the other royals. Image: Getty

How do Harry and Meghan make money?

Alright, so before stepping back as senior royals, Harry and Meghan received 95 per cent of their annual income from Charles, now king, and five per cent from the Sovereign Grant. 

What is the Sovereign Grant, you ask? It's the annual tax-payer funded mechanism of the monarchy, using the Crown Estate's revenue, that covers the work of the royal family, including expenses to maintain official workspaces and residences.

After the Sussexes stepped back as senior royals in 2020, they were no longer able to receive money from the Sovereign Grant. However, King Charles reportedly gave Harry and Meghan a "substantial sum" to establish their new life.

Harry also is said to have received the bulk of Princess Diana's £13m fortune ($25.5 million AUD) following her death. What's more, for each episode of Suits that Meghan Markle starred in (and there were more than 100 of them), the duchess was reportedly paid $50,000 USD ($75,000 AUD).

As for a new source of income? Harry and Meghan are relying on their independent ventures, including shows, books, and podcasts through Archewell Productions. More recently, Meghan announced her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard — though, things on that front haven't exactly been smooth sailing (more on that here). 

Feature Image: Getty