As one of the most talked-about figures, Princess Diana has built a significant fortune. In this article, we dive deep into the assets and career highlights.
What was Princess Diana's Net Worth?
In late 1995, the Queen advised Charles and Diana to divorce, and the divorce was finalized on August 28, 1996. Diana received a $24 million divorce settlement from Charles. By comparison,Sarah Ferguson, who was Diana's sister-in-law from 1986 to 1996, received $900,000 to be used towards buying a house and $600,000 in cash when she divorced Prince Andrew. Following the divorce, Diana continued to live at Kensington Palace. She dated surgeon Hasnat Khan for nearly two years. In July 1997, Diana began dating film producer Dodi Fayed, the son of billionaire businessmanMohamed Al Fayed.
Princess Diana was a British princess and philanthropist who had a net worth of $25 million at the time of her death in 1997 at the age of 36. After adjusting for inflation, that's the same as around $45 million in today's dollars. As we detail in the next section of this article, the vast majority of Princess Diana's net worth came thanks to a divorce settlement she received from Prince Charles in 1995. Charles' mother,Queen Elizabeth, funded the settlement. Upon Diana's death, the funds were placed in trust for her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. With the growth of the invested funds, by the time William and Harry turned 30, respectively, they each received $40 million from the Diana Trust.
(Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Diana was included on "Time" magazine's 1999 list of the "100 Most Important People of the 20th Century," and the publication named her "Woman of the Year" in 1987. She was ranked #3 in a BBC poll of the "100 Greatest Britons" (2002) and #15 in a "BBC History" poll of "100 Women Who Changed the World" (2018). In 1999, the Diana Award was launched in honor of the "People's Princess," and it was given to "outstanding young people selflessly creating and sustaining positive social change." Diana was a patron of charities such as the Landmine Survivors Network, National Children's Orchestra, Royal School for the Blind, British Red Cross Youth, and Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for Children, and in 1987, she was given the City of London's highest honour, the Freedom of the City of London.
Princess Diana was born Diana Frances Spencer on July 1, 1961, in Park House, Sandringham England. She was a member of the important British aristocratic family the Spencers, who had been closely tied to the royal family for generations. Diana had aristocratic bloodlines from birth. Her father was John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, and her mother was the Honourable Frances Roche. She earned the title of Lady Diana in 1975 when her father assumed the title of Earl Spencer. Diana's parents welcomed five children together, but sadly, her older brother John died in infancy before Diana was born. She had two older sisters, Sarah and Jane, and her younger brother, Charles, became the 9thEarl Spencer after their father's death in 1992. Diana grew up on the Sandringham estate in a home known as Park House, which was owned by Queen Elizabeth II. Diana called the queen "Aunt Lilibet" and often played with Prince Edward and Prince Andrew when the royal family visited Sandringham House.
Charles and Diana had a notoriously rocky relationship with rumors of fights and infidelity. In 1986, Charles entered into a relationship with his ex-girlfriend,Camilla Parker Bowles, and Diana became involved with MajorJames Hewitt, who formerly worked as a riding instructor for the family.
Diana Spencer's "fairytale" wedding to Prince Charles of England made her popular with people the world over. Her gentle beauty made her a favorite subject for photographers and news crews. Diana's humanitarian work and her devotion to her children gave the royal family a more human and accessible face, qualities that it had often lacked. Her divorce from Prince Charles in 1996 after 15 years of marriage was met with dismay by many people.
When Diana was 7 years old, her parents divorced, and her mother married Peter Shand Kydd in 1969. Diana and her younger brother lived with Lady Althorp in 1967 after her parents separated, but later that year Lord Althorp refused to let his estranged wife take them back to London after the Christmas holidays. He later won custody of both children, and he married Raine, Countess of Dartmouth, in 1976. Diana did not get along with her stepmother, who she referred to as a "bully," and she reportedly once pushed the Countess down the stairs. After being homeschooled, Diana attended Silfield Private School, Riddlesworth Hall School, and West Heath Girls' School. During her youth, she played piano, studied tap and ballet, and participated in swimming and diving. Diana spent a term at the Swiss finishing school Institut Alpin Videmanette, then she returned to London and worked as a dance instructor until a skiing accident put her out of commission for three months. She later worked as a playgroup pre-school assistant, a nanny, and a nursery teacher's assistant. When Diana was 18, her mother bought her a flat in Earl's Court for her birthday.
Her death in a car accident on August 31, 1997, after she and her companion, Dodi Fayed, were pursued by paparazzi, caused international mourning. Diana was known as Lady Diana Spencer after her father became the 8th Earl Spencer in 1975, Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales after she married Prince Charles in 1981, and Diana, Princess of Wales after her divorce was finalized in 1996.
Ultimately, Princess Diana's financial journey is a testament to their success.
Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.
