Prince Philip, who was married to Queen Elizabeth for 73 years, tragically passed away last month at the age of 99. Now, it’s been revealed that Philip left behind an estimated $42 million (£30 million) after his death, and he gave some of that money to his devoted staffers.
The Sun reported that while most of that fortune was left to the Queen, a Buckingham Palace source said that Philip made sure to leave some of that money to his aides.
“Unlike some other royals, Prince Philip will be generous to the three men who looked after him,” the insider said. “These include his private secretary Brigadier Archie Miller Bakewell, his page William Henderson and valet Stephen Niedojadlo.”
Each of these three men were very supportive of Philip in his final years, even standing in for him when he could not make it to official engagements.
The insider went on to say that Philip’s grandchildren will have been “sorted out quite a while ago” when it came to money. The source added that even Prince Harry, who has been giving interviews in which he trashes the royal family as of late, won’t be cut out of the will.
“Philip was not the sort of character to punish a grandson [Harry] for misbehaving,” the source explained. “He was a very fair, even-handed and lovely man. Never held a grudge.”
“Philip had plenty of time to sort out all the legal stuff so it wouldn’t attract inheritance tax,” the insider continued. “He was no more of a fan of leaving his cash to the Treasury than anyone else.”
The source also said that Philip’s four children have been told they can “take what they want” from his collection of 13,000 books in his library at Buckingham Palace.
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said of the situation hat, “This is a personal matter for the family and as such arrangements are private.”
Philip passed away at Windsor Castle on April 9, just two months shy of his 100th birthday. When the Queen celebrated her 95th birthday just days later, she issued a rare personal statement in which she thanked the public for the support they’ve given her since the passing of the man she was madly in love with for 73 years.
“I have, on the occasion of my 95th birthday today, received many messages of good wishes, which I very much appreciate,” the Queen said. “While as a family we are in a period of great sadness, it has been a comfort to us all to see and to hear the tributes paid to my husband, from those within the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world.”
“My family and I would like to thank you all for the support and kindness shown to us in recent days,” she added. “We have been deeply touched, and continue to be reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on countless people throughout his life.”
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