Elizabeth II was one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, with property holdings ranging from central London prime real estate to farmland across the country, but her ability to profit from, let alone sell, many of the assets over which she presided was limited.
Her father, King George VI, nicknamed the royal family “the Firm” and one former adviser to the family described the Queen as “very much the non-executive chair” when it came to business and financial affairs. But the Queen was unlike any chair of a conventional company, and her power to act like a normal company director, entrepreneur or investor was highly constrained by legislation and tradition.
She was the ultimate authority for important decisions about a royal household of more than 400 staff, from engineers to chefs, and oversaw the running and refurbishment of palaces that are among the most famous buildings in the world. Day to day, though, many of those decisions were taken by a network of courtiers.