Prince William and Kate Middleton net worth: Are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge worth more than Meghan and Harry?

In technical terms, Kate Middleton might be a 'commoner', but she led a quietly luxurious lifestyle before marrying into the Royal Family.

Since becoming the Duchess of Cambridge Kate has swapped the wild nights out at Mahiki for state dinners and Cartier tiaras, but how much family money did she have before marrying Prince William?

She might have replaced Topshop frocks with Gucci blouses but she grew up quite comfortably. Read on for details about her family's party planning business and information on her current luxurious lifestyle - and of course, to see how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle compare.

What was Kate Middleton's net worth before she married William?

Strictly speaking, Kate doesn't have any self-made wealth, but she was previously involved in the business owned by her parents, events company Party Pieces. Formerly an air hostess, Carole Middleton set up the company to spend more time with her family.

“In 1987, I had two young children and was pregnant with my son, James. We had come back to the UK from living abroad and I was a full-time mum. I didn’t want to miss out on my children growing up, so I considered starting my own business,” Carole told Good Housekeeping. “Party Pieces was as a result of my personal need for my own children’s parties. You had to hunt high and low to find suitable party supplies. I found suppliers and put up notices in my daughters’ playgroup that said ‘Planning a Party?’ and started getting orders. My memories of those early days are very vivid.”

The business eventually grew and in 1995 moved to a warehouse. After University, Carole's children, Kate, Pippa and James Middleton worked for the business too. “Catherine started the First Birthday brand – she chose the products and looked after all the imagery and the catalogue production. Pippa set up the blog, as we didn’t have one. James came up with the idea of personalised cakes and got them off the ground for us,” she told GH, saying that she still asks them for business advice. Now, even Prince George and Princess Charlotte have been spotted helping out.

Party Pieces is worth an estimated $50 million. Kate worked for her parents after she graduated from St Andrews University (where she and Will met) but also briefly worked as an accessories buyer for Jigsaw.

Before moving in with Prince William, Kate lived in a Chelsea apartment owned by her parents - the flat was recently put on the market by her parents Michael and Carole for £1.95 million.

Where does Kate Middleton's wealth come from?

The Duchess's personal net worth is estimated to be between $7 and $10 million - a number based on the value of her family's business.

Most of Kate's expenses as a Royal Family member are funded by Prince Charles. He pays for her staff, wardrobe, and her official visits are covered by the countries she travels to. Charles has approximately $28 million in the Duchy of Cornwall fund, which is used to pay for the expenses of the 'Fab Four.'

Kate has to pay full price for her designer outfits. Both Duchesses aren’t allowed to accept freebies or loans from designers - which Markle, as a high profile actress, would have been used to doing before her marriage. Instead, their stylists pull pieces for free, send back what they aren’t going to wear, and then buy the winning options. So all that Gucci Kate has been spotted wearing lately is being paid for in full.

Kate has received valuable and elaborate gifts from the Royal Family, including her engagement ring, which originally belonged to Will's mother Princess Diana. It’s a 12-carat sapphire surrounded by 14 sparkling diamonds and set in white gold. Before their wedding Will also gave her a pair of sapphire and diamond earrings to match.

Prince Charles gifted Kate an Art Deco diamond jewelry set as a wedding gift, while his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, gave her a gold charm bracelet.

Queen Elizabeth also gifted the couple Anmer Hall, their own home in Sandringham, after their 2011 nuptials. The Hall was renovated at a cost of £1.5 million. It's now estimated to be worth £30 million.

Where does Prince William's money come from?

William is reportedly worth between $30 to $40 million. According to Business Insider, much of Prince William’s wealth is from an inheritance he came into on his 30th birthday.

Both Prince Harry and Prince William reportedly received the same inheritance from Princess Diana’s trust when they turned 30 - about $16 million, along with her jewelry.

They also received a $450,000 per year investment portfolio when they turned 21 and get an allowance from the Duchy of Cornwall. The allowance is reportedly $4.6 million, as of 2015. The millions cover their staff, travel, and wardrobes.

It has also been reported that Prince Harry received more than William from their great-grandmother, who died in 2002. She knew he would not inherit the Duchy of Cornwall, which will become Prince William’s when Prince Charles becomes King.

What is Prince William's net worth? Is it the same as Harry's?

Prince William and Prince Harry are both estimated to be worth somewhere around $30 million.

Prince William previously worked as a helicopter pilot for East Anglian Air Ambulance, but he donated his $62k-a-year salary to charity.

Though he's retired from his work as a helicopter pilot, he has his own Augusta A109S Grand Helicopter, valued at approximately $13.6 million - a gift from Queen Elizabeth.

Meghan Markle was worth a reported $5 million when she married Prince Harry - making the couple worth an estimated $45 million.

Her income came from her ​​Suits ​stardom, movie cameos, and lifestyle blog, The Tig.

Overall, Prince William and Kate Middleton are worth a bit more - while Prince Harry and Prince William’s net worth is almost even, Kate's estimated $7 million of personal wealth would put her slightly ahead of Meghan.

And once Prince William inherits the Duchy of Cornwall, he'll be the one paying for his family's activities.