Prince Harry turned 40 on Sunday, and with that special occasion came a rather hefty birthday gift: millions of dollars distributed to him from a trust set up decades ago by his great-grandmother, the queen mother, reports the Times of London. That trust was created in 1994, when Harry was just 10 years old, for the queen mother's great-grandkids, and it once totaled around $25 million. "It was a way in which the queen mother could set aside money for when her great-grandchildren were older and a way of passing a slice of her estate down in a tax-efficient way," a former Buckingham Palace aide tells the paper.
It's not completely clear exactly how much Harry's wallet was filled after he passed his 40th, but the BBC and the Guardian reported years ago that both he and his older brother, Prince William, were set to split around $8 million once they each turned 21, then would receive an additional $10.5 million or so when they turned 40. Sources do tell the Times, however, that the queen mother "may have left a larger portion to Harry than William, with the presumption that William would be in receipt of the fortune from the Duchy of Cornwall when he became heir apparent."
In a perhaps more surprising development, Harry also saw an olive branch of sorts from his immediate family on his birthday, reports People. The magazine notes that the UK royal family's official social media accounts, run by King Charles III's office, posted a photo of a smiling Harry, along with the message: "Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!" Meanwhile, Harry's estranged brother and his wife, Kate Middleton, reposted Charles' well wishes and added their own "Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex!" Vanity Fair cites sources that say they believe Charles likely spoke to Harry as well. Still, it remains unclear if the family's rift is truly on its way to being mended. (More Prince Harry stories.)
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