[imagesource: Dan Marsh / Wikimedia]

Nobody needs seven palaces, 10 castles, 12 homes, 56 holiday cottages, and 14 ancient ruins.

And yet, there sits the new British monarch, King Charles III, who has inherited this $25 billion real estate portfolio.

Some might argue that this sprawling property empire is fit for a king, but surely, even for a king, it’s outlandishly excessive to own so much.

Forbes notes that when the 73-year-old sovereign acceded to the throne in September, he actually amassed control of a $42 billion empire, much of it in real estate.

The publication has since pored over all the property records, annual reports, audits, archives, and legislative documents to put a finger on the king’s new possessions.

The king of the castles has property spread across the United Kingdom as well as two cottages in Transylvania:

That map is interactive, which you can play around with here.

The actual ownership situation is a bit complicated and scattered:

Aside from Balmoral Castle in Scotland and Sandringham House in Norfolk, which he inherited from the Queen and now personally owns, none of these opulent residences and historic monuments are directly owned by the King.

Most are held by the Crown Estate, the Duchy of Lancaster and the Duchy of Cornwall, institutions held “in right of the Crown” for the duration of his reign. Others are controlled by the monarchy itself “in trust” for his successors and the nation, while another four properties are held by two foundations which the King established when he was Prince of Wales.

These Crown Estate and the Duchies’ palaces and countryside homes aside, Charles also oversees $12,9 billion in commercial, residential, and agricultural properties across the UK.

This ranges from the Ascot Racecourse and the Oval cricket ground to at least three golf courses, a private airfield, and the Savoy Chapel in Westminster, the private church of the reigning monarch.

There’s also the Tower of London and Caernarfon Castle, which are tourist attractions managed by various charities and trusts.

As for the 56 holiday homes and cottages across England, Wales, and the Isles of Scilly, they can be rented out as operated by the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster.

The Crown also has its hands on one of England’s most famous monuments, Stonehenge.

The mystical prehistoric monument was given “to the nation” in 1918 by Cecil Chubb, a local resident who purchased it for £6 600 in 1915, which comes to about $590 000 today.

Charles also has access to at least 49 residences for state visits across the globe, meaning the new monarch has a place to rest the head that wears the crown in Canada (Rideau Hall in Ottawa,) the Caribbean (King’s House in Jamaica), and the Pacific (Admiralty House in Sydney).

As the head of state in 15 Commonwealth realms, in addition to 13 British territories and three crown dependencies, I guess you can’t go with any less.

On local grounds, just the 14 homes serve as official residences of the King and the royal family:

Although he has only had the crown for a few weeks, Charles is expected to break with seven generations of tradition and reject Buckingham Palace [Forbes estimates it is worth $4,9 billion] as his London residence to remain in his current home at Clarence House (estimated value: $72 million.)

But he will also reportedly continue to spend some time at Highgrove House [valued at $39 million]. That means he’ll have to pay about $740,000 in annual rent to his son William, who succeeded him as Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and now holds Highgrove under the Duchy of Cornwall.

Check out Forbes for the full breakdown of King Charles III’s seemingly endless real estate empire.

Ah, it sure is good to be king:

Wild idea – what if the Royal Family sold these excesses and gave that money back to the countries it stole from during its colonial reign?

South Africa could surely benefit.

[source:forbes]