Kate's secret fortune makes her wealthier than Meghan

It's easy to assume that Meghan Markle would be wealthier than Kate Middleton, after all she had a long and successful career as an actress before joining the royal family in May of last year.

Meghan was seen at flashy events dressed in designer gear, and she made millions in the role of Rachel Zane in the US TV drama Suits, but just because her wealth was a little more obvious doesn't mean it was greater.

In fact, it turns out that of the two duchess' Kate has more independent wealth, and was worth a whopping $9 million before she even became a royal according to Time, compared to Meghan's $7 million worth.

All that wealth despite never having a full time job.

The majority of Kate's money actually comes from her parents' mail order party business, which they've built up over the years to a massive $54 million empire, as well as from a trust that her paternal grandfather set up before he died.

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Carole and Michael Middleton were already wealthy before they started their party business and sent Kate, along with siblings Pippa and James, to exclusive schools with yearly fees in tens of thousands.

They're also clever investors, owning several properties throughout the Bucklebury area of Berkshire in the UK, where they also live, and have stakes in racehorses that earn them even more money which will eventually go to Kate and her siblings.

That's not to say Kate has never worked though. She held two part time jobs in her youth, one for her parents' business taking photos of their various party paraphernalia and editing catalogues, the other as an assistant accessories buyer for UK clothing chain Jigsaw.

To top it all off, that was just Kate's wealth before becoming the Duchess of Cambridge, wife to one future king of England and mother to another.

Now Kate's expenses are paid for by the royal family, covering everything from her housing, to clothing, travel and other expenses, the bill coming to an estimated $5 million a year for the Cambridge family.

On top of that is William's wealth, having inherited around $19 million after his mother, Princess Diana, died in 1997.

It's difficult to even comprehend just how much money Kate has behind her, and even if she were to stop being a royal tomorrow, she would likely be set for life even without her title.

We only wish we could be worth millions without ever having to work a full time job!