Inside Princess Diana's $22.5 Million Divorce Payout: How Much Money She Kept

The divorce of Prince Charles and Princess Diana was finalised in August 1998 under the scrutiny of the entire world. The divorced Princess did not shy away from exposing the gory details of the breakup to the media and revealing the Royal family's private and not-so-decent affairs.

Diana's outspokenness made her a pariah among the Windsors, but it didn't affect her divorce settlement much. If anything, her 'severance package' was genuinely royal.

According to a 1996 New York Times article, the British Royal family treated Princess Diana with generosity, initially paying her approximately $22.5 million. The settlement agreement also included a $600 thousand yearly stipend.

So the Princess, who was allowed to retain her title, didn't walk out of her marriage to Prince Charles empty-handed. It should also be noted that as a member of the Spencer family, Lady Di had her own family funds to rely on.

Apart from the money, Diana retained access to some other royal 'perks'. For instance, she was still allowed residence in Kensington Palace. Specifically, apartments 8 and 9 were allocated to the divorced Princess.

She lived and worked there, and the place had facilities for the royal education of the young princes, including a grand piano. However, Diana was not permitted to use the Highgrove country house where she had stayed with both William and Harry after their births.

Perhaps, the most intriguing fact about Charles and Diana's divorce is that she kept the royal jewellery designated for the Princess of Wales. There was one condition, however: she couldn't dispose of it in any way, either through selling or gifting, as she had to pass it down to the princes after her death.

That is exactly what happened in 1997 after Princess Diana's tragic passing. Kate Middleton now wears the sapphire engagement ring given to her by Prince William.

As you can see, even though Diana was no longer a part of the Royal family after her divorce from Charles, she managed to keep almost all the perks she got when she married into the Windsor family. And despite her smearing the Windsors’ reputation in the media, the family treated her with great generosity.

Source: The New Your Times