Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday
Queen Elizabeth II is the longest reigning monarch in over 1,200 years of British history Arthur Edwards/ Getty Images

The British monarchy has a total net worth of £58.4bn (€74.1bn; $83.8bn), according to a report. On Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday, consultancy firm Brand Finance estimated that the royal family will bring in a net £1.1bn for the UK economy this year from tourism, royal warrants and the surplus generated by the crown estate

It placed the total worth of the monarchy's tangible assets, such as the crown estate, the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster and the crown jewels, at £20.9bn.

To this, Brand Finance added the intangible assets of the crown – or its long-term contribution to the economy – of £37.5bn to arrive at the £58.4bn figure.

The annual economic contribution of the monarchy is forecast to steadily rise over the next five years, with costs such as the sovereign grant, security and maintenance of palaces offset mainly by the boost the royal family provides to tourism.

Also contributing to the surplus are royal warrants, a seal that can be displayed on their products by companies that have been chosen as a supplier for the royal family.

It lets the chosen companies pass on a significant price premium on their products at no cost to themselves.

Economic boost

"Queen Elizabeth heads a royal family near a peak of popularity. Yet the old debate over whether the monarchy should be retained continues to rage," Brand Finance chief executive David Haigh said.

"The principle of whether monarchy is an appropriate and fair form of government in the 21st century certainly remains open to question.

Queen 90th birthday
The British monarchy has enjoyed record popularity in recent years Annie Leibovitz via Getty Images

"However Brand Finance's research shows that from an economic standpoint at least, the royalists firmly have the upper hand. The Queen is exceptionally hard-working and respected, it will be interesting to see whether, in due course, Charles and William make as effective CEOs as Elizabeth."