Here's The Most Valuable Member Of The Royal Family, It's Not The Queen

Queen Elizabeth II has the highest net worth within the British royal family, but her great-grandchildren may be upstaging her when it comes to impact on the U.K. economy.

The Queen has a personal net worth of around $500 million, per Forbes. But her great-granddaughter, Princess Charlotte, is said to be worth billions in terms of influence and economic benefits.

A 2015 projection from London-based brand valuation and strategy consultancy Brand Finance reported that Prince William and Kate Middleton's only daughter could be responsible for boosting the U.K. economy by £3.2 billion pounds ($4.5 billion) during her lifetime. Her birth alone generated economic benefits of more than $150 million, its research showed.

The young princess’ net value stems from her impact on retail, which has been dubbed the “Charlotte effect,” per Reader’s Digest. Since her birth in May 2015, Princess Charlotte's influence has brought a huge uplift to fashion and other brands she has worn or been associated with.

The so-called “Charlotte effect” has been proven in several instances over the past several years. The earliest example was the $100 pure white wool shawl by G.H. Hurt & Sons that she wore when her parents presented a newborn Charlotte to the world at St. Mary's Hospital in London. It sold out online in a matter of hours and had to be preordered.

This was followed by the pink fleecy shoes she wore during a family ski trip in 2016. The outing saw children’s wear brand My1stYears.com experiencing a 97% increase in the sales of Charlotte's booties.

The knitted yellow John Lewis cardigan Princess Charlotte wore in the portrait her mother took of her to celebrate her second birthday also sold out within 24 hours after the photo was released, the Independent reported.

In comparison, Brand Finance estimated that her older brother, Prince George, will contribute around £2.4 billion ($3.2 billion) to the economy. Princess Charlotte's bigger net value is due to the women’s fashion market having a larger scope compared to that of the men’s, per Robert Haigh of Brand Finance.

However, Princess Charlotte and Prince George still trail behind their mother in terms of influence. Middleton's economic impact is estimated to be around $7 billion, with the "Kate effect" having influenced many brands since she married into the royal family in 2011, according to CNN.

Overall, the British monarchy is valued at $88 billion, with a contribution of nearly $1.8 billion to the U.K. economy each year, per Brand Finance.