Why Princess Charlotte is worth more than Prince George, Prince Louis

Princess Charlotte, the only daughter of Prince William and Kate Middleton, is worth more than her brothers. The 3-year-old royal is said to bring £3.8 billion (AU$6.72 billion) to the UK economy, a lot more than Prince George and Prince Louis.

In the figures estimated by Reader’s Digest, it was determined that Charlotte is richer than George, who turns 5 years old Sunday, and Louis, 2 months old. They don’t carry their own purses, though. Because the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s children haven’t received their inheritance or worked for a living yet, their net worths are calculated by their value to the economy.

George, despite his status as future king, was estimated to be worth over a billion less than his younger sister at £2.7 billion (AU$4.8 billion). Louis, on the other hand, has a lot of catching up to do. He was said to be worth just £50 million (AU$88.4 billion).

As Reader’s Digest notes, the reason Charlotte is deemed more financially valuable to the economy than the little princes is largely due to the so-called “Charlotte effect.” Her fashion choices, which are most probably really her mother’s, has the nation clamouring to emulate her.

Any clothing piece that she wears during her rare public appearances is quickly snatched up from the stores. An example is the yellow cardigan that she wore on her official portrait for her second birthday. The $30 John Lewis cardigan sold out within a day of the image’s release.

Even from birth, Charlotte has already been helping the fashion industry. The white shawl that she was wrapped in just 10 hours after her birth had been snatched up by consumers immediately. G.H. Hurt & Sons, which made the shawl, said their website got over 100,000 visits just on that day. According to TIME, the shawl is still selling to this day.

“The royal children have a positive impact on the sales of particular clothes and toys brands they wear or play with,” Brand Finance CEO David Haigh said in a statement in May (via Insider). “In this sense, they have a very similar effect on brands as their mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, who has a real Midas touch — everything she touches turns into gold.”

It’s not just the fashion industry that Charlotte and George, and probably Louis in the future, help in. They are also said to be responsible for the tourism revenue generated by the monarchy.

“Many visitors who come to London for pomp and circumstance hope to see George and Charlotte on the Buckingham Palace balcony with their parents,” Haigh said. “Similarly, when they join their royal parents on a visit abroad, like visits to Poland and Germany for example, they generate incredible interest among the media and the general public.”