The Duke of Sussex is today expected to receive between £7 and £8 million after a family trust fund matured over the years.

Prince Harry is set to receive a rather generous gift to mark his 40th birthday today.

The Duke of Sussex becomes eligible to receive millions of pounds from a family trust fund today set up by the late Queen Mother when he was ten years old.

Prince Harry’s late great-grandmother is understood to have set up the trust with an estimated £19 million in 1994 as a way of providing a tax-free lump sum to all her great-grandchildren.

The Duke is expected to receive between £7 and £8 million after the fund matured over the years.

The Queen Mother was 94 at the time the fund was set up. The money was to be distributed between her younger relatives with a first payment on their 21st birthdays and a second payment when they reached the age of 40.

It is thought that Elizabeth, the late Queen Mother, left more to Harry than William with the presumption that William would be in receipt of the fortune from the Duchy of Cornwall when he became heir apparent.

A former Palace aide said: “There was a trust fund set up at the time. It was a way in which the Queen Mother could set aside money for when her great-grandchildren were older and a way of passing a slice of her estate down in a tax-efficient way. It was a way in which some of her estate could be ring-fenced for them.”

The news comes amid reports that Prince Harry will not be returning to the UK to undertake royal duties despite sources claiming that he was plotting a return.

Prince Harry flew from his home in the US to join his brother at St Mary’s Church in Snettisham for their uncle Lord Robert Fellowes’s memorial last month – both brothers are said to have ignored each other.

Despite the frostiness between the brothers in recent years, the Royal Family wished Prince Harry a happy 40th birthday on social media today.

Prince Harry was said to be very fond of the Queen Mother

King Charles and Queen Camilla joined the Prince and Princess of Wales in offering birthday greetings to Prince Harry online.

The official X account for the Royal Family posted the birthday wishes to Prince Harry early this morning, with William and Kate’s official account sharing a similar greeting mid-morning.

The King and Queen’s social media post read: “Wishing The Duke of Sussex a very happy 40th birthday today!”

In the loving picture accompanying the post, a smiling and laughing Prince Harry is seen wearing a light grey suit jacket, white shirt, along with his signature bracelets – and he is caught grinning off camera. The picture is also accompanied by an emoji of a pink birthday cake.

The Prince and Princess of Wales also marked the Duke’s milestone 40th birthday with a heartfelt message shared on social media.

It read: “Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex!”