How Paul McCartney's five children make their money

What does life look like when your father is a Beatle?

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There’s no doubt about it – Sir Paul McCartney is rock 'n' roll royalty. The British musician originally rose to fame with The Beatles in the 1960s but has also enjoyed a decades-spanning solo career. As a result, the 81-year-old is worth an incredible $1.3 billion (£1bn), according to The Sunday Times Rich List 2024.

While Paul is a music icon to most, he's the proud patriarch of a blended family, and his children range in age from 20 to 61 years old. So what does life look like when your father is a Beatle?

From artists and activists to fashion designers and directors, read on to take a look inside the lives of Paul McCartney's five kids.

All dollar amounts in US dollars. 

Heather McCartney

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Born 31 December 1962, Heather McCartney (pictured here as a child with Paul and Linda McCartney) is Paul's eldest child. Though her biological father is the American geologist Joseph Melville See Jr, Paul married Heather's mother, the late American photographer and activist Linda Eastman, when Heather was six years old.

Paul legally adopted Heather, and she's previously stated that she considers the singer to be her father. Today, Heather is estimated to be worth between $1 million (£783k) and $2 million (£1.6m).

So let's take a closer look at how she's amassed her respectable fortune...

Heather McCartney: artist

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Heather was unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight following her mother’s 1969 nuptials to McCartney. For a while, it looked like she might follow in the musical footsteps of her famous father and she even sang backing vocals on two of his albums.

However, Heather eventually decided to carve out her own path and attended art school, where she focused on pottery and ceramics. Today, Heather is a renowned potter and designer. Exhibitions of her work take place all around the world, including in New York, Tokyo, Paris, and Sydney.

She also released a line of homeware products, the Heather McCartney Houseware Collection, in 1999. She's pictured here on the left with her sister, Mary McCartney, in 1997.

Heather McCartney: notoriously private

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Heather is notoriously private and prefers to stay firmly out of the spotlight. As a result, little is known about her personal life.

She's shown here in 1969 with her parents Paul and Linda.

Mary McCartney

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Born on 28 August 1969, Mary McCartney is the daughter of Paul and Linda McCartney. The rock 'n' roll heiress is reportedly worth an impressive $15 million (£11.7m).

So how does she make her money?

Mary McCartney: photographer

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Following in the footsteps of her late mother Linda – who passed away in 1998 after battling breast cancer – Mary is a renowned photographer. She’s snapped many famous faces throughout her decade-spanning career, including Jude Law, Ralph Fiennes, and Kate Moss.

Perhaps most impressively of all, Mary was chosen to photograph Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 to commemorate the royal becoming the longest-reigning British monarch. Mary's photography collection, Moment of Affection, went on display at the Château La Coste gallery in France in 2022.

The exhibition, which ran between June and September, featured over 20 pieces of work from her personal archive, all capturing "rare moments of unguarded intimacy and connection".

Mary McCartney: chef

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Like most of her family, Mary (pictured with her father) is a vegetarian and has published three veggie cookbooks: Food: Vegetarian Home Cooking in 2012, At My Table: Vegetarian Feasts for Family and Friends in 2015, and Feeding Creativity: A Cookbook for Friends and Family in 2023. In 2021, along with dad Paul and sister Stella, she turned 90 of Linda McCartney's vegetarian recipes into the plant-based cookbook Linda McCartney's Family Kitchen: Over 90 Plant-Based Recipes to Save the Planet and Nourish the Soul.

The animal rights activist also has her own Emmy-nominated plant-based cooking show, Mary McCartney Serves It Up! The series has featured a slew of celebrity guests, including Liv Tyler, Kate Hudson, and Mary's famous father, Paul.

Mary McCartney: director

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Mary recently got behind the camera to make her directorial debut for the 2022 Disney+ documentary If These Walls Could Sing, which chronicles the history of the Abbey Road recording studio. Many legendary artists have made music at the iconic studio over the years, including Pink Floyd, Radiohead, and, of course, The Beatles.

"Some of my earliest memories as a young child come from time spent at Abbey Road," Mary said in a statement about the documentary. "I’ve long wanted to tell the story of this historic place".

Stella McCartney

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Paul and Linda McCartney’s daughter Stella was born on 13 September 1971. Arguably the most famous of McCartney's offspring, Stella is worth an incredible $75 million (£58.7m).

Let’s take a look at how she's made her megabucks...

Stella McCartney: fashion designer

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Stella is an award-winning fashion designer. After graduating from the renowned Central Saint Martins art school in London, she was appointed the creative director of the Chloé fashion house in Paris in 1997. Stella would go on to become a household name after the launch of her eponymous fashion brand in 2001.

The revolutionary designer is a vegetarian and has famously never used leather, feathers, skin, or fur in her designs. What started out as a luxury womenswear line has now expanded into fragrances, lingerie, swimwear, menswear, and even organic skincare.

Stella originally launched her brand in partnership with Gucci, but she purchased the stake owned by Gucci’s parent company, Kering, in 2018. She's since partnered up with Kering's rival LVMH but still retains a majority stake in her fashion empire.

Today, her collections are sold in 77 countries around the world. Her most recent venture has seen her team up with LVMH brand Veuve Clicquot, transforming grape harvest leftovers into sought-after accessories.

Stella McCartney: CBE

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Stella’s career highlights include being appointed Team GB’s creative director for the 2012 Summer Olympics, as well as designing Meghan Markle’s wedding reception dress in 2018 (pictured). She also made history in December 2019 when she became the first fashion designer to grace the cover of Vogue magazine.

Arguably her biggest achievement to date, however, came in 2022 when she was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her services to sustainability and fashion.

Stella McCartney: philanthropist

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Stella is a dedicated philanthropist who launched the non-profit Stella McCartney Cares Foundation in 2018, which supports breast cancer awareness. That same year, she partnered with the United Nations on a sustainable fashion charter and announced a new charitable arm of her fashion label, Stella McCartney Cares Green, dedicated to promoting sustainability and protecting the environment.

Stella McCartney and King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, are shown here at the 2021 COP26 summit in Glasgow, Scotland.

James McCartney

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Born 12 September 1977, James is the youngest child of Paul and Linda McCartney, and Paul’s only son. He's reportedly worth a cool $20 million (£15.7m).

Read on to discover how he's amassed his fortune.

James McCartney: musician

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Not only is James a dead ringer for his famous dad, but he also shares his musical talents. James started his career by contributing vocals and guitar to Paul's solo albums Flaming Pie (1997) and Driving Rain (2001), as well as Linda McCartney's posthumously released album Wide Prairie (1998).

But the rock 'n' roll son has since gone solo...

James McCartney: solo career

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James made his solo debut in 2009 under the pseudonym Light, with his debut EP Available Light released in 2010. Since then, he's released two moderately successful albums: 2013’s Me and 2016’s The Blackberry Train.

He cites Nirvana, The Cure, PJ Harvey, Radiohead, and, of course, The Beatles as his creative influences.

James McCartney: the new Lennon and McCartney?

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James excited and delighted fans in equal measure earlier this year when he announced that his latest single, Primrose Hill, had been co-written with none other than Sean Ono Lennon, son of the late John Lennon. James has also teased new music, although it's unclear at this stage if Sean will be involved in future offerings.

Beatrice McCartney

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Born 28 October 2003, Beatrice is the youngest child of Paul McCartney. Her mother is Paul's ex-wife, the former fashion model Heather Mills. Beatrice (shown here with her father in 2013) appears to have shunned the spotlight for the time being, and little is known about her private life.

However, she reportedly expressed an interest in marine biology as a potential career path, so watch this space...

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