But probate documents recently released by Britain’s High Court confirmed the late One Direction singer’s only child is the sole beneficiary of his estate, which includes a five-bedroom home Payne bought for about $4.3million in 2021 to live closer to his son following his separation from Cheryl.
While parts of the estate can be used for Bear’s upbringing, those close to Cheryl said she hopes to delay his access to the inheritance until he is at least 25.
One family friend told us: “From the day Bear was born, Cheryl has made it her life’s priority to give him the most grounded and stable upbringing she possibly can. She has always wanted him to experience childhood away from the spotlight and to grow up valuing hard work, kindness and independence rather than fame or money. That’s something she and Liam both believed in.
“She knows an inheritance of this size has the potential to completely change a young person’s outlook on life if it comes too early. Cheryl doesn’t want Bear growing up thinking he has unlimited wealth waiting for him or feeling that he never has to build a life for himself.
“Her hope is that he’ll establish his own career, make his own mistakes, learn the value of money and become a confident, responsible adult before he’s ever given full control of the estate, and this is now a major mission in her life.
“She believes Bear will be in a far stronger position to make sensible, informed financial decisions in his mid-twenties or even later than he would as a teenager or young adult about this amount of money. This isn’t about denying Bear what’s rightfully his – it’s about making sure his father’s legacy protects him rather than becoming a burden.
“Cheryl wants him to be known for the man he becomes, not simply for the fortune he’s inherited.”