Cheryl protected Son Bear from Liam Payne’s $28 million trust fund

But probate documents recently released by the British Supreme Court confirmed that the late One Direction singer’s only child is the sole beneficiary of his estate, which includes a five-bedroom house that Payne bought for about $4.3 million in 2021 to live closer to his son following his divorce from Cheryl.

While parts of the estate could be used for Bear’s education, people close to Cheryl say she hopes he can delay access to the inheritance until he is at least 25.

A 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 can. She always wanted him to have a 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 that a legacy of this magnitude has the potential to completely change a young person’s outlook on life if it comes too soon. Cheryl doesn’t want Bear to grow up thinking that unlimited wealth awaits him or feeling like he never has to build a life for himself.

“Her hope is that he will build his own career, make his own mistakes, learn the value of money and become a confident, responsible adult before he ever takes full control of the estate, and this is now an important mission in her life.

“She believes Bear will be in a much stronger position to make sensible, informed financial decisions in his mid-20s or even later than he would have as a teenager or young adult about this amount. This isn’t about denying Bear what is rightfully his – it’s about ensuring his father’s legacy protects him rather than becoming a burden.”

“Cheryl wants him to be known for the man he becomes, not just the fortune he inherited.”