The House of Maktoum makes the rich look poor, the rich look normal, and millions of dollars look like a small amount of money. Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the ruler of Dubai right now. He and his family have a net worth of $18 billion, making them the richest people in Dubai. With six wives and 23 children, the head of the family has a very interesting life. Nothing about them or their home, hobbies, or events is typical. Sheikh Maktoum’s first wedding was the “Most Expensive Wedding” ever, which is a fact that not many people know. The month-long celebration cost $100 million, and a stadium was built just for the wedding. He has been the only leader of the Emirate for the past 17 years. He will be replaced by Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, who is expected to be his heir. Here are some jaw-dropping facts about the life of Dubai’s famous House of Maktoum, which is filled with animals, art, and luxury.
People think that royals are born with diamond-studded spoons, but Sheikh Mohammed, the third of Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum’s four sons and the ruler of Dubai, was a prince but not princely. Before there were fancy hotels, huge man-made islands, and skyscrapers that touched the clouds, Dubai was a simple fishing village.
It’s hard to believe, but when the sheik was young, he lived in a house without electricity. Sometimes, he and his large family had to all sleep in one room with a fan. Even back then, more than a hundred people, like guards and slaves, lived in his house.
The same can’t be said about his sons, Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan and his younger brother Mansoor bin Mohammed Almaktoum. By 1966, oil had been found in Dubai, and the city grew quickly. Over the next few years, Dubai changed into a modern city and a center for business. The princes were born into money and lived a luxurious life. They started out at the prestigious Rashid School for Boys in Dubai. Later, they moved to the UK to go to Sandhurst, a top school for British military officers that is popular with royals from the Middle East.
The businesses that bring in the billions. With a lot of money comes a lot of responsibility, and Sheikh Mohammed is both responsible and very rich. The Emirati politician, who is 73 years old, is called “one of the world’s most well-known real estate developers.” The one-man army is the reason why Abu Dhabi is becoming a global city like Dubai. Some of the businesses owned by the government that he runs are Emirates Airline, DP World, and the Jumeirah Group.
Some of these are owned by Dubai Holding. Sheikh Mohammed also had the idea for the Palm Islands, the famous Burj Al Arab Hotel, and the Burj Khalifa, which is the tallest building in the world.
The Emirates Group was started in 1985. It is made up of Dnata and Emirates Airline, which is the largest airline in the Middle East and flies to more than 150 places. People often say that the award-winning airline is the most luxurious in the world because its first-class seats come with private suites and shower spas.
The hugely successful business makes about $28.3 billion a year and has more than 105,000 employees all over the world. Emirates said that at the end of its financial year in 2023, it had a lot of cash on hand—$10.2 billion, which is 79% more than it had on March 31, 2022.
Where do the king and queen live? The royal family of Dubai lives in a huge $2 billion palace that is 27 times bigger than the White House. The palace is about 44 hectares in size, which is about 1.5 million square feet. The royal family loves animals very much, and their home has a private zoo where they keep tigers, lions, giraffes, and elephants, among other exotic animals. The huge house has a large swimming pool surrounded by beautifully kept gardens and palm trees. The royal family can live comfortably in the palace, which also has a banquet hall that can hold 1,000 people and a private movie theater that can seat 80 people.
Zabeel Palace is a beautiful work of design and architecture, with details made of 22-carat gold, 200 chandeliers, and marble from 13 different countries. Outside, there are many things to see and do, like a tennis court and horse stables where the best riders in the world can keep their horses.
They own several properties in the UK. Their huge real estate portfolio gives you an idea of how much money the Maktoum clan has. Godolphin Stables, the most successful thoroughbred horse racing stable in the world, was bought for $100 million by the owner of a 63,000-acre estate in Surrey. In the 1990s, he bought the famous Longcross Estate as a way to get away from the heat of Dubai. In 2009, an additional $60 million was put into Dalham Hall so that it could be used as a stud farm near the Newmarket racetrack.
Sheikh Mohammed bought the Highland estate in Wester Ross for $3 million almost twenty years ago. The great property is no less than a palace, with 58 bedrooms, a triple helipad, and a 16-bedroom luxury hunting lodge. HH Sheikh Mohammed owns a number of apartments in the London development One Hyde Park.
Outside of the UK, the Maktoum family owns a number of properties in France, including a large estate near Chantilly. When they go to Amman, Jordan, they stay in their own palace and relax in a Swiss chalet in the posh ski town of Verbier. In terms of vacation homes, Sheikh Mohammed and his family take trips to their vacation palace in the Moroccan city of Tangier.
Superyachts are beautiful and grand. Are you even a royal if you don’t have palaces on land, in the air, and on the water? The royal Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates owns several yachts, such as the Dubawi and the Smeralda. But the $400 million Dubai and the $180 million megayacht Quattroelle, which is a floating Burj Al-Arab and is owned by the Crown Prince, are the most interesting.
The 531-foot-tall Dubai has 50 luxurious guest rooms, a disco, a squash court, and a swimming pool with fiber optic lights built right into it.
The eight-decker has 88 cabins that can sleep 115 people, and it has a crew of about 90 people. The Lurssen Quattroelle is a huge ship that gives its royal owner an entire deck and has 6 luxury cabins for 12 guests.
The wealthy ruler of Dubai owns a fleet of private jets. Billionaires have private jets, but the ruler of Dubai has a fleet. The Boeing 747-400, also known as the Dubai Air Wing One, is used for both private and business trips. Sheikh Mohammed and his family always stay there when they travel abroad because it is so big, has so many nice amenities, and has the most up-to-date technology.
Interiors are kept secret for obvious reasons, but it goes without saying that the world’s largest private jet usually has a main bedroom with a full-sized king bed and en suite. You can expect to have a walk-in shower and a vanity with a mirror and expensive toiletries on either side.
Upstairs, next to the salon for the royal children, is the main lounge. There are also several guest cabins and a private office that can be used as a formal dining room. Sounds like a lot of money, right? There are rumors that Sheikh Mohammed also has a Boeing 737 and a Gulfstream G650.
As long as we’re talking about traveling, Princess Haya and Sheikh Mohammed used to love going on trips together when they were younger. They once spent an amazing $3 million on strawberries and a huge $850,000 on a summer trip to Italy. In Greece, the couple ran up a big hotel bill of $311,000. The ruler of Dubai had to pay his ex-wife, who lived in the United Kingdom, a huge $700 million as part of their divorce settlement. This was one of the most expensive divorce settlements in British history.
The royal family likes art. The walls of the Zabeel Palace show that the House of Maktoum likes good art. Works by famous artists like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and Auguste Rodin are displayed on the walls, which are very fancy. This love can be seen outside the palace walls at the Etihad Museum, which has works from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s private collection. Works by Dia Azzawi, Baya Mahieddine, Naziha Selim, Abdul Qader Al Rais, and Fateh Moudarres from the 20th century show Arab art at its best.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is a well-known racehorse owner and breeder who is known for his love of horses. His son, Crown Prince Mohammed Al Maktoum, also known as “Fazza,” has the same passion for horses. Their breeding operations are some of the most successful in the world. Since 1992, when the company Godolphin Stables was founded, its horses have won more than 5,000 races around the world.
The high-tech facilities and good care they give to the horses show how much they care about animals. Huge amounts of money are spent on technology and equipment to make sure that the horses are healthy and happy.
The royal family of Dubai also owns Darley Stud in Newmarket, England, Jonabell Farm in Kentucky, United States of America, and Kildangan Stud in County Kildare, Ireland.