Royal families around the world also hold as much wealth as the billionaires, amounting to trillions of dollars.
Names like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk or Bill Gates, etc. are no longer strange to us when they are all entrepreneurs, founders of the world’s top companies and hold a huge fortune in their hands. billion USD. However, it would be a mistake to refer to the global super-rich without powerful royal families and equally valued.
Here are the 10 richest and most powerful royal families in the world that we have compiled:
10. Liechtenstein royal family: $4.4 billion
Liechtenstein is bordered by Switzerland to the southwest, and Austria to the northeast. It is the fourth smallest country in Europe, with an area of just over 160 square kilometers and a population of 37,877.
According to Bloomberg, the net worth of the Liechtenstein dynastic family is estimated at $4.4 billion. The biggest contributor to this number is Prince Hans-Adam II. Hans-Adam II is the last monarch to rule the small country since 1989. Much of his wealth comes from the LTG Group, the family’s private bank of which he is the main control.
In addition to banks, the Prince of Liechtenstein Fund manages a portfolio of high-value assets, large companies and other lucrative investments. Not to mention a world-class art collection with masterpieces by Raphael, Rembrandt and Van Dyck.
9. Dubai Royal Family: $19 billion
Since 1833, the Maktoum royal family has had 12 main members who take turns reigning and expanding to hundreds of other members. Their total assets are valued at around $19 billion.
The richest member of the family by far is the head of the dynasty and ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He has run the country since 2006, serving as vice president and prime minister of the UAE and owns an estimated fortune of $18 billion.
Rashid Al Maktoum runs investment fund Dubai Holdings and is known for his lavish lifestyle. He spent $100 million on his first wedding in 1979 and donated billions of dollars to charities.
8. Royal Morocco: 20 billion USD
The Moroccan royal family rules the Alaouite dynasty, founded in 1631 but has roots in the 13th century. The core family is made up of 19 members led by King Mohammed VI, who ascended the throne in 1999.
Forbes has estimated the family’s fortune to be $5 billion, but other sources have suggested that the figure could be as high as $20 billion. In addition to owning assets worth billions of dollars, the Moroccan royal family is also listed among the most generous spenders.
In the Royal Court, employees are paid millions of dollars. Electricity and water bills of the royal palace also amount to millions of dollars a year.
7. Brunei Royal Family: 30 billion USD
Brunei’s royal dynasty, the Bolkiah family was founded in 1363 and has ruled this small Southeast Asian country ever since. In particular, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has been the ruler for the past 51 years.
The family has become incredibly wealthy thanks to Brunei’s vast mine-rich reserves. The Sultan holds a fortune of $20 billion, while his son, Prince Haji Abdul Azim is said to have a personal fortune of up to $5 billion.
Famous for being extravagant, the Sultan lives in the $1.4 billion Istana Nurul Iman palace. He also owns 7,000 supercars including 600 Rolls-Royces and 300 Ferraris, and several private jets. The king even spent $21,000 just to cut his hair.
6. Thai royal family: 60 billion USD
The Chakri dynasty has been Thailand’s ruling royal family for the past 236 years and has always received the utmost respect from the people of this country. The current monarch is Maha Vajiralongkorn, who accepted the throne in 2016 following the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
This royal family consists of 22 people, including unofficial members and ex-spouses. The number of core members of the family is only 10. The Thai royal family is said to be controlling around $60 billion in assets through the Crown Property Bureau.
These assets include high-value real estate in central Bangkok, stakes in several key Thai companies and luxury hotel group Kempinski. The family portfolio is reported to generate about $3 billion in revenue a year.
5. British Royal Family: $88 billion
The British people are not only eagerly waiting for the birth of the baby Harry – Meghan, but also curious about the wealth and affluence she receives when officially a member of the British Royal Family.
This powerful family’s $88 billion worth of assets comes from business and tourism activities. Owning $ 5 million, the income of the bride Meghan Markle mainly comes from the $ 50,000 salary for each episode of Suit that she participated in before becoming a royal. Meanwhile, Harry, who served in the Royal Air Force for 10 years, earns about $53,000 a year, in addition to a $13 inheritance from his late mother.
Queen Elizabeth is the owner of the largest wealth of all members of the royal family. According to the “2018 Rich List” of the Sunday Times, her net worth is estimated at $480.5 million. Part of that comes from profits generated by the Crown Estate, as well as through estates such as Balmoral Castle in Scotland and Sandringham House in Norfolk, England.
4. Abu Dhabi Royal Family: 150 billion USD
The Nahyan family belongs to the same tribe as the Al Maktoum dynasty and has been the reigning royal family of Abu Dhabi since 1793. The family has 200 male members while the number of females is unknown.
Like other royal families in the Middle East, the Al Nahyans’ wealth comes from oil. The family amassed most of their $150 billion fortune during the 1970s.
The head of the family, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is the heir to Abu Dhabi. He has served as president of the UAE since 2004 and is also chairman of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, which manages $875 billion in assets, including Dubai’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa.
3. Royal Qatar: 335 billion USD
The Thani family has ruled Qatar since the mid-19th century. The current ruler is Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the world’s youngest monarch, appointed emir in 2013. The number of members of this royal family. also extremely large, between 7000 and 8000 people.
King Al Thani controls the country’s $335 billion wealth fund. Meanwhile, the family’s assets include the Shard skyscraper, the Olympic village in the British capital, the Harrods building, and significant stakes in New York’s Empire State Building and well-known companies such as Volkswagen and Barclays. and Tiffany & Co.
2. Royal Kuwait: 360 billion USD
The Al-Sabah family is ruling Kuwait, a West Asian country. This dynasty has ruled the Middle Eastern country since 1752, and the current emir is Sheikh Sabah IV Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The Al-Sabah royal family is said to have a total of about 1,000 members.
According to a Time magazine article from 1991, the family’s net worth is a staggering $90 billion. Much of the wealth is believed to be tied to stocks, especially US stocks, which have skyrocketed in value over the years.
In fact, experts believe the wealth of the Kuwaiti royal family could have quadrupled since the early 1990s and is on the conservative side as they have significant stakes in most blue chip companies. large in the US.
1. Royal Saudi Arabia: 1.7 trillion USD
The Saudi royal family is the richest family in the world, holding a fortune of up to $1.7 trillion. Yes, you are not mistaken. This unimaginable wealth is spread among the 15,000 members of the family.
The Saudi family has ruled the nation that bears its name since 1744. The current King Salman has been on the throne since 2015 and holds domestic power and most of the wealth, which rests with the monarch and his relatives.
Meanwhile, Prince Alwaleed, who was arrested last year on corruption charges, is the wealthiest member of the family with an estimated net worth of $18.7 billion. Various sources also said that the Prince had agreed to pay the authorities $6 billion to be released after several months in detention.