The World's Richest Families, Their Net Worth, Country And Source of Wealth
- The British royal family has been known to be the most visible of all royals in the world but is hardly the wealthiest
- The combined vast wealth of empires around the world is estimated at $2.6 trillion, with most of them controlling businesses
- According to reports, the majority of the royals are from the Middle East and derive their wealth mainly from oil
The death of Queen Elizabeth II and the subsequent enthronement of King Charles III have thrown up little-known facts about the British and other royal families around the world.
According to reports, the wealthiest royal families in the world have a combined net worth of $2.4 trillion between them as of 2021.
Source: Getty Images
The Pandora Papers have raised even more questions about how some royal dynasties make and spend their wealth.
Liechtenstein's royal family: $4.4 billion
The Liechtenstein royal dynasty in Austria has an estimated $4.4 billion. A significant share of the family fortune is with Prince Hans-Adam II, the current monarch.
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He is the latest in a long line of monarchs who have reigned over the small Alpine dynasty since it was created as a sovereign state in 1806. The Financier royal pays no taxes and derives their wealth from LTG Group, a private family bank which the monarch controls.
Apart from the bank, the Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation heads a portfolio of high-net-worth property, thriving companies and other valuable business investments.
Morocco's royal family: $8.2 billion
The Alaouite Dynasty is Morocco's reigning family, and it was founded in 1631 but originated in the 13th Century. The prominent family comprises 19 members headed by King Mohammed VI, who became the King in 1999.
Some estimates put the net worth of the Moroccan royal dynasty at around $8.2 billion, making them the ninth most affluent royal family in the world.
Apart from owning billions of dollars worth of assets, the Moroccan royals have one of the world's most extended civil lists, meaning the line of royals the government pays for their service to the state.
Eighteen-year-old Moulay Hassan is the next in line and is the eldest of King Mohammed VI and Princess Lalla Salma's two children.
Their daughter, 14-year-old Princess Lalla Khadija, is also one of their children.
There were reports that Prince Moulay was given a private jet to travel the world and said he wanted to study aviation. However, the news was debunked by Morrocco, who stated that the Royal Armed Forces bought the plane for officials to carry out duties.
Dubai's royal family: $18 billion
The Dubai royal family came from the House of Maktoum, dating back to 1933, with 12 prominent and hundreds of extended family members.
Their combined wealth has been estimated at around $18 billion.
The royal family's wealthiest member is the dynasty's head and ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He has ruled since 2006 and serves as the UAE's vice president and prime minister.
He controls an investment vehicle, Dubai Holdings and is known for his generosity.
The monarch has six wives, and $100 is rumoured to have been spent on his wedding to his first wife, Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum in 1979.
Brunei's royal family: at least $28 billion
The House of Bolkiah founded the Brunei dynasty in 1363 and has ruled Brunei on and off ever since.
The dynasty is headed by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who has ruled for the past 54 years.
The family is very wealthy via Brunei's vast oil reserves. Forbes reports that the Sultan is worth $20 billion as of 2011, but other estimates say his wealth could be closer to 28 billion.
Thailand's royal family: Up to $60 billion
Thailand's Chakri dynasty has ruled the Royal family since 1782 and is still treated with utmost reverence in the country.
The reigning King, Maha Vajiralongkorn, agreed to the throne in 2016 after the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The Bangkok-based royals comprise 22 individuals, including unofficial members and former spouses, but the core family members are just 10.
The true wealth of the royal family cannot be declared publicly and is protected by lese-majeste, meaning to wrong the majesty, a law and anti-defamation policy that has seen people arrested and jailed for harmless acts such as posting memes of the King's favourite dog on social media.
The royal family's net worth is estimated at $30 billion to $60 billion, which was signed over to the King himself in 2018 after the country's Crown Property Bureau managed it for 80 years.
The British royal family: $88 billion
In October 2021, the Crown Estate was among those named in the Pandora Papers, which showed the organisation purchased $91.2 million in London property from Azerbaijani ruler Ilham Aliyev, which is rumoured to have around $545 million of UK property.
Abu Dhabi's royal family: $150 billion
The Descendants of the Al Maktoum dynasty form the House of Nahyan dynasty in Abu Dhabi and have ruled the country since 1973.
The clan boasts 200 male members and an unknown number of females.
The family got its fortune, estimated at $150 billion, during the 1970s when they lived off the country's oil profits.
The family's head, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has been Abu Dhabi's emir and UAE's president since 2004. He is the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, which oversees an estimated $696.6 billion in total assets, including the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, the tallest building in the world.
The House of Thani has been in charge in Qatar since the mid-19th Century, and the current ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who at 40 is the youngest sovereign in the world, was appointed emir in 2013. The family is said to number in the thousands, possibly around 7,000 or 8,000.
Qatar's royal family: $335 billion
The Al Thanis fell out with their Gulf neighbours in 2017 after allegedly paying terrorist organisation al-Qaeda a ransom of $1 billion to release 28 members of a royal hunting party kidnapped in Iraq two years previously.
Kuwait's royal family: $360 billion
The Al Sabah family is at the helm in Kuwait. The dynasty has ruled the Middle Eastern country since 1752, and the current emir is Sheikh Sabah IV Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The family is said to number around 1,000 members.
Time magazine article from 1991 put their wealth at a staggering $90 billion.
Much of the wealth is tied up in US stocks and shares, which have skyrocketed in value over the years.
Saudi Arabia's royal family: $1.4 trillion
The wealthiest royal family in the world is the House of Saud, which is estimated to be worth more than a jaw-dropping $1.4 trillion. This unimaginable wealth is spread out among the vast family's 15,000 members.
The House of Saud has ruled the nation that bears its name since 1744.
The current King Salman has been on the throne since 2015, and power in the country, and much of its wealth, lies with the monarch and his relatives. He is thought to be the wealthiest individual member of the family, with
Queen Elizabeth's death makes two of her great grandchildren richest kids in the world
Legit.ng reported that the death of Queen Elizabeth II has thrown up little-known facts about her great-grandchildren and the children of the heir apparent to the throne, Prince William.
Two of the late Queen's great-grandchildren, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and Prince Geoge of Cambridge, have emerged as the wealthiest kids in the world with a combined net worth of $8 billion.
Princess Charlotte is the richest kid in the world with an estimated net worth of $5 billion, while her older brother Prince George follows her with a net worth of $3 billion.
Source: Legit.ng
