The World's Richest Royals
If you're a member of any royal family, chances are you're doing fine for money—the taxpayer pays for your bills, you may live in a castle, palace, or otherwise stately home, and you may have so much money that you don't even need to work. But what about the world's richest royals? Let's examine some royals for whom money is no object.
Prince Harry, Duke Of Sussex
Despite giving up his royal and military titles in January 2020, before moving to America following his marriage to Meghan Markle, Prince Harry did retain the Duchy of Sussex. Even though he lost his royal income, he still has a net worth of $60 million.
DoD News Features, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
How Did He Become That Rich?
Prince Harry's income largely came from an inheritance from his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, and a lump sum of approximately $30 million from his father, King Charles III. It's unknown whether the prince was paid for his military service, although this is unlikely to have been a source of income for him, as certain royal family members aren't permitted a normal "job".
Queensland State Archives, Wikimedia Commons
King Carl Gustaf Of Sweden
King Carl Gustaf XVI of Sweden is the world's 24th-richest monarch and Europe's current longest-reigning monarch, having ruled for 52 years, ascending the throne in 1973. The King is worth approximately $70 million, of which $8 million was received last year from the Swedish taxpayer, out of the $16 million Royal Court Grant the Government provides for the King's staff, official duties, and travel.
Frankie Fouganthin, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
How Did He Become That Rich?
While much of King Carl Gustaf's wealth was likely inherited, he privately owned Solliden Palace, a royal residence on the island of Öland, the King's summer home. This is mainly used for the mid-July Princess Victoria of Sweden's birthday celebration. However, it's estimated that the palace is worth tens of millions.
PodracerHH 20:04, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Caroline, Princess Of Hanover
She's not even in line for the Monégasque throne, but that doesn't stop Caroline of Hanover from being one of the world's wealthiest royals. The oldest daughter of Rainier III, the King of Monaco, she has a personal fortune of $100 million.
Reagan White House Photographs, Wikimedia Commons
How Did She Become That Rich?
Like Carl Gustaf, Caroline inherited much of her wealth but received an upgrade in title when she married her third husband, Prince Ernst of Hanover, in 1999. As a result, she might also have received an upgrade in wealth, receiving a $980,000 allowance from the House of Grimaldi, the Royal House of Monaco. She's also a working royal and a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.
Pascal Le Segretain, Getty Images
Princess Stephanie Of Monaco
Princess Caroline's younger sister, Stephanie, doesn't rely so heavily on her father's wealth. Although the princess is also worth $100 million, she has (or had) multiple other revenue streams.
Levinskaya, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
How Did She Become That Rich?
While her royal stipend from her father isn't quite as luxurious as Caroline's—a mere $870,000—Stephanie has made her fortune as a pop star, model, and entrepreneur. She had a swimwear line, appeared on the covers of Vanity Fair and Vogue, and sold millions of records throughout the 1980s as a rebellious popstar.
Roland Gerrits, Wikimedia Commons
Emanuele Filiberto Of Savoy, Prince Of Venice
Despite being the only male grandson of Umberto II, the last King of Italy, Emanuele has had to work hard for his royal wealth of $100 million. Although he did have a brief career on Italian television in Dancing With The Stars, much of his time is now spent fighting Italy for possession of his family's crown jewels.
The History Behind The House Of Savoy
The House of Savoy was Italy's former royal family. They ended their reign in 1946 when Italy officially became a republic. Umberto II abdicated and exiled himself to Portugal, never returning to Italy. After Umberto's abdication, the family's crown jewels were locked away in the Bank of Italy. In 2021, the House of Savoy declared ownership of the jewels and began legal proceedings to regain possession of them.
Tanner (Capt), Wikimedia Commons
How Did He Become That Rich?
Like the above, Emanuele inherited much of his wealth from his grandfather. He also obtains funds from appearances on shows like Dancing With The Stars. It's worth noting that he's attempted to demand $136 million from the Italian state for his time spent in exile (with the rest of the former royals). They rejected his last request, and we don't think he'll get anything from the Italian state soon.
King Mswati Of Eswatini
You could be forgiven for having never heard of Eswatini before. It's Africa's last absolute monarchy, ruled by King Mswati III. Eswatini is a small landlocked country in Southern Africa, almost surrounded by the country of South Africa and the Indian Ocean. The iron-fisted ruler, King Mswati III, is supposedly worth around $100 million.
Presidential palace, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
How Did He Become That Rich?
Much of his wealth was likely inherited, but the King doesn't mind flaunting his extraordinary wealth (in comparison to his subjects, most of whom live in abject poverty). He (allegedly) has palaces for each of his 15 wives, a $58 million private plane, Rolls-Royce and BMW supercars, a suit beaded with diamonds, and a luxury watch collection.
Presidential palace, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
King Tupou VI Of Tonga
Tupou VI is a Polynesian royal who has been King of Tonga since 2012 and was formerly the country's Prime Minister. Unlike King Mswati of Eswatini, King Tupou is said to have little need for the finest things in life and lives relatively simply. His net worth breaks into the $100 million club.
Cpl. Brittney Vito, Wikimedia Commons
Charlene, Princess Of Monaco
We know Monaco is the home of the ultra-rich, but seriously, King Rainier? Another wealthy family member? It's hardly surprising at this point, but Princess Charlene is supposedly worth $150 million. To her credit, she was a former Olympic swimmer who was born in South Africa.
Frankie Fouganthin, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
How Did She Become So Rich?
While she may have earned some money as an Olympian, Rainier III gave her a royal allocation of around $1.6 million. She has built up a net worth of assets, including homes, luxury cars, and other luxurious items, likely paid for by her family's cumulative wealth.
Empress Farah Pahlavi Of Iran
The widow of the last Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, Empress Farah (now in her 80s), was the final Empress of Iran and was forced into exile by the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The Pahlavi family used to have a net worth of $20 billion and was one of the world's richest families in the 1970s. For her part, the Empress is worth approximately $200 million.
How Did She Become So Rich?
While much of her wealth is inherited, the Empress now splits her time between the United States and France and contributes greatly to many charitable causes.
Ketone16, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
King Abdullah Of Jordan
King Abdullah of Jordan ascended the Jordanian throne in 1999 and is from the storied Hashemite dynasty that has ruled over Jordan since 1921. The King has an astonishing reported net worth of $750 million. However, those gains may have been ill-gotten.
World Economic Forum, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
How Did He Become So Rich?
The 2021 intelligence leak known as the Pandora Papers revealed that the King of Jordan had amassed a secret property empire in the US and UK, with properties fetching upwards of $100 million. But that wasn't the end of the matter: Further leaks revealed that the King and his wife, Queen Rania, had millions stashed away in Swiss bank accounts. One account had a total of $259 million.
The White House, Wikimedia Commons
William, Prince Of Wales
William, the Prince of Wales, is the British crown's heir and King Charles III's eldest son. In 2022, The Times newspaper in England estimated that the Prince's net worth exceeds $1 billion—approximately $1.4 billion.
Mikolaj Barbanell, Shutterstock
How Did He Become So Rich?
While the Prince of Wales performs royal duties and was an officer in the British Army and Royal Air Force, much of his wealth was inherited from his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II. He inherited the sprawling Duchy of Cornwall, which dates back to the 14th century and is worth approximately $1.3 billion. It includes 52,000 hectares of land in 20 Commonwealth countries.
Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess Of Greece
Marie-Chantal is the Crown Princess of Greece and is married to Pavlos, the King's son. She is also of Danish royal blood, and her wealth comes mostly from her father, Robert Warren Miller. Although Greece abolished its royal family in 1973, she retains her royal title as the Crown Princess.
Frankie Fouganthin, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
How Did She Become So Rich?
Because of their abolition, the former Greek Royal Family (although extraordinarily wealthy) has had to rely on other means of income. In the case of Marie-Chantal, this was her father, Robert Miller's fortune, as the co-founder of Duty-Free Shops in the UK. Her fortune is roughly $2 billion.
Juan Carlos I, King Emeritus Of Spain
Despite resigning in 2014, Juan Carlos I kept his royal title of King Emeritus. In 2020, the former King was investigated by the Spanish police for tax evasion and paid 4 million Euros to the Spanish Tax Agency. However, that didn't affect his $2 billion fortune.
Estonian Foreign Ministry, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
How Did He Become So Rich?
Like most of his European compatriots, the King inherited his wealth. However, given his penchant for not paying taxes and his current exile in Abu Dhabi, his $2 billion fortune might not have been so high had he decided to pay his fair share of taxes.
א (Aleph), CC BY-SA 2.5 ,Wikimedia Commons
Albert II, Prince Of Monaco
Prince Albert II of Monaco lives an incredibly lavish lifestyle. Described as a "bottomless pit of cash," Albert II will one day be King of Monaco, bringing a shocking $2.2 billion of wealth.
How Did He Become So Rich?
Unlike his sisters, the Prince doesn't receive much of a stipend from his father but rather has investments in the Society of Sea Baths, a publicly traded investment company in Monaco, in which the Prince owns a massive stake.
Matthias Wehnert, Shutterstock
Charles III, King Of The United Kingdom
This king needs no introduction: he's the son of Queen Elizabeth II, who needed to wait 73 years for his mother to pass away before he could inherit the throne. According to an extensive audit by The Guardian newspaper, his royal fortune puts the King's wealth at $2.3 billion.
White House, Wikimedia Commons
How Did He Become So Rich?
King Charles III inherited the throne and an extensive collection of properties, crown jewels and other assets. These assets include Sandringham House, Balmoral Castle, a Monet painting worth $26 million, and one of the world's finest stamp collections. The Crown Jewels themselves are worth more than half a billion pounds, or $630 million.
HM Government, OGL 3, Wikimedia Commons
Taman Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir Of Qatar
Taman Bin Hamad Al-Thani is the Emir of Qatar, head of one of the world's richest royal dynasties. Worth an estimated $324 billion, Taman Bin Hamad Al-Thani's personal fortune is approximately $2.4 billion, with some of his money tied up in domestic and foreign property, including a $150 million home in Regent's Park, London.
Ahmad Thamer Al Kuwari, Wikimedia Commons
How Did He Become That Rich?
Much of Al-Thani's wealth was inherited, but he has held various positions within the Qatari government before becoming Emir in 2003 and has gained investment from the Qatar Investment Authority (Qatar's public wealth fund), of which he is the CEO. The Qatar Investment Authority owns 95% of London's infamous "The Shard" building.
Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, Crown Prince Of Saudi Arabia
It's estimated the Mohammad Bin Salman has a personal wealth of $5 billion, with the entire House of Saud being worth approximately $1.4 trillion. While Mohammad Bin Salman isn't the King, the Crown Prince has been the de-facto ruler of Saudi Arabia since 2015.
U.S. Department of State, Wikimedia Commons
How Did He Become That Rich?
While MBS is not the richest member of the Saudi Royal Family, he did lead a series of "anti-corruption" purges in Saudi Arabia, which saw many members of his own family arrested and their assets seized. Much of his wealth comes from the country's Public Investment Fund and state ownership of Saudi Aramco, the oil company that founded and runs Saudi Arabia's vast oil reserves.
Ali Lajami, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
King Mohammed VI Of Morocco
King Mohmmed VI of Morocco has an extraordinary net worth of $5.7 billion, making him Africa's richest king. Since taking over from his father, Hassan II, in 1999, Mohammed has faced significant protests, particularly after the Arab Spring in 2011, which led to Morocco adopting a new constitution reducing the King's powers.
How Did He Become That Rich?
Mohammed VI inherited much of his wealth from his father, but also has a large controlling stake in the national investment fund of Morocco: the Society of National Investment, which has interests in finance, agriculture, retail, mining, and more.
Mohamed MARADJI, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Hans-Adam II, Prince Of Liechtenstein
You might not have thought that a prince of such a small European country could amass such extraordinary wealth as $10.2 billion. Well, Europe's richest monarch has. Hans-Adam II is a prince of the realm of Liechtenstein with a family fortune that can be traced to the 12th century.
GuentherZ, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
How Did He Become That Rich?
Hans-Adam II's wealth stems from his control over the family's castles, palaces, and a huge collection of Renaissance artwork, but mostly from the Royal Household's ownership of a private bank with assets of around $350 billion. This makes him Europe's richest monarch.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Emir Of Dubai
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum is a property developer at heart. Alongside his fortune made in developing buildings in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, and the UK, he has amassed an incredible net worth of $14.2 billion.
How Did He Become That Rich?
But it's not just property development—his other assets include a $500 million superyacht and several private jets. Much of his wealth comes from his property development, but he once spent a staggering $3 million on strawberries in a single summer, according to rumors—perhaps no one is as big a fan of strawberries as the Emir of Dubai.
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud, Prince Of Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Bin Salman may be Saudi Arabia's de-facto leader, but he isn't even in the top two richest men in Saudi Arabia. The second-richest man in Saudi Arabia is Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud, founder of the Kingdom Holding Company, an investment fund (different from the Public Investment Fund mentioned above), which has interests that span multiple sectors. It's said that the Prince's overall wealth is around $14.4 billion.
How Did He Become That Rich?
Like most of the Saudi Royal Family, his wealth is inherited and/or paid for by dividends received by the country's Public Investment Fund and the Kingdom Holding Company. Despite being arrested in 2019 as part of the Saudi purges, he's still extremely wealthy, but apparently had to pay Mohammed Bin Salman as part of a deal for his release following being charged with corruption and money laundering.
King Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud, King Of Saudi Arabia
King Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud is the King of Saudi Arabia and the third-richest royal in the world. Generating his extraordinary wealth from the Kingdom's oil riches and inheriting the throne (and all finances) from his father, King Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud has a net worth of approximately $20 billion.
World Travel & Tourism Council, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
How Did He Become That Rich?
While most of the King's wealth was inherited, he does have many personal assets that are worth hundreds of millions, like his superyacht and a private 747 jet.
Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan Of Brunei
Like Saudi Arabia, Brunei makes a lot of money from its oil and gas reserves, selling it to other countries in the region that need it. Hassanal Bolkiah is the world's longest-reigning current monarch and in 1979, when oil and gas production in Brunei peaked, was the world's richest man. As Sultan, Bolkiah receives almost all profits from the industry, via a sovereign wealth fund of which he is head. His personal fortune is estimated at $30 billion.
Chin Yu Chu / Pangalau, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
How Did He Become That Rich?
Most of Hassanal Bolkiah's wealth derived from the oil boom in the late 1970s. The Sultan is also the owner of the world's largest private car collection and although he is no longer the world's richest man, we think he'll do just fine.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn Of Thailand
And now we come to the world's richest royal: King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the King of Thailand. When he ascended to the throne in 2016, the King became the world's wealthiest monarch, inheriting a fortune of approximately $45 billion.
The Public Relations Department, CC BY 3.0 TH, Wikimedia Commons
How Did He Become That Rich?
Inheritance accounts for how the King of Thailand became the world's richest royal, but much of that familial wealth comes from control over the Crown Property Bureau, a real estate portfolio that's worth billions. Land and buildings in central Bangkok account for much of the bureau, alongside the majority of shares in Russian and Thai companies.
You May Also Like:
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's Car Collection
The Trillion Dollar Collector Car Market—By The Numbers
Inside Bill Gates' Garage: These Are His Most Incredible Cars
NBT, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Sources:
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.png){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}