The British Royal family has a net worth of around £69 billion ($88 billion), but this pales in comparison to the wealth of the House of Saud, the ruling Royal family of Saudi Arabia
The British Royal family’s wealth is estimated to be around £69 billion ($88 billion). This is according to Forbes, with their fortune stemming from tangible assets such as properties and the value of the family brand. Among the Royal Family’s valuable assets are the highly profitable Duchy of Cornwall and the Duchy of Lancaster estate, which includes land, property and other assets that belong directly to the Sovereign.
The esteemed Savoy Hotel and Somerset House are part of the Duchy of Lancaster estate, with net assets totalling approximately £652.8 million ($755.4m). King Charles’ personal wealth is estimated at about £559.6 million ($772 million), ranking him as the 258th richest person in the UK. However, there is one Royal family whose net worth far exceeds most, being four times greater than the combined wealth of Elon Musk and Bill Gates, reports the Express. The title of the world’s wealthiest Royal family goes to the House of Saud, the ruling Royal family of Saudi Arabia, with a staggering net worth of £1.1 trillion ($1.4 trillion).
In comparison, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has a net worth of £264.8 billion ($304 billion), while Microsoft tycoon turned philanthropist, Bill Gates, has a net worth of £81.5 billion ($105 billion). The House of Saud’s net worth is so vast compared to the British Royal family that it is estimated to be roughly 16 times that of King Charles’s family.
The Saudi Arabian Royal family’s jaw-dropping wealth is largely down to their vast oil reserves, which fund a life of luxury that includes grand palaces, private jets, extravagant yachts and a highly lucrative art collection.
This immense wealth among Middle Eastern Royal families has become a common theme, despite these monarchies having had limited power under the Ottoman Empire. However, since the empire’s fall after World War I, these monarchies have seen their wealth and power skyrocket.
Their riches are primarily due to the exploitation of the valuable resources found in this region, with Gulf monarchies in particular continuing to prosper. As a result, Royal families from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are living a life most can only dream of.
The Saudi Royal family alone consists of around 15,000 members, with the lion’s share of the wealth held by approximately 2000 relatives. King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who has been at the helm of the family since his reign began in 2015, is the current head. His most famous son and apparent heir, Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, is also the current Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia and is widely regarded as the country’s de facto ruler.
The Royal Saudis, with their immense wealth, have made a number of extravagant purchases over the years. These include properties scattered around the globe like France’s Chateau Louis XIV, which MBS snapped up for a cool £235 million. Not to mention MBS’s acquisition of Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi painting for a staggering £349.6 million and a yacht worth £392 million – mere pocket change for such affluence.