Yeah - people like to spend their free time envying the wealthier ones of this world!
Let's proceed then (onwards with the envying) by order:
Numero Uno is the Sultan of Brunei, worth US$22 billion (CDN $23.3 billion)
Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan is ranked No. 2 overall; he rules over the tiny emirate of Abu Dhabi, home to one-tenth of the world's oil reserves; his net worth is estimated to be no less than US$21 billion (CDN$22.2 billion - but that was a month ago or so!).
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the deity-revered king of Thailand, is allegedly worth US$5 billion (CDN$5.3 billion) and that is good for number 5 - does that mean the top four are deities too?
Prince Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein, who comes in at number 6 for instance, is no prisoner of his volition as he resides over a US$4.5 billion (CDN$4.8 billion)
The Aga Kahn, who is the spiritual leader of the world's dispersed 15 million Ismaili Muslims and does not, hence, rule over any territory per say, is the number ten on this list - which means that Monaco's 1.2 billion dollar bachelor, Prince Albert II, actually edges out a spiritual leader by coming in as number 8...!!!
There's truly no justice in this world!
And rounding up the short list, at number 15, we have one of the most interesting names ever to be found among royalty, for, hailing from sub-Saharan Africa comes 39-year-old King Mswati III of Swaziland, with a net worth of US$200 million (CDN$211.7 million). At 39, he is the youngest on the list too!
The collective worth of the list's 15 rulers is US$95 billion (CDN$100.5 billion)
And the Queen of England, you ask, WHERE is she in all this?
She comes in a paltry 11th on our ranking of the world's richest royalty, weighing in or rather being worth an estimated US$600 million (CDN$635.3 million) - only!
The Queen of the Netherlands is worth only HALF of what LIZ is reputed to command throughout the remains of the Ole British Empire - yet, she is clearly the most stylish of ALL the *very rich* royals, so, I chose to have her picture here - and none of the top ten braggarts! ;)
My blog - I AM THE KING HERE!
*lol*
*lol*
3 comments:
No. 1
Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah
Sultan/Brunei
$22 billion
Age: 61
Became 29th Sultan of Brunei 40 years ago, inheriting riches of an unbroken 600-year-old Muslim dynasty. Rules concurrently as the oil-rich land's prime minister, defense minister, finance minister and head of religion. Collector of fine jewels is also an avid polo player.
No. 2
Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
President/United Arab Emirates
$21 billion
Age: 59
Hereditary ruler of tiny emirate Abu Dhabi, home to one-tenth of world's oil reserves. Trying to reinvent emirate as "cultural hub" of the Middle East; Frank Gehry-designed branch of the Guggenheim museum is set to open in 2011.
No. 3
King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz
King/Saudi Arabia
$19 billion
Age: 83
King since August 2005; soon after, began construction on a $26 billion city named in his honor. More fiscally conservative than his big spending half-brother, the late King Fahd. Breeds Arabian horses. Established two libraries in Saudi Arabia and Morocco.
No. 4
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Ruler/Dubai
$16 billion
Age: 57
"CEO of Dubai Inc." shares fortune with two brothers; government holding companies bought big stakes in HSBC and Deutsche Bank in the past year; bid for U.S retailer Barneys New York. Announced plans to donate $10 billion for Middle East educational foundation.
No. 5
King Bhumibol Adulyadej
King/Thailand
$5 billion
Age: 79
World’s longest-reigning monarch is U.S.-born, Swiss-educated and revered as a deity in Thailand. Family fortune includes investments, real estate mostly held through Crown Property Bureau. Environmentalist has royal car that runs on palm oil.
No. 6
Prince Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein
Prince/Liechtenstein
$4.5 billion
Age: 62
Heads self-named country. Family, whose fortune goes back 900 years, has been collecting art for four centuries; own 33 Rubens, largest number in private hands. Also own private LGT bank, real estate and Rice Tec, a U.S. producer of genetically engineered rice.
No. 7
King Mohammed IV
King/Morocco
$2 billion
Age: 44
Nicknamed "king of the poor" for efforts to alleviate poverty and improve human rights. Palace's reported operating budget exceeds $960,000 a day; much of it spent on clothes and car repairs.
No. 8
Prince Albert II
Prince/Monaco
$1.2 billion
Age: 49
Eligible bachelor inherited tiny principality after his father’s death in 2005 as well as a fortune in real estate, art and stake in Monte Carlo’s casinos. This year, hosted tributes to honor his mother, U.S. actress Grace Kelly, who died 25 years ago.
No. 9
Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani
Emir/Qatar
$1 billion
Age: 55
Overthrew father in a bloodless coup in 1995. Sports enthusiast bringing events like Asian Games to tiny state. Funded Al Jazeera and its English sister station.
No. 10
Prince Karim Al Husseini
Aga Khan
$1 billion
Age: 70
Celebrated 50th anniversary as leader of world’s 15 million Ismaili Muslims this year. Suave businessman runs business conglomerate from France and Switzerland; also has extensive horse farms. Currently divorcing second wife; first ex-wife received a reported $20 million.
No. 11
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen/U.K.
$600 million
Age: 81
Long-reigning queen keeps an active travel schedule, including a state visit to the U.S. this year, her fourth since 1957. Real estate holdings in England and Scotland are appreciating; owns valuable stamp collection. Amateur photographer passionate about Welsh corgis and horses.
No. 12
Sheikh Sabah Al Sabah
Emir/Kuwait
$500 million
Age: 78
Took over as emir in 2006 after crown prince was deemed too ill to ascend to throne after death of former emir Sheikh Jaber. Soon after, voted for a significant raise in the royal family stipend.
No. 13
Sultan Qaboos Bin Said
Sultan/Oman
$500 million
Age: 66
After six years under house arrest, overthrew his father in 1970. Began modernization to open country to outside world; his fortune today is tied up in oil. Funded restoration of over a dozen mosques.
No. 14
Queen Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard
Queen/Netherlands
$300 million
Age: 69
Wields more power than most of Europe's reigning monarchs: appoints the prime minister and deputies, also signs bills into law. Family fortune includes real estate, equity investments and antiques, which the queen reportedly actively manages.
No. 15
King Mswati II
King/Swaziland
$200 million
Age: 39
Africa’s last absolute monarch assumed the throne at age 18. Wealth derived from investments, real estate. Lavish spender is building palaces for each of his 13 wives. Recently held a reported million dollar-plus birthday bash for himself; critics denounced the spending given the country’s poverty and high AIDS rate.
...
The world's richest royals
by
Devon Pendleton and Tatiana Serafin
Last year's movie sensation , The Queen, about Queen Elizabeth II, captured the monarch's lavish lifestyle with footage of her opulent castles and many servants. Not a bad life, but she comes in a mere 11th on our ranking of the world's richest royalty, worth an estimated US$600 million (CDN$635.3 million). She can take some comfort in the fact that she's the world's wealthiest female ruler and just one of two women to make our list.
In the top spot is the Sultan of Brunei, worth US$22 billion (CDN $23.3 billion), 36 times more than the Queen of England. The Sultan who inherited the riches of an unbroken 600-year-old Muslim dynasty recently celebrated his 40th anniversary as ruler of the oil-rich land. The only other Asian monarch to make the cut is the world's longest-reigning living monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the deity-revered king of Thailand, who we estimate is worth US$5 billion (CDN$5.3 billion).
More than a third of the rulers, six to be precise, preside over oil-rich territories in the Middle East including the Emir of Qatar who funded Al Jazeera, the King of Saudi Arabia who is building a US$26 billion (CDN$27.5 billion) city named in his honour and the ruler of Dubai, whose government bought stakes in HSBC (nyse: HBC) and Deutsche Bank (nyse: DB) this year. The region's richest is Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ranked No. 2 overall, who rules over the tiny emirate of Abu Dhabi, home to one-tenth of the world's oil reserves.
We estimate his net worth to be US$21 billion (CDN$22.2 billion). He is promoting the territory as the cultural hub of the Middle East and plans to open a Frank Gehry-designed branch of the Guggenheim Museum in 2011. Seventy-eight-year-old Sheikh Sabah Al Sabah took over as emir of Kuwait last year after the crown prince was deemed too ill to ascend the throne; he wasted no time in voting for a significant raise in the royal family stipend.
The list's youngest member and the only one from sub-Saharan Africa is 39-year-old King Mswati III of Swaziland, with a net worth of US$200 million (CDN$211.7 million). Almost every year, he chooses a new bride from among 20,000 naked bare-breasted virgins; so far, he has 13 wives and is building a palace for each. The list's only bachelor is Prince Albert II of Monaco. Best known as a playboy who fathered two children out of wedlock, he inherited the tiny principality that is just about the size of New York City's Central Park in 2005, after his father died.
Prince Albert's title, and much of his fortune, has been in his family for 700 years. But that's not unusual for these dynasties. Prince Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein, for instance, resides over a US$4.5 billion (CDN$4.8 billion) fortune that stretches back 900 years and encompasses a 400-year-old art collection with 1,600 paintings, including 33 Rubens, the largest such collection in private hands.
The collective worth of the list's 15 rulers is US$95 billion (CDN$100.5 billion), about the size of the gross domestic product of Chile or New Zealand. The only ruler who doesn't preside over a geographic territory is the Aga Kahn. Rather, he is the spiritual leader of the world's dispersed 15 million Ismaili Muslims. A suave businessman, he's been in the press recently because he is divorcing his second wife; his first ex-wife reportedly received a US$20 million (CDN$21.2 million) payout.
Keep in mind that the wealth of the royals is often shared with extended families and often represents money that is controlled by them in trust for their nation or territory. Therefore none of them would qualify for our list of the world's billionaires, regardless of their net worth.
Another note: While we have tracked the fortunes of a few high-profile royals like the Queen of England and Sultan of Brunei for years, this is the first time we scoured the globe in search of a truly definitive list. Monarchs of such countries as Spain and Japan failed to make the cut.
--Additional reporting by Cristina von Zeppelin and Chaniga Vorasarun.
Go to Forbes.com to view the slideshow
In Pictures: World's Richest Royals
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Ah yes...
Last year's film THE QUEEN
with the venerable Helen Mirren!
The first time ever, maybe,
that tons of make-up on a lady
made her LESS desirable
than she normally is!
*LOL*
Helen Mirren -
she can be the Prime Suspect
on many occasions
whenever a Brit
or any movie connaisseur
loses his self-control
and wanders in thought
towards lustful country...!
But Mirren as The Queen...?
Perish the thought!
*lol*
;)
If she's still around
and still acting
MARINA VLADY
would be perfect to portray Queen Beatrix...
The resemblance is there...!
Unless THAT Queen prefers to have a compatriot portraying her -
even if the resemblance has to be injected each day
via a lengthy make-up session!
Surely it is her wish -
to be on par with the most famous queen
at least in the cinema!
Careful though, Beatrix -
the last queen to have dared rival an Elizabeth
was Mary Queen of Scots
and it was off with her head!
:!
That won't happen again though!
;)
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