DURBAN – As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get set to walk down the aisle, we look at the richest royal families in the world. Surprisingly, the British monarchy is not even in the top 10.

This is the top 5 richest royal families in the world according to MSN Money.

1. Saudi Arabia’s Royal Family: $1,7 trillion

Prince Alwaleed is the wealthiest member of the Saudi Arabian royal family with a net worth of $18,7 billion. The prince was arrested last year on corruption is thought to have spent $6 billion to secure his release in January this year. This monarchy has been ruling since 1744 and their king, King Salman has been on the throne since 2015. This royal family is said to have more or less 15000 members of the family.

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King Salman Photo: Facebook

2. The Kuwait Royal Family: $360 billion

Experts believe that the wealth of the royal family quadrupled since the 1990’s and they are reported to have huge stakes in the big blue chip companies in the United States. A large part of their wealth is said to be tied up in US stocks and shares. The Al-Sabah dynasty has ruled Kuwait since 1752. The current emir is Sheikh Sabah IV Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. There are 1000 members in this royal family.

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Sheikh Sabah IV Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Photo: Facebook

3. The Qatar Royal Family: $335 billion

The fund’s assets include London’s Shard skyscraper and the Olympic village as well as huge stakes in the New York Empire State building and Volkswagen, Barclays and Tiffany & Co. The Al Thanis is in charge of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund which is worth $335 billion. The House of Thani has ruled Qatar since the mid-19th century. The current ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was appointed emir in 2013.

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Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Photo: Facebook

4. The Abu Dhabi Royal Family: $150 billion

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the head of this royal family and he has been the emir of Abu Dhabi and the President of the UAE since 2004. The emir is also the chair of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority which manages $875 billion in assets and Dubai’s Burj Khalifa skyscraper is just one of them. A lot of the family’s wealth also comes from oil. The House of Nahyan has been ruling the country since 1793.

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Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Photo: Facebook

5. The Thailand Royal Family: $60 billion

This royal family’s assets include large areas of valuable real estate in central Bangkok as well as stakes in Thai companies and shares in the luxury group Kempinski. This royal family is made up of 22 people and the Chakri dynasty has been in rule for the past 236 years. King Maha Vajiralongkorn took over the throne in 2016 after his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away.

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King Maha Vajiralongkorn Photo: Facebook

The British Royal Family

Although the British family is not in the top 10 richest royal family list, the family is still quite wealthy. The family has an estimated combined net worth of $900 million. The head of the British Royal Family is Queen Elizabeth II whose reign commenced in 1952. She is the longest reigning British monarch.
 

 

 

This royal family’s wealth could be more than $1 trillion

 

The British royal family has an estimated net worth of $88 billion, according to business consultancy firm Brand Finance. Still, that monarchy is far from being the richest royal family in the world.

That distinction likely goes to the House of Saud, the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. Comprising 15,000 family members (although a majority of the wealth is only held by about 2,000 of them), the House of Saud is estimated to be worth $1.4 trillion. For reference, that’s nearly 16 times the British royal family’s net worth.

Much like their British counterparts, the members of the Saudi royal family are notoriously private about their fortune. But what is known, suggests an envious lifestyle filled with big spending, private jets, luxury yachts, top of the line helicopters, sprawling chateaus and a palatial estate decked out with gold furniture — including a gold-plated Kleenex dispenser.

However, members of the family also provide money to those in need through charitable organizations and invest in the Saudi people. More recently, the country pledged millions to a World Bank fund for female entrepreneurs.

Who’s in charge in Saudi Arabia? Who’s in charge in Saudi Arabia?
Origin of the the family wealth
Their riches stem from the vast oil reserves uncovered more than 75 years ago, under the reign of King Abdulaziz ibn Saud. The country’s state-owned natural gas and petroleum company Saudi Aramco is valued by some at more than $2 trillion. If that estimation is correct, it would be one of the world’s most profitable oil companies.

The leader of the pack
One of the most influential members of the royal family is King Salman of Saudi Arabia, who succeeded his late brother Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in 2015. Reportedly worth $17 billion, the 82-year-old has handed over much of the country’s leadership to his son and heir to the throne Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, 32.

The future of the royal family
In an effort to clamp down on corruption last year, the crown prince forced the country’s richest people to turn over their fortunes to the state, including many of his own relatives. As a result, Forbes dropped ten Saudis from its annual list of the world’s billionaires.

The country claims to have recouped more than $100 billion through this “corruption campaign,” but that figure is impossible to verify.

The finer things
According to the New York Times, the heir recently purchased a a $450 million Da Vinci painting, a $500 million yacht and a $300 million French chateau. He reportedly also owns two homes in London and a compound on Spain’s southern coast.

In an interview with CBS News, the Crown Prince said that his finances were a private matter and that he did not need to apologize for an opulent lifestyle. “I’m a rich person and not a poor person. I’m not Gandhi or [Nelson] Mandela,” he said. “I’m a member of the ruling family that existed for hundreds of years before the founding of Saudi Arabia.”

He also claimed that a large share of his wealth goes toward charity. “I spend at least 51 percent on people and 49 on myself,” said the prince