Ranked: the 25 richest royals in the world today
Who are the world's wealthiest royals?
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As custodians of sumptuous palaces, priceless crown jewels, and other incredible treasures, the royals of the world lead opulent lifestyles that us commoners can only dream of.
But the richest among them have immense personal wealth too, with billion-dollar fortunes built on their land holdings, investments, personal brands, and more.
Read on to discover the 25 richest royal-born individuals from around the world and find out where the likes of King Charles III, the Princess of Hanover, and the Sultan of Brunei rank in the list.
All dollar amounts in US dollars
25th. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex: $60 million (£47m)
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According to online estimates, Prince Harry's fortune has more or less doubled since 2020, when he and Meghan Markle stepped back from royal duties and moved to California.
Though he lost his royal income, the duke reportedly received "a substantial sum" from his father, the then-Prince Charles. He also had $30 million (£23m) stashed away, largely thanks to generous inheritances from his mother, Princess Diana, and from the Queen Mother (the mother of Queen Elizabeth II).
In the wake of "Megxit", Harry and Meghan inked media deals with Netflix, Spotify, and Lemonada worth more than $100 million (£78m), while Prince Harry's memoir, Spare, is said to have netted him $27 million (£21m).
Other lucrative ventures include the duchess's lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard. The pair have also accumulated some impressive assets, including their $14 million (£11m) Montecito megamansion.
24th. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden: $70 million (£55m)
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Europe's current longest-reigning monarch is worth $70 million (£55m) as per Celebrity Net Worth, Business Insider, and BuzzFeed.
Last year, King Carl XVI Gustaf received around $8 million (£6m) from Swedish taxpayers out of a total Royal Court grant of about $16 million (£12m). That figure covers costs such as his staff, official duties, and travel.
Among King Carl's other standout assets is Solliden Palace, a regal summer residence on the island of Öland, which is privately owned by the monarch.
Joint 19th. Caroline, Princess of Hanover: $100 million (£78m)
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The eldest daughter of Monaco's Prince Rainier III and actress-turned-princess Grace Kelly, Princess Caroline has a fortune of $100 million (£78m), according to Celebrity Net Worth.
The royal, who was upgraded from Serene to Royal Highness when she married her third husband Prince Ernst of Hanover in 1999, likely derives much of her wealth from inheritances.
There's also the generous allowance she receives from the House of Grimaldi. Earlier this year, an investigation by French newspaper Le Monde found that it totalled $980,000 (£764k) for the working royal and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 2023.
Joint 19th. Princess Stéphanie of Monaco: $100 million (£78m)
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Princess Caroline's younger sister also has an estimated fortune of $100 million (£78m) – though Princess Stéphanie has partly made her fortune thanks to a glittering career as a pop star, model, and entrepreneur.
The one-time rebellious royal sold millions of records in the 1980s, scored Vogue and Vanity Fair covers, and also has a swimwear line under her belt.
Interestingly, Princess Stéphanie's handout from the Monégasque royal coffers wasn't quite as generous as her sister's last year, coming in at $870,000 (£678k) according to Le Monde.
Joint 19th. Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Prince of Venice: $100 million (£78m)
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Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice, is the only male-line grandson of Umberto II, the last King of Italy. Internet estimates peg his net worth at $100 million (£78m).
Something of a reality TV star in Italy, Emanuele has appeared on the country's version of Dancing with the Stars. Much of his time, however, is devoted to reclaiming his family's lost assets. In 2022, he launched a bid to recoup the House of Savoy's Crown Jewels, worth $335 million (£261m).
He hasn't had much luck extracting money from the Italian state in the past – in 2007, the government rejected his demand for compensation of $90 million for damages related to his former exile from Italy, the equivalent of $136 million (£106m) in today's money.
Joint 19th. King Mswati III of Eswatini: $100 million (£78m)
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The wealth of King Mswati III, the head of Africa's last absolute monarchy, is hard to gauge. Forbes put it at $200 million in 2008 and at least $50 million in 2014, while the latest online reports suggest his fortune could now be as much as $100 million (£78m).
By all accounts, the leader of Eswatini leads a ridiculously indulgent lifestyle, which unsurprisingly attracts plenty of criticism given the country's high poverty rate.
As reported by The New York Times and Spanish newspaper El País, the king's alleged assets include palaces for each of his 15 wives, a $58 million (£45m) private jet, 19 Rolls Royce, and 120 BMW supercars, not to mention a suit beaded with diamonds and a luxury watch collection worth millions.
Joint 19th. King Tupou VI of Tonga: $100 million (£78m)
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Another member of the royal nine-figure-fortune club (according to Celebrity Net Worth, at least) is Tupou VI, who has been King of Tonga since 2012.
The Polynesian royal, who previously served as Tonga's prime minister, is said to be a frugal monarch with zero taste for ostentation, unlike his predecessor.
Still, the island-nation monarch has the run of several stunning palaces and is said to be very rich indeed.
18th. Charlene, Princess of Monaco: $150 million (£117m)
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The investigation into the House of Grimaldi's private finances by Le Monde was made possible by Claude Palmero, Prince Albert II's disgruntled former accountant. Palmero was fired for alleged misconduct last year and has since retaliated by divulging the family's financial secrets to the newspaper.
According to the exposé from Le Monde, Charlene, a former Olympic swimmer who was born in South Africa, is given an annual allowance of around $1.6 million (£1.3m).
Super-extravagant, the Princess of Monaco is said to burn through cash, splurging millions on everything from renovations to designer clothing and luxury holidays. As for the royal's personal fortune? Celebrity Net Worth estimates it to be around $150 million (£117m).
17th. Empress Farah Pahlavi: $200 million (£156m)
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The widow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, 85-year-old Farah Pahlavi was Empress of Iran until the Islamic Revolution of 1979 forced the royal family into exile.
Back then, the Pahlavis were among the richest families in the world, royal or otherwise. The Washington Post quoted an Iranian economist who pegged their net worth at $20 billion, the equivalent of $87 billion (£68bn) today.
Needless to say, this fortune has been severely eroded over the years, although the former empress, who lives between the US and France, is devoted to philanthropy and is reportedly worth a not-too-shabby $200 million (£156m).
16th. King Abdullah II of Jordan: $750 million (£584m)
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The current head of the storied Hashemite dynasty, King Abdullah II ascended to the Jordanian throne in 1999.
The king's wealth has come under the spotlight in recent years. In 2021, the Pandora Papers investigation revealed the monarch had secretly amassed a property empire in the US and UK worth over $100 million (£78m).
The following year, allegations emerged that the king and his wife Queen Rania had many millions of dollars squirrelled away in Swiss bank accounts, including one account with a balance of $259 million (£202m). With this in mind, Jordan's sovereign is worth an estimated $750 million (£584m), according to Celebrity Net Worth.
15th. William, Prince of Wales: up to $1.4 billion (£1.1bn)
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Estimates of the Prince of Wales' personal wealth vary, presumably due to the different criteria used to evaluate it.
In 2022, UK newspaper The Times pegged his net worth at $1.4 billion (£1.1bn), but William is notably absent from the latest Sunday Times Rich List. Earlier this year, the UK's Daily Express put the fortune at $949 million (£739m), while Celebrity Net Worth is far more conservative at $100 million (£78m).
Whatever the total, William owes the bulk of his wealth to the Duchy of Cornwall, the sprawling private estate he inherited in 2022 when his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, died and his father, Prince Charles, became King.
Dating back to the 1300s, the feudal estate has assets and financial investments worth more than $1.3 billion (£1bn), including 52,449 hectares of land in 20 UK counties.
Joint 13th. Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece: up to $2 billion (£1.6bn)
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Marie-Chantal Miller married her fairytale Prince Pavlos of Greece in 1995 – although the princess's fortune comes primarily from her father, not her blue-blooded husband. The Crown Princess of Greece's abolished royal family is the second daughter of Duty Free Shops tycoon Robert Miller.
Together, the royal couple are worth $1.8 billion (£1.4bn) according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List, though Celebrity Net Worth pegs Marie-Chantal's fortune at $2 billion (£1.6bn).
Not one to rest on her laurels, the princess helms a successful luxury childrenswear brand and is the author of a modern etiquette guide.
Joint 13th. Juan Carlos I, King Emeritus of Spain: up to $2 billion (£1.6bn)
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Currently living in exile in Abu Dhabi, the scandal-plagued former King of Spain abdicated in 2014 amid allegations of financial corruption and other questionable behaviour.
There was much speculation around the time over the controversial king's net worth. Two years prior, The New York Times came up with an estimate of $2.3 billion for the entire Spanish Royal Family, while Vanity Fair reported in 2013 that the king had amassed a personal fortune of around $2 billion (£1.6bn).
Yet whether the disgraced former monarch is still worth that much is open to question. Celebrity Net Worth, for instance, assesses his fortune to be only $50 million (£39m) as of 2024.
12th. Albert II, Prince of Monaco: up to $2.2 billion (£1.7bn)
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As we've mentioned, the House of Grimaldi's finances were thrust into the public domain earlier this year following Le Monde's bombshell investigation. Prince Albert's budget is described as "a bottomless pit" and the Monaco ruler comes across as jaw-droppingly spendthrift.
Be that as it may, the prince can certainly afford to splash the cash. With a huge stake in the Société des Bains de Mer de Monaco, the company that runs the principality's casino and opera, he isn't short of money by any means. Estimates of his net worth range from around $1 billion (£779m) to $2.2 billion (£1.7bn) according to UK newspaper The Guardian.
11th. King Charles III: up to $2.3 billion (£1.8bn)
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King Charles is worth $783 million (£610m) according to this year's Sunday Times Rich List, although an investigation by The Guardian last year put the monarch's fortune at a much fatter $2.3 billion (£1.8bn). The Guardian claims its assessment is the first comprehensive audit of the king's wealth, suggesting that The Sunday Times evaluation omitted several key assets.
The sovereign's assets include Balmoral Castle and the Sandringham Estate, as well as one of the world's finest stamp collections, a Monet painting worth $26 million (£20m) inherited from his grandmother (the Queen Mother) and jewels worth more than half a billion pounds.
On top of all this, the king controls and receives bumper profits from the royal family's other feudal domain, the Duchy of Lancaster. Consisting of 18,481 hectares of rural land, the estate is valued at $844 million (£658m) and pulls in around $35 million (£27m) a year.
10th. Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar: $2.4 billion (£1.9bn)
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The Qatari Royal Family is said to be worth as much as $335 billion (£261bn), with its most moneyed individual being the head of the dynasty, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar. His net worth is $2.4 billion (£1.9bn) according to various online sources.
In addition to magnificent palaces at home, the emir owns some phenomenal property abroad, including a $150 million (£117m) mansion in London's leafy Regent's Park.
However, the cost of the staggering abode is dwarfed by the monarch's superyacht Al Lusail, which reportedly set him back $500 million (£390m).
9th. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud: $5 billion (£4bn)
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The Saudi royal family outshines Qatar's regal dynasty in the wealth stakes. The clan's staggering estimated net worth of $1.4 trillion (£1.1tn) officially makes it the richest family in the world.
These funds are distributed among hundreds of relations, although there are some standouts, including the current Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (sometimes referred to as MBS). No stranger to controversy, the prince's spending has also drawn criticism.
The future king is the proud owner of the $544 million (£424m) Serene superyacht. He's also rumoured to be the ultimate owner of a $300 million (£234m) château near Paris that was once dubbed the "world's most expensive home", as well as the $450 million (£351m) Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci, which is the most expensive painting ever sold.
8th. King Mohammed VI of Morocco: $6 billion (£4.7bn)
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According to Forbes, the King of Morocco's net worth stood at $5.7 billion back in 2015. Since then, estimates have ranged from $2 billion (£1.6bn) to over $8 billion (£6.2bn), though Celebrity Net Worth's current figure of $6 billion (£4.7bn) is probably the most plausible.
Regal duties aside, Africa's richest monarch has plenty going on. A savvy business player, the head of the 'Alawi dynasty has a controlling stake in the multibillion-dollar investment outfit Société Nationale d'Investissement, as well as myriad interests spanning finance, agriculture, retail, mining, and more.
7th. Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein: $10.2 billion (£8bn)
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Europe's wealthiest royal, Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein is almost five times richer than King Charles, with Bloomberg reporting his current net worth to be $10.2 billion (£8bn).
The tiny principality's massively wealthy monarch, whose family fortune can be traced back to the 12th century, owns a Midas-touch private bank with $352 billion (£274bn) in assets under management, which is his main source of wealth.
Other wow-factor assets controlled by the prince include his family's numerous castles and palaces, plus its peerless collection of Renaissance art.
6th. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Emir of Dubai: $14 billion (£10.9bn)
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One of the world's foremost property developers, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum played an instrumental role in transforming Dubai into the global powerhouse it is today. On top of substantial domestic interests, the monarch and UAE prime minister owns swathes of prime real estate in the UK, America, and elsewhere.
The sheikh, who was ordered to pay his ex-wife Princess Haya more than $710 million (£553m) in 2021 following their acrimonious split, has many assets, ranging from a fleet of private jets to a $500 million (£390m) superyacht.
And rumour has it he once spent $3 million (£2.3m) on strawberries over a single summer – small change for someone who's reported to have a fortune of $14 billion (£10.9bn)...
5th. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud: $14.4 billion (£11.2bn)
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Dubbed "the Arabian Warren Buffett", Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud presides over a business empire with interests in everything from financial services and real estate to the social network X (formerly Twitter).
The Saudi royal's finances took a battering in 2017 following his arrest in an anti-corruption sweep ordered by MBS. Prince Alwaleed ended up having to pay a huge settlement reportedly amounting to more than $6 billion (£5bn).
Estimated by Bloomberg at $14.4 billion (£11.2bn), the royal's current net worth reflects this – just prior to the purge, Forbes put his wealth at $18.7 billion (£15bn).
4th. Prince Karim al-Husayni, Aga Khan IV: up to $16.8 billion (£13bn)
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The 49th hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslims, the current Aga Khan is astonishingly wealthy thanks to the largesse of his 15 million followers, who reportedly donate at least 10% of their income to the religious leader.
The prince is famed for his lavish lifestyle. He owns a $258 million (£200m) superyacht and the biggest private jet on the planet (as reported by The Sun), not to mention a stunning property empire and one of the world's premier horse-breeding and racing businesses.
But the Aga Khan is also a mega-philanthropist thanks to his eponymous charitable organisation. Narrowing down his net worth is tricky and estimates span from Celebrity Net Worth's $800 million (£623m) to society magazine Tatler's $16.8 billion (£13bn).
3rd. King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud: up to $20 billion (£15.6bn)
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The richest individual member of the $1.4 trillion (£1.1tn) Saudi Royal Family, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is reported to be worth as much as $20 billion (£15.6bn). Like his wider family, the ruler's wealth derives from his nation's bountiful oil reserves.
King Salman, who assumed the Saudi throne in 2015, has all the trappings of a billionaire royal, including splendid palaces, a $110 million (£86m) superyacht, and a Boeing 747 private jet.
2nd. Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei: $30 billion (£23.4bn)
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The world's longest-reigning current monarch, the Sultan of Brunei has sat on the throne of the compact Southeast Asian nation since 1967.
Similarly to his Saudi counterpart, the absolute ruler's fortune is built on oil. When production peaked in the country in 1979, the sultan was declared the richest person in the world by Fortune magazine.
As oil production has waned, the monarch's wealth has declined in real terms, although he still remains exceedingly rich. At the current time, his fortune is estimated to be $30 billion (£23.4bn) by Celebrity Net Worth.
1st. King Maha Vajiralongkorn: up to $45 billion (£35.1bn)
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The King of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn became the wealthiest royal and one of the richest people in the world when he ascended to the throne in 2016. The monarch has a fortune of $45 billion (£35.1bn) according to Fox Business.
In his capacity as head of the Thai royal family, he controls billions of dollars worth of assets through the Crown Property Bureau. The astounding portfolio includes enormous tracts of valuable real estate in central Bangkok, large stakes in several major Thai companies, and shares in luxury hotel group Kempinski.
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