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World’s 5 richest monarchs
1st place - Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is the world’s wealthiest monarch. He became the King of Saudi Arabia in January 2015 when his brother King Abdullah died. Together with the throne, he also inherited some royal privileges, including Erga Palace, a private residence with gold interior designs and a luxury football field-sized superyacht. Clearly, the list of fortunes of the 86-year-old King goes on. Currently, his net worth is estimated at $20 billion.
2nd place – Mohammed VI
Mohammed VI has been the King of Morocco for over 20 years. Although the daily budget for his royal palaces is about $1 million, his fortune is constantly growing. The main source of income of the 59-year-old monarch comes from phosphate mining and profits from the country's largest public company, Omnium Nord Africain, where he owns a stake. According to recent estimates, the size of the personal wealth of Mohammed VI is more than $2 billion.
3rd place – Albert II
Monaco is half the size of Central Park in New York. Yet, about a quarter of all the land in the country belongs to its sovereign. His real estate portfolio also includes a luxury mansion that used to be home to his late mother, Academy Award-winning actress Grace Kelly. Prince Albert bought the Philadelphia-based house for $754K in 2016 and renovated it later. Today, the royal family of Monaco uses this villa as their American residence. Having over $1 billion in his bank account, Monaco’s ruler can definitely afford such a luxury lifestyle.
4th place – Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein
Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein has been the King of Jordan since 1999. The monarch’s personal fortune is now estimated at $750 million. Several royal residences officially belong to the King of Jordan. However, according to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the list of his personal wealth is much longer. It was reported that the King secretly bought 3 luxury mansions in Malibu, California, for nearly $70 million. The Western media reported that he bought them during the Arab Spring when massive protests against corruption and unemployment took the streets across Jordan.
5th place – Charles III
When HM Queen Elizabeth II died, her son, the now King Charles III, inherited estates, jewels, art, and other valuable property worth $500 million. Before ascending the throne, Prince Charles’s net worth was estimated at $100 million. Today, Britain’s sovereign has a total of $600 million in his bank account. Notably, the UK’s royal family has 3 main sources of income: a sovereign grant from the government, income from 2 controlled duchies (Lancaster and Cornwall), and profits from private investments.