By Bizna Brand Analyst
When you literally make the rules, how wealthy can you possibly get? Interestingly, the answer is not “infinitely” and is, in fact, relatively low compared to those that win by society’s regulations.
Going through the valuations of these 10 various world leaders netted a few surprises, although as you’d expect, kings are still doing just fine.
1.Bhumibol Adulyadej and family, $30 billion (King of Thailand)
The King passed away last month but the wealth has remained in the family. He was the longest-serving head of state and had a great reputation in his country (well, so does Kim Jong-Un). He had a special fund that wasn’t private or public that managed his money, and they did it well. Very well. He loved guns, jazz, and sailing. When Forbes valued his fortune a bit lower, Thailand was a little upset, but they stood by their numbers.
2. Hassanal Bolkiah, $20 billion (Sultan of Brunei)
Being one of the wealthiest men in the world is a little easier when you’re sultan, since you can blur the lines between public and personal funds. He has the world’s largest private residence (1,800 rooms) enjoys fine cigars, and flies his own 747-400 jet. He has a legit car collection, featuring rides produced by Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, and Bugatti exclusively for him.
3. Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, $18 billion (King of Saudi Arabia)
Though he’s pushing 80, he hasn’t been king for long because his half-brother just died. As a member of the House of Saud, all his cash comes from oil.
4. Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, $15 billion (President of the United Arab Emirates)
As “president,” Khalifa’s most impressive is probably getting the Wikipedia editors to have his philanthropic donations ($460 million) placed in the first paragraph.
5. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, $4 billion (Prime Minster of the United Arab Emirates)
Using that sweet, sweet oil money, this guy turned Dubai into the weird Middle Eastern Vegas it is today. He owns 99.6 percent of the holding company that owns everything, so he’s doing quite well. He has 23 “officially acknowledged” children and his best known “junior wife”—this is a real thing—was King Hussein of Jordan’s daughter. He also has a mega-yatch, called “Dubai.”
6. Hans-Adam II, $4 billion (Prince of Liechtenstein)
He is Europe’s wealthiest monarch. He owns a banking group and has a great art collection, which is in the museum, which is his, because he is king. He had some cool hair in his youth, and thinks democracy is the best form of government, which seems like a conflict.
7. Donald Trump, $3.8 billion (President-elect of the United States Of America)
The man needs little introduction. His businesses filed for bankruptcy seven times but he still managed to bounce back and remain a mega-billionaire. He also claims that Forbes undervalues his wealth.
8. Mohammed VI, $2.5 billion (King of Morocco)
This cherubic king, who is also tight with the Brazilian prime minister, is one of Morocco’s leading businessmen!
9. Albert II, $1 billion (Prince of Monaco)
This half-American prince and son of Princess Grace e owns Monaco,the playground of all billionaires.
10. Nursultan Nazarbayev, $1 billion (President of Kazakhstan)
The Kazakh president has been in power since the fall of the USSR. Unfortunately, he has suffered “allegations of corruption.