Europe’s Richest Royals

The wealth of the European royals is no match to the colossal fortune of Thailand’s King Bhumibol. Their bank balances are a pittance compared to their Middle East counterparts, but, hey, by a commoner’s standard, they are still fabulously wealthy and they get to enjoy living in palaces and the service of a retinue of loyal servants. So, how much are they worth? Here’s a list of the family fortunes of Europe’s royal families.

The Richest European Royal Family: Prince Hans-Adam II and the Royal House of Liechtenstein  


King Hans-Adam II rules over one of the smallest states in the world but he’s got more say in running his tiny principality than any other European sovereigns. Liechtenstein is also the richest country in the world on a per capita income basis. The locals are also better off compared to other Europeans.  The princely family’s wealth ($7.9 billion) is tied to their bank, LGT Group, which is the world’s largest family-owned financial firm. The company has roughly $40 billion of investments worldwide. The family also owns nearly the entire Liechtenstein, a palace in Vienna, and an impressive art and stamp collections.

The Most Expensive Royal Family: King Willem-Alexander and the House of Orange


The Netherlands’ House of Orange derives its $200 million wealth from holdings in the oil company Shell. They also own four private homes in the country and a villa in Tuscany. The palaces where they live in and the crown jewels are nevertheless owned by the state. The Dutch Royal Family also receives roughly $47 million a year (the most expensive among Europe’s royal families) for the cost of running the royal household as well as the expenses involving their official duties.  King Willem and Queen Maxima receives nearly $8.4 million a year, while it around $30 million goes on paying for the cost of their official activities.

The Royal Family With the Biggest Palace: King Felipe and the House of Bourbon


The Spanish king may only have personal fortune of roughly $5 million but Spain's House of Bourbon occupies the largest inhabited royal palace in Europe, the Palacio Real in Madrid. However, the king only reserves its use for official functions, preferring to live in the smaller (but still grand) Zarzuela Palace. King Felipe and Queen Letezia receive $163,000 a year in salary and another $177,000 a year for their official expenses, still a pittance for their relatively extensive work.

The Poorest Royal Family: King Harald V and the House of Glucksburg- $12 million



King Harald receives an annual grant of $18 million from the Norwegian government to pay for the cost of the royal family’s official duties. That's less that his personal fortune. The family also owns the yacht, K/S Norge, a royal train, two private homes in Oslo and further properties in Fredrikstad and Rio de Janeiro.

The Richest Non-Reigning Royal: Albert, 12th Prince von Thurn und Taxis


Prince Albert of Thurn und Taxis may not be that familiar to many, but at one time, he was the youngest billionaire in the planet, being the heir to his father's $3 billion fortune, who died in 1990. He inherited his billions at the  age of 7, but had to wait until he was 21 to take full control of it. His fortune comes from the family’s castle, Schloss Emmeram, a vast art collection, a technology company and 30,000 hectares of German woodland. Albert, nevertheless, has devoted himself to life of a racing driver and competes in the German GT Championship ADAC GT Masters.

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