BBC News | Europe | UK royals 'not Europe's richest'


Front Page
World
UK
UK Politics
Business
Sci/Tech
Health
Education
Sport
Entertainment
Talking Point
In Depth
On Air
Archive



Feedback Low Graphics Help

Friday, June 4, 1999 Published at 04:11 GMT 05:11 UK

World: Europe

UK royals 'not Europe's richest'
News image

Many will be surprised the Windsors do not top the list

The UK Royal Family, widely thought to be the richest in Europe, has been beaten into third place by the House of Liechtenstein.

A survey of the wealth of Europe's 10 reigning dynasties by EuroBusiness magazine estimated the fortune of the royal family of Liechtenstein at �3.3bn.

[ image: Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein belongs to the wealthiest family]
Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein belongs to the wealthiest family
The Grand Duke of Luxembourg's family came in second with an estimated fortune of �3bn, while the Windsors came third with a total wealth of �2.7bn.

But Buckingham Palace dismissed the list as "overblown and speculative".

It said the magazine was wrong to include the Crown Estate and Duchy of Cornwall in its calculations for the Windsors.

"These simply cannot be counted as personal assets," said a Palace spokeswoman. "The Royal Family gains no personal benefit from the Crown Estate whatsoever and to include it in the calculation is misleading.

"Also, although the Prince of Wales is entitled to revenues from the Duchy of Cornwall, he cannot sell its assets."

The magazine listed the Windsors' assets as:

Cash and investments - �520m

Art collection - �1bn

Jewellery - �130m

Crown Estate - �700m

Duchy of Cornwall - �195m

Other property or assets - �160m

[ image: Richest royal: Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands]
Richest royal: Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
The "poorest" royals were the Oldenburgs of Norway with �90m.

Queen Elizabeth II was ranked the seventh-richest individual royal, with the Prince of Wales beating his mother by one place.

The Queen Mother came 22nd, with Princess Margaret 23rd and the Duke of Edinburgh 45th.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands was named as the wealthiest reigning monarch, with �1.2bn, followed by Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg (�800m) and Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein (�540m).