Meet 10 of Europe’s Richest Royals

When you hear the term ‘royal family’, the first thing that comes to mind is the British royal family – after all, they are the most famous.  The recent royal wedding of Prince Harry of Britain to American actress Meghan Markle was highly anticipated by the whole world.  Not all royal weddings are as famous when compared to those of the Britain’s royals, especially those of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s two children.

Royal families automatically are linked to great wealth, so everyone usually thinks Queen Elizabeth II, her husband, and heirs, are the richest royals in Europe.  Think again, because as it turns out, Queen Elizabeth II is only the 4^th richest royal in Europe, and doesn’t even get in the top 10 among the richest royals in the world!  Here are the top 10 richest Royals in Europe and their reported wealth, starting from the least to the most financially endowed.

King Philippe of Belgium: ~ $13 Million

Phillipe became king of Belgium in 2013, when his father, Albert II abdicated the throne for health reasons.  There is not much known about how much the royals of Belgium are worth, until it was announced the same year King Philippe was crowned, that it’s approximately around $13 million.  All expenses made by the king and the royal family are said to be covered by the Belgium’s Civil List, as well as some by the Belgian Government.

King Felipe VI of Spain: ~ $20 Million

The reported current net worth of the king of Spain is at $20 million.  Included in their net worth are their real estate properties – they have a convent, 10 monasteries, 5 royal country residences, and 8 royal palaces.  Although King Felipe VI is notable for decreasing his salary by 20%, the government is said to have spent more than $8 million in 2015 to cover the lifestyle expenses of the royal family.

King Harald V of Norway: ~ $30 Million

It is sometimes shocking to hear about how much a country spends for its royals, and King Harald V of Norway is an example.  Would you believe the state allocates around $72 million per year for the expenses of the Norwegian monarchy?  Some of King Harald V’s funds were reported to have been spent on an expensive yacht.  On top of all these, the royals also do not pay taxes on their current wealth, which is said to be around $30 million.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark: ~ $40 Million

Reports claim that each year the royal family receives $12.8 million from the Danish Civil List.  The money is divided between the royal family’s private expenses, activities by the Queen, and for operations of the royal household.

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden: ~ $70 million

For the monarchy of Sweden, two separate funds are given; $7.4 million for palace administration, namely for maintenance of the royal palaces and art collections; and $7.6 million is given to the crown for household expenses and to cover the king’s royal duties.  It’s understandable that separate funds are given to palace administration, as it produces income from tourists and visitors.  The net worth of King Carl XVI Gustaf is said to include privately owned properties, such as the Solliden Palace, Stenhammer, and their Baltics vacation home.

Queen Beatrix of Netherlands: ~ $300 million

Even if Queen Beatrix already abdicated the throne to make way for her son, King Willem-Alexander, she remains to be one of the richest royals in Europe, with her net worth reaching an approximate $300 million.  Currently, her son is allocated $47 million by the state for personal expenses, overseas tours, and other official royal duties and visits.  Just like his mother, King Willem Alexander has personal wealth of his own that include shares in Shell Oil, real estate properties, other business investments, and inheritance from Queen Beatrix.

Queen Elizabeth II of England: ~ $600 million

Queen Elizabeth II of England and her family are considered the most popular among the royalties in Europe, and also one of the richest.  Although some of that net worth comes from The Crown Estate, which Queen Elizabeth holds in trust (does not own it herself), she has her own personal properties and private wealth.  Some of the treasures owned by the Crown includes the Crown Jewels, palaces such as Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, and the Tower of London, antique furniture, thousands of paintings, photographs, and even the stamp collection passed on to her by her late father, King George V.  Her private estate, on the other hand, includes Sandringham House and the Scottish estate Balmoral Castle that has a combined worth of around $200 million.

Prince Albert II of Monaco: ~ $1 billion

The amount the state grants to the royal family of Monaco, the House of Grimaldi, is said to be around $50 million each year. But the net worth of its reigning monarch is reported to be at $1 billion.  This includes properties around Monaco (the family is said to own a quarter of the land), Grace Kelly’s house in Philadelphia, a collection of antique cars, a very expensive stamp collection, and a stake at Monte Carlo resort Societe des Bains de Mer.

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg: ~ $4 billion

Even though the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg does not get regular income from the state, they do not actually need any because their wealth is reported to be at $4 billion.  There is a yearly fund for Grand Duke Henri’s official functions, though, as well as a $12 million budget granted in 2017 to cover royal household costs.  As for the private wealth of the royal family, it is only the holder of the crown who can personally own and administer over it.

Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein: ~ $5 billion

Just like Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein does not get a salary from the state; instead he gets a small allowance of $270,709 that’s tax free.  Perhaps that fund is used by Prince Hans Adam II for household costs, because his personal expenses can be covered by his great wealth that is said to reach $5 billion.  His fortune mainly comes from business investments made through the Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation, LGT Group, real estate properties abroad, a winery business, and a bank he privately owns.