Synonymous with extravagant palaces, fabulous jewels and a host of other prime assets, royalty has long been entwined with extraordinary wealth. While today's monarchs rank among the most affluent people on the planet, the royals of the past were on another level. In fact, several had fortunes equivalent to trillions of dollars in today's money, making the likes of King Charles III's estimated wealth of up to $2 billion (£1.6bn) seem paltry in comparison.
Beginning with a threshold of $10 billion (£7.8bn), read on to discover history's top 30 richest royals (including some living examples) based on expert wealth estimates.
Historic wealth figures have been adjusted for inflation to give you an idea of the royals' incredible fortunes in today's money. All dollar amounts in US dollars.
Europe's richest living royal, Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein is five times richer than King Charles III, with Bloomberg reporting his current net worth to be $10.2 billion (£8bn).
The tiny principality's massively wealthy monarch, whose family fortune can be traced back to the 12th century, owns a Midas-touch private bank with $352 billion (£274bn) in assets under management, which is his main source of wealth.
Other wow-factor assets controlled by the prince include his family's numerous castles and palaces, plus its peerless collection of Renaissance art.
One of the world's foremost property developers, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum played an instrumental role in transforming Dubai into the global powerhouse it is today. On top of substantial domestic interests, the monarch and UAE prime minister owns swathes of prime real estate in the UK, America, and elsewhere.
The sheikh, who was ordered to pay his ex-wife Princess Haya more than $710 million (£553m) in 2021 following their acrimonious split, has many assets, ranging from a fleet of private jets to a $500 million (£390m) superyacht.
Rumour has it he once spent $3 million (£2.3m) on strawberries over a single summer – small change for someone who's reported to have a fortune of $14 billion (£10.9bn)...
Dubbed 'the Arabian Warren Buffett', Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud presides over a business empire with interests in everything from financial services and real estate to the social network X (formerly Twitter).
The Saudi royal's finances took a hit in 2017 following his arrest in an anti-corruption sweep ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. Prince Alwaleed had to pay a huge settlement, reportedly amounting to more than $6 billion (£4.7bn).
Estimated by Bloomberg at $14.4 billion (£11.3bn), the royal's current net worth reflects this – just prior to the purge, Forbes put his wealth at $18.7 billion (£15bn).
The 49th hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslims, the current Aga Khan is astonishingly wealthy thanks to the largesse of his 15 million followers, who reportedly donate at least 10% of their income to the religious leader.
The prince is famed for his lavish lifestyle. He owns a $258 million (£200m) superyacht and the biggest private jet on the planet (as reported by The Sun newspaper), not to mention a stunning property empire and one of the world's premier horse-breeding and racing businesses.
But the Aga Khan is also a mega-philanthropist thanks to his eponymous charitable organisation. Narrowing down his net worth is tricky, and estimates span from Celebrity Net Worth's $800 million (£623m) to society magazine Tatler's $16.8 billion (£13.2bn).
Aurangzeb is widely considered to be the last of the great Mughal emperors who reigned over South Asia from 1526 until the mid-19th century.
An autocratic ruler, Aurangzeb held the throne between 1658 and 1707, helping the magnificent empire reach the zenith of its wealth and power.
Aurangzeb has been described as the world's richest person during his lifetime, with one source estimating his legendary fortune to be the equivalent of around $19 billion (£14.9bn) in today's money.
The richest individual member of the $1.4 trillion (£1.1tn) Saudi Royal Family, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is reported to be worth as much as $20 billion (£15.7bn). Like his wider family, the ruler's wealth derives from his nation's bountiful oil reserves.
King Salman, who assumed the Saudi throne in 2015, has all the trappings of a billionaire royal, including splendid palaces, a $110 million (£86m) superyacht and a Boeing 747 private jet.
The Queen of France from 1137-1152 as well as the Queen of England from 1154-1189, the wealth of Eleanor of Aquitaine was truly staggering.
The wealthiest and most powerful woman of Europe's medieval period, she inherited substantial lands and riches from her father, William the Duke of Aquitaine, and via her two husbands, Louis VII of France and King Henry II of England.
She died in 1204, leaving behind a fortune. Bloomberg estimated her fortune peaked at the equivalent of around $28 billion (£22bn) in today's money.
The world's longest-reigning current monarch, the Sultan of Brunei has sat on the throne of the compact Southeast Asian nation since 1967.
Similarly to his Saudi counterparts, the absolute ruler's fortune is built on oil. When production peaked in the country in 1979, the sultan was declared the richest person in the world by Fortune magazine.
As oil production has waned, the monarch's wealth has declined in real terms, although he still remains exceedingly rich. Today, his fortune is estimated to be in the region of $30 billion (£23.5bn).
Estimates for the Emir of Abu Dhabi's net worth differ wildly. The monarch, who controlled substantial oil reserves and oversaw the Emirate's $829 billion (£664.7bn) sovereign wealth fund until his death in May 2022, was clearly very wealthy.
However, pinning down a precise total for his fortune is tricky, with experts placing it anywhere from $15 billion (£11.7bn) to $30 billion (£23.5bn) depending on the source you look at.
The King of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn became the wealthiest royal and one of the richest people in the world when he ascended to the throne in 2016. The monarch has a fortune of $45 billion (£35.2bn) according to Fox Business.
In his capacity as head of the Thai royal family, he controls billions of dollars worth of assets through the Crown Property Bureau. The astounding portfolio includes enormous tracts of valuable real estate in central Bangkok, large stakes in several major Thai companies and shares in luxury hotel group Kempinski.
John of Gaunt (1340-1399) was the third son of England's King Edward III.
The nobleman married Blanche of Lancaster, acquiring the prized Duchy of Lancaster property portfolio and ended up owning 30 castles and estates across England and France as a result.
According to wealth website The Richest, his fortune peaked at the modern-day equivalent of around $120 billion (£94bn).
Celebrated for her intellect, political nous and beguiling beauty, Cleopatra (or Cleopatra VII, to give her her full title) is also famed for possessing immense wealth. Ruling over ancient Egypt between 51 BC and 30 BC, the Queen of the Nile had a fortune at her fingertips.
As outlined in the 2011 biography Cleopatra: a Life, the iconic ruler's estimated net worth amounted to the modern-day equivalent of $95.8 billion, which is $134 billion (£105bn) in 2024 money.
The longest-reigning Byzantine emperor, Basil II ruled from 976 until his death in 1025.
During his time in power, the monarch doubled the size of the Byzantine Empire and significantly boosted its wealth – and his own, too.
Based on a 2019 analysis by History Collection, Basil II would have a fortune of around $208 billion (£163bn) today.
Back in 2012, Celebrity Net Worth compiled a list of the richest individuals of all time. It placed William the Conqueror in seventh place, suggesting he had a fortune worth $229.5 billion. That figure amounts to $316 billion (£248bn) today.
William the Conqueror was an 11th-century Norman king who acquired his riches by conquering territory, including a little old place called England.
The last ruler of Hyderabad in India, Asaf Jah VII was absolute leader of the princely state between 1911 and 1948. For much of the 20th century he was known as the richest man in the world, so rich that he is said to have used a diamond worth millions as a paperweight.
In 2012, Celebrity Net Worth pegged the monarch's inflationary adjusted net worth at $236 billion, which is $324 billion (£254bn) today.
A byword for outrageous wealth, this famous ancient king ruled over Lydia in Asia Minor in the sixth century BC. Croesus had so much gold that he inspired an idiom that has stood the test of time: to be "as rich as Croesus" means to be very rich indeed.
And the monarch was certainly well-off if estimates of his fortune are to be believed – his estimated net worth is the equivalent of $372 billion (£291bn) in today's money.
While Croesus is thought of as the richest person of the ancient world, several other figures appear to have actually been even wealthier.
They include the king's arch-nemesis, Cyrus the Great of Persia, who invaded Lydia and pillaged his rival's wealth. Cyrus also did the same to the King of Babylon. The plundering paid off: Cyrus's estimated colossal fortune would be worth the equivalent of $377 billion (£295bn) today.
The ill-fated Nicholas Romanov ruled over the Russian Empire from 1894 to 1917, during which time he amassed a huge fortune.
Not one to redistribute his wealth, which partly explains the revolution that toppled him, a 1916 estimate of the Tsar's fortune translates to $408 billion (£320bn) in today's money.
Next up is the fearsome Attila the Hun, who built a vast empire in the fifth century.
With his conquered lands stretching from modern-day Germany to Italy and the Balkans, the warrior-leader acquired ridiculous wealth, said to be worth the equivalent of $540 billion (£423bn) in 2024 money.
The illustrious Mansa Musa I ruled over the Mali Empire and is widely thought of as the richest person of all time, with wealth that is almost impossible to fathom. However, Celebrity Net Worth estimated in 2012 that the legendary emperor had an inflation-adjusted fortune of $400 million, equivalent to around $548 billion (£417bn) today.
The 14th-century ruler controlled a flourishing empire that covered much of modern-day Mali and Ghana and is believed to have had half of the world's gold at his disposal.
After audaciously ousting her husband Peter III from the throne, Catherine the Great ruled Russia as the nation's empress from 1762 to 1796.
During the German-born monarch's reign, Russia expanded to include Crimea and parts of Poland, emerging as a major European power. According to a Time magazine article from 2016, the tsarina controlled 5.4% of global GDP. In today's money, that would give her an astonishing net worth of $1.9 trillion (£1.5tn).
Another 'the Great' was Alexander III, King of Macedonia from 336 BC to 323 BC. He evidently put his legendary military prowess to good use, conquering the mighty Persian Empire and extending his kingdom from Greece to as far afield as Egypt and India.
A 2012 biography of the legendary royal worked out that the total value he acquired through his conquests equated to $1.6 trillion when adjusted for inflation. That's a jaw-dropping $2.2 trillion (£1.7tn) today.
According to the Bible, King Solomon of Israel ruled from 970 BC to 931 BC. Famed for his mines, the monarch is said to have received 25 tonnes of gold for each of the 39 years of his reign, making him tremendously rich.
Celebrity Net Worth pegged the king's fortune at the equivalent of $3 trillion in 2017, which is $3.9 trillion (£3.1tn) today, although some historians claim the figures mentioned in the Bible are "exaggerated".
The very first Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus – also known as Octavian – reigned from 31 BC to 14 AD during a time of peace and prosperity for the sprawling empire.
Astonishingly rich, the moneyed ruler, who derived the bulk of his wealth from his uncle and adoptive father Julius Caesar, is reported to have been worth the modern-day equivalent of $4.9 trillion (£3.8tn).
Estimated to have been worth $5.4 trillion (£4.2tn) in today's money, Julius Caesar accrued his jaw-dropping fortune by looting affluent Gaul and other conquered territories before his infamous assassination on the Ides of March in 44 BC.
While Augustus Caesar was left the lion's share of the fortune, a quarter of the estate is said to have been used to pay each male Roman citizen – around 1.1 million men in total – the equivalent of 10 years' wages or thereabouts.
Pharaoh from 1390 BC to 1352 BC, Amenhotep III ruled ancient Egypt when it was at the peak of its power, inheriting prodigious wealth from his father Thutmose IV.
Amenhotep added to this during his prosperous reign and spent lavishly on spectacular buildings, including the Temple at Luxor and Colossi of Memnon.
Some sources put the monarch's net worth at the equivalent of $7.3 trillion (£5.7th) in today's money.
Arguably the richest woman of all time, China's Empress Wu ruled from 624 to 705, a period that saw the nation expand to become the largest in the world and one of the wealthiest due to Silk Road trading.
The country's GDP represented 22.7% of the global total back then. Given that the empress essentially owned China's economy, her wealth could be said to translate to $25 trillion (£19.6tn) today.
Likewise, Akbar I controlled 25% of the world's GDP at the height of his power, with his reign lasting from 1556 to 1605. Based on today's GDP figures, this would give him a modern-day fortune equivalent to $27.5 trillion (£21.6tn).
Widely regarded as the greatest-ever Mughal emperor, Akbar I oversaw the expansion of the empire, which had grown to cover much of the Indian subcontinent by the time of his death.
Emperor Shenzong of Song, who ruled China from 1067 to 1085, controlled an even larger proportion of global GDP during his 18 years at the helm – more than 30% of it, in fact.
This would equate to more than $32 trillion (£25.1tn) today. During his reign, the emperor expanded Chinese territory, acquiring a terrific quantity of gold and other spoils of war in the process. He also enacted a series of profitable reforms that helped boost the economy.
Wealthy beyond even the wildest of imaginations, Genghis Khan was the first Great Khan of the Mongol Empire and ruled between 1206 and 1227. He snapped up vast stretches of land in Asia and Europe, with his rampaging armies completely looting the conquered territories.
Factoring in the value of the land and plundered treasures he acquired, some estimates put his net worth in excess of a mind-blowing $100 trillion (£78.3tn). If these figures are correct, this would make the ruthless leader the richest royal of all time.
Now discover the richest person in every decade since the 1820s