Billionaires at birth – the world's richest inheritors
27 April 2016
Billionaire beneficiaries
Silver-spooners like Donald Trump, Paris Hilton and Queen Elizabeth II may hog the headlines, but they have peanuts compared to the lucky recipients of the world's biggest fortunes. From candy tycoons to retail magnates, we reveal the planet's richest heirs and heiresses.
Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken, net worth: $12.3 billion (£8.5bn)
Now worth a cool $12.3 billion (£8.45bn), the Heineken lager heiress was allocated $3 billion (£2bn) from her late father Freddy Heineken's estate in 2002.
Hans Rausing, net worth: $12.5 billion (£8.7bn)
Along with his brother Gan, Hans Rausing inherited the massively successful Tetra Pak food packaging company in 1983 – worth millions of dollars at the time – following his father Reuben's death.
Pallonji Mistry, net worth: $12.5 billion (£8.7bn)
Ireland's richest man, Indian-born Pallonji Mistry, owes the bulk of his wealth to his 18% stake in multinational giant Tata Group, bequeathed to him by his father in 1975.
Thomas & Raymond Kwok, net worth: $13 billion (£9bn)
Co-owners of Sun Hung Kai Properties, Hong Kong's largest property developing firm, the Kwok brothers inherited the company in 1990 when their uber-entrepreneur father passed away.
Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, net worth: £9 billion ($13 billion)
Upon his father's death in 1979, the billionaire English aristocrat bagged a dukedom as well as the Grosvenor Group, an international real estate company dating back to 1677, with prime assets in central London and around the world.
Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, net worth: $13.1 billion (£9.1bn)
Former Lego president and CEO Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen inherited the company from his father Godtfred in 1995 and still controls a 75% stake.
Abigail Johnson, net worth: $13.1 billion (£9.1bn)
Dubbed 'the most powerful woman in finance', Abigail Johnson owns half her family's 49% stake in flourishing fund management company Fidelity, which was founded by her grandfather.
Srichand & Gopichand Hinduja, net worth: £10bn ($14.5bn)
In 1971 the UK-based brothers inherited the Hinduja Group – then worth £2 million ($2.9m) – from their father Parmanand, who founded the conglomerate back in 1914.
Serge Dassault, net worth: $14.7 billion (£10.2bn)
Monsieur Dassault took control of the Dassault aviation business empire, valued at billions of French francs at the time, when his father Marcel, the company founder, died in 1986.
Azim Premji, net worth: $15 billion (£10.4bn)
Azim Premji inherited his father's $2 million (£1.4m) Western Indian Vegetable Products company in 1966, which he transformed into Wipro, one of the world's largest IT firms.
Michael Otto, net worth: $15.4 billion (£10.7bn)
Patriarch of German mail order business Otto since his father Werner's death in 2011, Michael Otto is now chairman with ownership of the majority of the company.
Stefan Quandt, net worth: $15.6 billion (£10.8bn)
BMW heir Stefan Quandt was given a 17.4% stake in the German automobile giant on his father's death in 1982, as well as lucrative shares in companies such as CEAG and Logwin AG.
Dieter Schwarz, net worth: $16.4 billion (£11.4bn)
Lidl's big boss inherited a 99% stake in the discount supermarket chain from his father Josef, who died in 1977.
Laurene Powell Jobs, net worth: $16.7 billion (£11.6bn)
Steve Jobs left his wife billions of dollars-worth of cash and assets on his death in 2011, including millions of Apple shares and a 7.3% stake in The Walt Disney Company.
Georg Schaeffler, net worth: $18.1 billion (£12.5bn)
In 1996, company founder Georg Schaeffler Sr. bequeathed the entire Schaeffler Group, one of the world's leading ball bearing manufacturers, to his son Georg and widow Maria-Elisabeth, who got 80% and 20% respectively.
Susanne Klatten, net worth: $18.5 billion (£12.8bn)
BMW heiress and the sister of Stefan Quandt, Susanne Klatten inherited a 12.5% stake when her father died in 1982 and received additional shares when her mother passed away last year.
Mukesh Ambani, net worth: $19.3 billion (£13.3bn)
The largest shareholder and chairman of Reliance Industries, India's second most valuable company, Mukesh Ambani was left $8 billion (£5.5bn) following his father's death in 2002.
Stefan Persson, net worth: $20.8 billion (£14.4bn)
Sweden's richest man Stefan Persson has headed H&M since 1982 and retains a 33% stake thanks to his late father Erling, who founded the company in 1947.
Maria Franca Fissolo, net worth: $22.1 billion (£15.3bn)
Nutella heiress Maria Franca Fissolo was handed control of the Ferrero Group along with her son Giovanni, when her husband Michele, the company founder, passed away in 2015.
Jacqueline Mars, net worth: $23.4 billion (£16.2bn)
Staying with confectionery heiresses, Jacqueline Mars, scion of the Mars dynasty, inherited a third of her father Forrest Mars Sr's $4 billion (£2.7bn) legacy on his death in 1999.
Forrest Mars, Jr., net worth: $23.4 billion (£16.2bn)
Not one for favoritism, Forrest Mars Sr. left his namesake son the second third of his $4 billion (£2.7bn) fortune.
John Mars, net worth: $23.4 billion (£16.2bn)
Middle son John (seen here receiving an honorary knighthood from the Queen) got the remaining third, and all three Mars siblings now boast a fortune of $23.4 billion (£16bn) apiece.
David Thomson, 3rd Baron Thomson of Fleet, net worth: $23.8 billion (£16.5bn)
The titled Canadian media magnate took over as chairman of the Thomson Company, one of the world's leading information firms, when his billionaire father Kenneth died in 2006, leaving him $19.6 billion (£13.6bn).
S. Robson Walton, net worth: $31.9 billion (£22.1bn)
The eldest child of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, Samuel Robson Walton inherited 20% of the family company when his father died in 1992.
Alice Walton, net worth: $33.2 Billion (£23bn)
S. Robson's sister Alice also received 20% of Walton Enterprises, Wal-Mart's holding company, on her father's death.
Jim Walton, net worth: $33.6 billion (£23.3bn)
Sibling Jim Walton got 20% too, but shrewd investment decisions have made him the wealthiest member of the Wal-Mart dynasty.
Bernard Arnault, net worth: $34 billion (£23.6bn)
LMVH boss Bernard Arnault financed his super-successful luxury goods empire with a 40 million franc cash injection from his father's construction business.
Liliane Bettencourt, net worth: $38.9 billion (£27bn)
The richest woman on the planet, L'Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt inherited a 33% stake in the company from her father Eugène Schueller following his death in 1957.
Charles Koch, net worth: $39.6 billion (£27.4bn)
Along with his brother David, Charles Koch is the world's richest heir – he took control of multinational company Koch Industries on his father's passing in 1967, and now serves as chairman and CEO.
David Koch, net worth: $39.6 billion (£27.4bn)
The brothers each own a 42% stake in Koch Industries, hence their fabulous wealth. David is the company's executive vice president.
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