Riches go hand-in-hand with royalty. But have you ever wondered how the world’s wealthiest monarchs actually spend their cash?

Some royals are rich, and there are others who are flat-out loaded. Take these 20 people, for example – they have more cash to splash than most people will ever see in their entire lives. And if you’ve ever wondered what it’s really like having access to every material item you could conceivably dream of, you need to meet these men and women.

20. Mohammed VI of Morocco – $5.8 billion

Even before he became king in 1999, Mohammed VI of Morocco gained a reputation for embracing the playboy lifestyle. Apparently he liked to party and drive fast cars, and he certainly had the money to back it all up. Indeed, in 2015 Forbes estimated him to be worth $5.8 billion.

Plenty of stories have come out over the years regarding Mohammed’s wild spending habits. He owns a private jet which has a gymnasium on board, keeps 12 palaces fully stocked and air conditioned, and apparently once flew his Aston Martin over to Britain just to have it fixed there.

19. Mswati III – $100 million

In 1986 Mswait III, born Prince Makhosetive, was appointed monarch of Swaziland aged just 18, making him the youngest ruling monarch in the world at that point. And although he enjoys relative popularity in his home country, his tendency to spend too much has drawn ire locally and internationally. Indeed, as of 2010 he was worth $100 million, according to Forbes.

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Mswati III, who renamed Swaziland Eswatini in 2018, has a royal palace and a fleet of BMWs. And to celebrate his 40th birthday, a massive sports stadium was commissioned, leading to protests in Swaziland’s capital. In 2008 the New York Times reported that the king took $30 million from the government’s budgets. However, he remains popular in the country, it added.

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18. Beatrix of the Netherlands – $200 million

Beatrix was Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 until 2013, the year she abdicated. But no matter her royal title, she’s rich. Worth $200 million in 2011 according to Forbes, some of her wealth comes from property investments, and she previously had a stake in Shell Oil. However, the family is still surprisingly down-to-earth.

Indeed, despite the Dutch royal family’s evident wealth, they are surprisingly austere when it comes to pomp and ceremony. The crown of the monarch is made from gold-plated silver, and the jewels are false ones made from glass, foil, and even fish scales.

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17. Sheikh Sabah IV Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah – $350 million

Sheikh Sabah IV Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait, was worth $350 million of 2011, Forbes reported. A lot of that is due to his status as a member of the Al-Sabah family, which has ruled Kuwait since 1752. They’re reportedly worth at least $90 billion all together, with a lot of it in shares.

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The royal family of Kuwait throws lavish parties and can take their pick of some of the world’s finest speedboats and yachts. However, Sheikh Sabah IV is also noted for his humanitarian work. Former US President Jimmy Carter is among those who’ve praised him for his efforts in disaster relief and public health.

16. Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan – $300 million

Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan is the ruler of Ugbo Kingdom in Nigeria. He’s the second-richest king in the whole of Africa, behind only Mohammed VI of Morocco. He made his fortune from oil, being the founder of Nigeria’s Obat Oil company. According to Forbes his net worth was $300 million as of 2014.

Fredrick owns million-dollar wristwatches and other items of jewelry. He loves cars, too, and owns a seven-door Mercedes limousine. And Nigeria’s Daily Post reported that Akinruntan had become the first ever black person to buy the 2014 Bentley model that year. It had been specially customised for him as well.

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15. Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said – $700 million

Qaboos bin Said Al Said is the Sultan of Oman and currently the longest reigning Arabic leader. He gained his riches via the wealth of natural resources in his country. But he’s also credited with bringing Oman into a new era of modernity and prosperity, thanks again to those valuable natural resources.

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The Sultan’s wealth amounted to $700 million as of 2011, according to Forbes. And he used some of that money to restore mosques all across Oman. But despite his successes, there is a problem. Qaboos bin Said Al Said is elderly now but he has no children, spouses or brothers. And when he passes away, what happens to his country and vast fortune is unknown.

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14. Queen Elizabeth II – $450 million

Queen Elizabeth II, the monarch of Britain and the longest-serving ruler in the world, has certainly collected a lot of cash over the years. In fact, her wealth is around $450 million, Forbes reported. She receives money from her Sovereign Grant, along with her investments, property portfolio and from the occasional win by one of her racehorses. However, despite this, the Queen is famously frugal.

Though Queen Elizabeth could probably buy almost anything she wanted, she sticks to inexpensive items. Her favorite nail polish retails for just $9. She refuses to waste electricity and run up a big bill, ordering her staff to turn the lights out in Buckingham Palace whenever they leave a room. It’s not what you’d expect of a queen, but it clearly works.

13. Abdullah II of Jordan – $750 million

Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein , King of Jordan, is reportedly worth $750 million. That’s a lot of money to spend on things you like. So ever since he came into his fortune, Abdullah has been living out every geek’s dream. That’s because in 2012 he became the main investor for a Star Trek theme park, which is part of Jordan’s $1.55 billion Red Sea Astrarium.

Abdullah was actually an extra in the Star Trek: Voyager episode “Investigations” in 1996. And he even threw a party for the cast and invited members of the production team to visit his country. Indeed, star Ethan Phillips, who played Neelix, even took the king up on the offer, visiting Jordan between Voyager’s second and third seasons.

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12. Aga Khan IV – $800 million

Aga Khan IV, a.k.a. Prince Shah Karim Al Hussaini, is unique in that he doesn’t actually preside over a country.. Instead he’s the Imam of Nizari Ismailism, a subset of Shia Islam with about 15 million followers. And he’s also a businessman and a breeder of racehorses with an estimated $800 million fortune to his name, according to Forbes in 2010.

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The Aga Khan, as he is known, owns over a hundred racehorses. And that’s not all he spends his money on. Indeed, he has several stud farms, two jets, a yacht club, and even a private island in the Bahamas. But the Imam is also a philanthropist, and, with his charitable organizations, spends around $600 million a year worldwide, as of 2008.

11. Albert, 12th Prince of Thurn und Taxis – $1.6 billion

Albert Maria Lamoral Miguel Johannes Gabriel, 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, appears to have it all. Since the tender age of eight he’s been a billionaire, the youngest one in the world at that time. And even though he’s a royal, he doesn’t rule over a country, therefore he has fewer responsibilities. And with an estimated wealth of $1.4 billion according to Forbes, life could be worse.

Albert spends his time being a racing car driver, and he’s a pretty good one at that. Although that’s his main career, he’s embarked on other projects too, including a solar energy farm which never came to fruition. He owns woodlands, estates, artworks and more. And good news, ladies – he’s not married.

10. Albert II, Prince of Monaco – $1 billion

Albert II is the son of Prince Rainier III of Monaco and the American actress Grace Kelly. When his father died in 2005, he took the throne. Monaco is a very small country, but Albert’s fortune is big. He has a net worth of $1 billion, according to Forbes in 2014, and owns lots of interesting things.

Albert apparently actually owns at least a fourth of Monaco itself. He also collects both stamps and antique cars, which aren’t cheap things to hoard. More touchingly, though, he bought the home of his late mother for $754,000 in 2016. Grace tragically died in a car crash back in 1982.

9. Emir Sheikh Hamid bin Khalifa Al Thani – $2.4 billion

Emir Sheikh Hamid bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar gained his wealth, estimated by Forbes in 2011 to be around $2.4 billion, from his country’s natural resources. Under his rule, gas production increased and turned it into the richest country in the world per capita. And the Qatar Investment Authority, who Sheikh Hamid was a CEO of for four years until 2018, has invested billions all over the world.

And Sheikh Hamid seems to have a particular interest in sports. He has made bids on several football teams including Manchester United and Rangers F.C. Qatar will also be hosting the World Cup in 2022, although this has met with a lot of controversy, with Amnesty International condemning the conditions faced by the construction workers building the venues.

8. Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein – $3.5 billion

Hans-Adam II is the Prince of Liechtenstein but he’s also a businessman. He owns the LGT banking group, which is headquartered in the principality but has clients all over the world. And considering that his family’s wealth was left in a huge mess after World War II, Hans-Adam has done pretty well for himself.

Hans-Adam also happens to own a massive collection of art, one comprised of hundreds of pieces, but luckily he doesn’t keep it hidden from public view. Ordinary folks can go see it at the Lichtenstein Museum. Hans-Adam is Europe’s wealthiest monarch, and Forbes calculated in 2011 his net worth to be $3.5 billion. He is also pretty popular with his subjects, even if he did once joke about selling the country to Microsoft.

7. Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg – $4 billion

Henri Albert Gabriel Félix Marie Guillaume has been the Grand Duke of Luxembourg since 2000. And the role comes with some considerable perks. Indeed, Henri is believed to be worth $4 billion, and he and his family still receive money to carry out their public duties as royals. They also live in an impressive castle.

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The primary residence of Henri and his family is Berg Castle, a magnificent building in Luxembourg. Nope, you can’t go inside, you’re only allowed to observe it enviously from a distance. And that’s not all Henri has of course; he also owns a holiday home at Cabasson in France.

6. Princess Madeleine – $10 million

Princess Madeleine of Sweden has a net worth believed to be $10 million. However, when she married American businessman Christopher O’Neill in 2013, she spared no expense, shelling out nearly half a million dollars. Indeed, her Valentino Garavani dress alone reportedly cost at least $100,000.

Madeleine has lived in some impressive houses over the years. In 2018 she and her husband sold their home in Palm Beach for $3.6 million, and moved to a gated community in Miami. That place featured, among other things, a communal swimming pool and a tennis court.

5. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan – $15 billion

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is the President of the United Arab Emirates and the Emir of Abu Dhabi, is so rich that he’s even got a building named after him. The tallest building in the world, originally called the Burj Dubai, was renamed the Burj Khalifa in 2010. Forbes calculated his wealth to be $15 billion in 2011.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Sheikh also owns the largest private yacht in the world, Azzam. It cost at least $400 million to create and is luxurious inside and out. According to Superyacht Times, Azzam was created in the shortest amount of time possible, too. Indeed, Sheikh Khalifa must like having his name in the record books.

4. King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud – $17 billion

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has been the king of Saudi Arabia since 2015. He’s a member of the House of Saud, the ruling family of the country, and reportedly put together they’re worth $1.4 trillion, according to CNBC. That’s higher than Spain’s entire GDP. Meanwhile, Forbes estimates King Salman’s net worth to be $17 billion.

The House of Saud is known for spending insane amounts of cash, and King Salman is no exception. Reportedly he has a massive yacht with its own banquet room, golden furniture, private jets and helicopters, a gold-plated tissue dispenser, and – for obvious reasons – hundreds of personal bodyguards.

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3. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah – $20 billion

Forbes estimated Hassanal Bolkiah, 29th Sultan of Brunei, to be worth $20 billion as of 2008. And he appears to be happy to spend that dough. In fact he seems to mostly spend it on cars, his favorite luxury item. He has a collection of 100 of them, which he keeps in a huge underground garage, which itself is part of a palace.

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The Sultan’s home is named the Istana Nurul Iman – “The Light of Faith Palace” – and it’s the largest residential palace in the world. It has 1,788 rooms, and includes a mosque, a banquet hall which can sit 5,000, and a throne room. Sadly, you can’t visit, apart from on very special religious festival days.

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2. Maha Vajiralongkorn – $30 billion

King Rama X of Thailand, a.k.a. Maha Vajiralongkorn, took the throne in 2016 and became king of vast, almost unimaginable wealth. And apparently he’s a proponent of the idea that when you’ve got it, you should flaunt it. He owns, among other things, a 545-carrat Golden Jubilee Diamond. And Forbes estimates his staggering wealth to be around $30 billion.

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However, Maha is not particularly popular in the country he rules. He once told an interviewer that servants tied his shoelaces for him throughout his childhood – not exactly an endearing quality. And he’s partaken in some pretty odd behaviour too, Including making his poodle an Air Chief Marshal and dressing it up in tiny uniforms.

1. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum -$31.7 billion

Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, a member of the royal family of Dubai, is one of the wealthiest members of one of the richest families in the world. And there’s a lot of money in his wallet. Indeed, in 2011 he was believed to be worth a colossal $31.7 billion, and he sits in senior positions for a number of stunningly wealthy companies.

But the sheikh’s reported personal life is just an interesting. That’s because in 2012 it transpired that he had reportedly had a child with Egyptian interior designer, Nivin El-Gamal. Indeed, who knows what will happen in the future when a person is worth so much money?