When King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand acceded to the throne upon his father's death in 2019, he became the wealthiest monarch in the world with an estimated net worth of $43 billion.
Pertinently, his name means "adorned with jewels or thunderbolts".
His life up to that point was already one of privilege. King Vajiralongkorn attended private school followed by military training where he learnt, among other things, to fly civilian and military aircraft.
© Getty ImagesHe was made crown prince in 1972, despite some unease around his fitness for the role. Rumours abounded of gambling, illegal businesses and involvement with several women (his own mother, Queen Sirikit, described him as a "Don Juan"). Vajiralongkorn later rebuffed the speculation around his involvement in criminal businesses in an interview with Thai journalists.
Prior to his coronation, King Vajiralongkorn married three times and had seven children.
Romantic rollercoaster
His first marriage was to his cousin Princess Soamsawali in 1977, and they welcomed a daughter the following year. However, Vajiralongkorn had set his sights elsewhere.
© NurPhoto via Getty ImagesHe became romantically involved with an actress called Yuvadhida, welcoming five children with her between 1979 to 1987. They married in 1994, but just two years later Vajiralongkorn denounced and disowned her and their four sons.
Vajiralongkorn's third marriage was to lady-in-waiting Srirasmi in 2001 and they had a son in 2005 but, just under a decade later, the union went horribly wrong.
© AFP via Getty ImagesIn 2014, Srirasmi was stripped of her royal title and her parents and seven other family members were arrested for lese majeste (defaming the head of state). The charge alleged they had abused their connections with the Crown Prince.
Her parents admitted to the charges and were sentenced to two and a half years in prison, while her brothers were sentenced to five and a half years behind bars.
Srirasmi and Vajiralongkorn's son, Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, is the heir presumptive to the Thai throne as none of his step-brothers have titles, and Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the king's eldest daughter, collapsed and has been in a coma for three years, making it unlikely that her father choose her as successor. Prince Dipangkorn has been raised between Thailand and Germany but away from the company of his mother.
© Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesWhile Srirasmi has not been seen in public for many years, reports say that she has become a maechi, 'respected mother', the Buddhist equivalent of a nun. It has also been reported that the former princess lives under the equivalent of house arrest, but this has not been publicly confirmed.
The scandal in Thailand's monarchy did not end there, as the following year a fortune teller who was closely associated with Vajiralongkorn was arrested and died shortly after. Furthermore, Vajiralongkorn's personal bodyguard was stripped of his rank for "disobeying royal commands" and "threatening the monarchy by pursuing his own interests", and has since disappeared and is presumed dead.
© Getty ImagesTimes changed when Vajiralongkorn's father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, died in October 2016. The immensely popular King Bhumibol left behind an enduring legacy after seven decades as ruler, making him one of the world's longest-serving monarchs.
Fourth-time lucky
© NurPhoto via Getty ImagesShortly before his estimated $30m coronation in May 2019, Vajiralongkorn married Suthida, a former Thai Airways flight attendant who later held the post of an officer of the Royal Household Guard, with the rank of Lieutenant-General.
While their marriage has endured, with a most recent public sighting at a ceremony in December 2024, King Vajiralongkorn broke years of monogamous tradition when he named a royal consort, the first in over a century, just two months shy of the royal wedding.
© AFP via Getty ImagesHis consort Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi is qualified as a pilot, nurse and bodyguard, and holds the rank of major general, although she was briefly stripped of her titles in 2019 for 'ambition' and attempts to "elevate herself to the same state as the queen".
© AFP via Getty ImagesShe was not seen in public again until 2020 when she had her rank and station reinstated.
What the Fu…
Vajiralongkorn promoted his pet poodle Fu-Fu to the rank of Air Chief Marshall, who was given a four-day funeral and Buddhist rites when he died in 2016. He loves sports cars and cycling, and shut down the streets of Bangkok for a 24-mile cycling event, which he participated in.
© AFP via Getty ImagesDespite this, the Thai monarch is rarely seen in public. Utilising his flying qualifications, King Vajiralongkorn flies his own Boeing 737, and splits his time between Thailand and Germany, where he has a second home.
When in Germany, the king lives in a $13m (£11.6m) mansion in Lake Starnberg, Munich, with the queen and Prince Dipangkorn, his son from a previous marriage.
© UK Press via Getty ImagesHe prompted a rare public outcry against the monarchy during the coronavirus pandemic when the king and his entourage were given special permission to take over Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl, a four-star spa hotel in Bavaria, despite lockdown rules.
Local German media reported that the group included a "harem" of 20 concubines, and 119 people had been sent back to Thailand when it was thought they had contracted Covid.
Growing discontent
Following the king's absence from Thailand, #whydoweneedaking? trended on X, formerly Twitter, after an overseas Thai activist tweeted about the news. The hashtag was used more than 1.2 million times in 24 hours, despite the risk of a 15-year imprisonment under lese-majeste laws.
Where does the wealth comes from?
Personal life aside, King Vajiralongkorn's extreme wealth comes from several sources. He has power over the Crown Property Bureau, an institution which controlled the property of the monarchy until 2018.
The organisation reportedly controls 6,560 hectares (16,210 acres) of prime land in Thailand and a further 40,000 rental contracts nationwide, with 17,000 in Bangkok.
© AFP via Getty ImagesIn 2018 full personal ownership of royal assets thought to be worth at least $30bn were transferred to the king. Prior to that time, assets controlled by the Crown Property Bureau were not taxed, giving the monarch an untaxed annual income estimated to be around $300m per year.
He also has ownership stakes in major companies, a nearly $150m stake in Thailand's largest cement company and shares worth over $500m in Siam Commercial Bank.
Vajiralongkorn's influence further extends to the military, as he commands an estimated 5,000 troops in his own personal regiment of the Royal Guard.
Other wealthy monarchs
While Thailand may boast the richest monarch by a fair margin, other royals around the world also enjoy staggering wealth.
© Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesSultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei is worth an estimated $28bn, and is both president and sultan of his country. While a lion's share of his fortune are reported to have come from oil and gas, he also owns over 7,000 cars including 600 Rolls-Royces and 450 Ferraris, with a combined worth of $5bn.
His official residence is the Istana Nurul Iman, the largest residential palace in the world with an unbelievable 1,778 rooms.
King Salman Abdulaziz bin Saud of Saudi Arabia follows with an estimated fortune of $18bn, which is not to be sniffed at. His familial wealth reaches over $1 trillion, accrued from oil and investments.
© GettyIn Europe, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg is the richest royal at $4bn estimated wealth and a reported annual income of $300,000. Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein is worth around $3.5bn. He owns the Liechtenstein Global Trust, the largest family-owned private wealth firm in Europe, as well as an extensive art collection and investments in agriculture and wineries.
10 richest royals
© Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images1. Vajiralongkorn: $30 billion-$70 billion (net worth)
Vajiralongkorn is the tenth monarch of Thailand and has reigned as King since 2016.
2. Hassanal Bolkiah: $28 billion-$20 billion
He is one of the few remaining absolute monarchs left in the world and is the Sultan and the Prime Minister of Brunei. Absolute monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the sovereign is the sole source of political power, unconstrained by constitutions, legislatures or other checks on their authority.
3. Salman of Saudi Arabia: $18 billion
Salman has been King of Saudi Arabia since 2015 and is one of the Sudairi seven - a commonly used name for a powerful alliance of seven brothers within the Saudi royal family.
4. Mohammed VI of Morocco: $8.2 billion — $2.1 billion
Mohammed has been King of Morocco since 1999 and owns several businesses across economic states.
5. Hans-Adam II: $7.2 billion — $3.5 billion
He has been the Prince of Liechtenstein since 1989 and his wealth derives from the royal family's private bank, LGT Group.
6. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum: $4 billion
He is the current ruler of Dubai and serves as vice-president and prime minister of UAE.
7. Grand Duke Henri: $4 billion
The Grand Duke of Luxembourg has reigned since 2000 however, he is soon set to abdicate in October 2025 in favour of his eldest son, Guillaume.
8. Juan Carlos I: $2.3 billion — $2 billion
Juan Carlos was the King of Spain from 1975 till his abdication in 2014. Then in 2020, he went into self-imposed exile after some damaging financial allegations.
9. Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani: $2.1 billion — $1.2 billion
He is the Emir of Qatar, reigning since 2013. Tamim rules an authoritarian regime, meaning citizens of Qatar have limited political and civil rights.
10. Prince Albert II: $1.0 billion
Albert has been Prince of Monaco, reigning since 2005.
Prince Albert II of Monaco just makes it into the top ten wealthiest monarchs worldwide, with a fortune of $1bn, from holdings in the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, the company that manages the riches of the Monte Carlo Casino and Opéra de Monte-Carlo.
How much is King Charles worth?
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesIt may surprise you that Great Britain's own monarch, with an estimated wealth of $772m (£610m), does not get a look in in the top ten wealthiest monarchs worldwide. He is currently ranked number 258 on the 2024 Sunday Times Rich List, which includes the wealthiest individuals and families in the UK.
The majority of King Charles' wealth comes from the Sandringham and Balmoral estates. Sandringham is estimated to be worth approximately $315 million, while the Balmoral estate is estimated to be worth $265 million.
