DURBAN - As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get set to walk down the aisle, we look at the richest royal families in the world. Surprisingly, the British monarchy is not even in the top 10.
This is the top 5 richest royal families in the world according to MSN Money.
1. Saudi Arabia's Royal Family: $1,7 trillion
Prince Alwaleed is the wealthiest member of the Saudi Arabian royal family with a net worth of $18,7 billion. The prince was arrested last year on corruption is thought to have spent $6 billion to secure his release in January this year. This monarchy has been ruling since 1744 and their king, King Salman has been on the throne since 2015. This royal family is said to have more or less 15000 members of the family.
King Salman Photo: Facebook
2. The Kuwait Royal Family: $360 billion
Experts believe that the wealth of the royal family quadrupled since the 1990's and they are reported to have huge stakes in the big blue chip companies in the United States. A large part of their wealth is said to be tied up in US stocks and shares. The Al-Sabah dynasty has ruled Kuwait since 1752. The current emir is Sheikh Sabah IV Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. There are 1000 members in this royal family.
Sheikh Sabah IV Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Photo: Facebook
3. The Qatar Royal Family: $335 billion
The fund's assets include London's Shard skyscraper and the Olympic village as well as huge stakes in the New York Empire State building and Volkswagen, Barclays and Tiffany & Co. The Al Thanis is in charge of Qatar's sovereign wealth fund which is worth $335 billion. The House of Thani has ruled Qatar since the mid-19th century. The current ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was appointed emir in 2013.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Photo: Facebook
4. The Abu Dhabi Royal Family: $150 billion
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the head of this royal family and he has been the emir of Abu Dhabi and the President of the UAE since 2004. The emir is also the chair of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority which manages $875 billion in assets and Dubai's Burj Khalifa skyscraper is just one of them. A lot of the family's wealth also comes from oil. The House of Nahyan has been ruling the country since 1793.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Photo: Facebook
5. The Thailand Royal Family: $60 billion
This royal family's assets include large areas of valuable real estate in central Bangkok as well as stakes in Thai companies and shares in the luxury group Kempinski. This royal family is made up of 22 people and the Chakri dynasty has been in rule for the past 236 years. King Maha Vajiralongkorn took over the throne in 2016 after his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn Photo: Facebook
The British Royal Family
Although the British family is not in the top 10 richest royal family list, the family is still quite wealthy. The family has an estimated combined net worth of $900 million. The head of the British Royal Family is Queen Elizabeth II whose reign commenced in 1952. She is the longest reigning British monarch.
Queen Elizabeth II Photo: Facebook