King Paul McCartney Outweighed King Charles III in Wealth
Revamped Read:
Brace yourself, folks! The Sunday Times has just dropped its annual rundown of the UK's wealthiest citizens, and it's packed with some familiar faces.
Topping the list is none other than Gopi Hinduja and the familia, with a staggering £35.3 billion fortune – the masterminds behind the Indian financial-industrial group, Hinduja Group. Coming in second on the podium are the Reuben brothers, David and Simon (£26.9 billion), leaders of Reuben Brothers. Following them closely is Sir Leonard Blavatnik (£25.7 billion), boss of Warner Music Group, the same trio who ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd last year.
The Sunday Times Rich List has been shakin' things up since '89, counting not only British citizens but those who call the UK home, spouses of Britons, and anyone with strong connections to Britain.
This year, the collective wealth of the UK's 350 wealthiest has shrunk by 3%, landing at £772.8 billion. The number of billionaires has also dipped, from 165 in 2022 to 156. Not surprisingly, this marks the third straight year of a downtrend since reaching its peak of 177 in 2022.
Joining the top 10 heavyweights include Sir James Dyson and family (£17.7 billion) – the pioneers of appliance manufacturer Dyson; Idan Ofer (£14.1 billion), the boss of Israeli holding companies Quantum Pacific Group and Israel Corporation; the Weston family (£24.4 billion) – the brains behind retailer Primark; Sir Jim Ratcliffe (£12.4 billion), founder of chemical corporation Ineos; Lakshmi Mittal and family (£26.9 billion), owners of Indian steel company ArcelorMittal; John Fredriksen (£7.8 billion), leader of shipping company Frontline; Igor and Dmitry Bukhman (£12.5 billion), the architects of game developer Playrix; and Alex Gerko (£8.7 billion), founder of trading company XTX Markets.
The list welcomes several other Russian-origin entrepreneurs, including Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor, creator of fertilizer producer Akron (with £7.7 billion), Andrey Andreev, founder of dating services Badoo and Bumble (£1.7 billion), Vladimir Makhlay (£1 billion), beneficiary of chemical company Togliattiazot, and Andrey Borodin and his wife, Tatiana Korsakova (£397 million), former co-owner of Bank of Moscow.
King Charles III (£640 million) and former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with his spouse Akshata Murthy make a royal appearance on the list. Several musos also make the cut, including Sir Paul McCartney and his wife Nancy (£1 billion), Sir Elton John (£475 million), Sir Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (£440 million each), and Ed Sheeran (£370 million). The list also features J.K. Rowling (£945 million), former footballer David Beckham and wife, Victoria Beckham (£500 million), and director Sir Christopher Nolan and his spouse, Emma Thomas (£360 million).
Oh, and don't worry about Charles and Rishi gracing the list with their presence - they're just rankin' 238th and 239th, respectively.
Now, if you're curious about the top 10 of 2023, you might need to trek through archived editions of The Sunday Times Rich List from that year. The 2025 list has already been released, with Gopi Hinduja and family still reigning supreme (with a £35 billion fortune).
In the realm of British finance and business, the Reuben brothers, Sir Leonard Blavatnik, and Sir James Dyson are names synonymous with entertainment industry moguls, given their significant investments in Warner Music Group, Dyson appliances, and other ventures.
As the UK's entertainment sector thrives, celebrities like Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, and even Idan Ofer, who founded game developer Playrix, find themselves intertwined with the country's wealthiest by virtue of their lucrative businesses.
