5 hours ago
7
Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk (pictured) is the world's richest man. (Image: Getty)
The world's richest royal family is so wealthy it has a fortune bigger than the likes of Bill Gates and Elon Musk. Musk is the world's richest man with a net worth of $778.3billion (around £574.5billion) as of April 27, 2026, according to Forbes.
The South Africa-born tech entrepreneur built his enormous riches through his large stakes in a number of highly-valued disruptors in the tech and automotive world, including electric car firm Tesla and aerospace manufacturer SpaceX. Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, held the title of world's richest man for many years as he capitalised on mass adoption of personal computers and the integration of the internet into almost every part of modern life.
Get the latest news and gossip from the Royal Family plus selected offers and competitions Invalid email
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Mars: Elon Musk talks space exploration in series two preview
Gates has focused his attention to philanthropy in recent years, and his wealth has been eclipsed by the next generation of tech titans.
But he still has an eye-watering net worth of $103.8billion (£76.6billion) and remains synonymous with extraordinary personal wealth.
But one royal family is believed to have a combined wealth bigger than the two men combined, the ruling Royal Family of Saudi Arabia, the House of Saud.
Estimates of their combined net worth, which includes valuations of their de facto control over the country's vast oil reserves, put it at around $1.4trillion.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates (Image: Getty)
That works out to around £1.03trillion, almost £380billion more than Musk and Gates' combined net worths (circa £651.1 billion).
However, it's worth noting that there are among 15,000 members of the Saudi family, with most of the wealth is held by roughly 2,000 individuals – so their wealth on an individual basis is likely lower than the world's flushest tech bros.
Also given that their wealth is so closely tied to sensitive state assets, accurate valuations are difficult to determine.
The family has been led by King Salman, the 90-year-old de jure ruler of Saudi Arabia, since 2015.
However, his son Mohammed bin Salman, often referred to as MBS, serves as the Gulf state's Prime Minister and is widely seen as the de facto leader of the country.
English (US) · 