Unnecessarily Lavish Expenditures of the Royal Families
8 insane things royals have spent a fortune on.
We all know that the royal families around the world are way more affluent than ordinary folk. However, their wealth is most conspicuous when royal families spend it on unnecessary luxuries.
All royal families spend enormous amounts of their wealth on things that are useless for an ordinary person — the unnecessary frills include weird possessions like massive residential estates and extravagant parties.
Every royal family has its way of spending on unnecessary luxuries. Let’s dig into a few of such ways:
1. Swaziland’s Royal Family’s Underwater Birthday Parties
Swaziland is an impoverished country with an average citizen spending one dollar a day. However, the Swazi royal family spends lavishly on its insane luxuries and is known for boasting its lavish lifestyle on social media.
The Swazi royal family is famous for having hosted underwater birthday parties and for enjoying costly holidays.
They are also known for their obsession with gold leaf. The Swazi royal family is the perfect example of the rich living off the hard work of the poor.
The luxurious lifestyle of the Swazi royal family has enraged the public for years and the establishment of the “Swazi Leaks” (an underground organization that exposes the corruption of the royal family and their friends).
2. The Sultan of Brunei’s Car Collection: a Rolls Royce Coated with 24K Gold
The Sultan of Brunei, whose family worth is $20 billion, is known for his obsession with collecting cars.
His car collection includes custom-made Bugattis, Bentleys and Rolls Royces. However, his most extravagant possession is a Rolls Royce coated with 24 Karat gold.
3. The Ruler of Dubai Holds the Record for The Most Expensive Royal Wedding
Royal weddings have always been extravagant, but the most expensive royal wedding took place in 1979 between the Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Rashid al Maktoum and Hind Bint Maktoum.
The royal wedding cost $137 million, which is more than double the cost of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding.
4. The Dutch Royal Family: The Most Expensive Royal Family
The Dutch royal family is one of the smallest royal families globally, but that does not make it any less expensive than others.
In 2012, the Dutch royal family became the most expensive, costing almost $31 million a year to the taxpayers.
This cost is four times more than the Spanish royal family, though Spain’s size is three times more than the Netherlands. The Dutch royal family is even more expensive than the British royal family.
Their wealth can be estimated because it is rumoured that the Dutch royal family lost$100 million in the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme.
5. Muhammad Bin Salman Has the Most Expensive Painting and Home in the World
Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman owns the most expensive home globally, which is located in France near Versailles and is worth around $300 million — it is actually a manor that took three years to complete.
Equipped with all modern amenities like internal heating and lights, the manor was was built upon the ruins of a 19th-century chateau.
It also has a fountain that can be turned on by a smartphone from anywhere in the world. This home was considered as a wedding venue for Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.
Muhammad Bin Salman also owns the most expensive painting in the world that is worth $450 million. This painting is considered to be Da Vinci’s work.
6. The Last of the Romanovs and Their Obsession with Clothing
The Last of the Romanovs are known for their brutal killing by the Bolsheviks, but they had a luxurious lifestyle and were obsessed with clothes.
Tsar Nicholas II was particularly smitten with expensive and lavish clothing and some of the clothes owned by the last Romanovs were part of an exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
For Nicholas’ coronation, the whole family wore custom-made excessively long fur-trimmed mantles — Nicholas’ mother wore a cloak longer than 20 feet and required seven people to carry it.
Nicholas and his wife wore capes that were made using 2,691 ermine skins. One of Nicholas’ cloaks had so many jewels on it that it was given to the armory after his death.
7. Qatar’s Royal Family Owns the World’s Second Most Expensive Painting
The Qatari Royal family set a record for buying the most expensive artwork as they bought Cezanne’s The Card Players for $250 million — others later surpassed this number.
This painting is part of the series, and the other pieces are housed in different museums. Qatari family is known for being the top buyers of art.
8. Maharaja of Alwar Bought Rolls Royces to Use as Garbage Disposal Vehicles
Jai Singh, Maharaja of Alwar, visited Rolls Royce in London and felt insulted as the salesman ignored him.
Jai Singh bought seven Rolls Royces that day because the salesman would escort the cars to India. On the arrival of the cars, the Maharaja ordered the vars to be used as garbage disposal vehicles.
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