This family owns land, beaches, forests in most parts of world, leaves Saudi royal family behind, it is...

The British Empire, at the time of colonialism, was the largest empire in the history, ruling over 450 million people and covering endless acres of land at the time of its peak in the 1920s. Now a century down the line, the British dominance seems to have continued, with the British Royal Family taking the crown of being the largest landowners on the planet. With an astounding 16% of the world’s landmass under the family’s name, their holdings run from both north to south and east to west of the globe. This includes vast agricultural fields, dense forests, urban real estate, pristine coastal stretches and even residential and office complexes. 

The wealth belonged to Queen Elizabeth II, who was the monarchical figure of the UK for 70 years until her death in 2022, making her the second-longest reigning monarch of any sovereign state. Following her passing, this massive empire was passed down to her son, King Charles III. However, it is not like that King Charles privately owns this wealth. This enormous estate is managed by an organisation known as “The Crown Estate” that manage and utilise these lands for public and royal purposes under the stewardship of the Crown. 

Considering the enormous holdings, King Charles III oversees 6.6 billion acres of land, not only spread in regions of the UK including England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, but also in countries like Canada and Australia, as reported by Insider and trade publications. The Crown Estate, which manages all these holdings, plays a vital role in generating revenue from the monarchy’s extensive assets. It not only is responsible for acquisitions of real estate, but it also manages the overall operations of retail outlets like shopping centres that comes under their ambit. In addition, the organisation is also involved when it comes to dealing in resources like sand, coal, limestone and gravel. 

If this wasn’t enough to suffice, the King also benefits from private property holdings under the “Duchy of Lancaster”, generating annual profits of approximately £20 million for the royal family. Values at £654 million, the King’s family owns over 18,000 hectares of land under this private estate. 

Every year, The Crown Estate has reported of generating significant profits for the family through their assets. In 2022, net profits amounted to £312 million, earned from a revenue of $490.8 million. The total value of the British monarchy’s global properties is estimated to be $15.6 billion.

The list of the world’s largest landowners is next followed by Saudi Arabia’s King, who privately controls 830,000 square miles of land. Owing to the vast oil reserves, the Saudi royal family boasts of being one of the wealthiest and most influential families globally.