What's that old saying about "boys with their toys"? For wealthy boys, or men, toys can take on a whole new meaning. As founder and majority owner of Kingdom Holding Company, Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal has tremendous influence in the Arab business world. The fact that he is a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family adds extra weight to all of his business dealings. With a net worth on $31.2 billion he is a) a prince; b) the CEO of a successful company; and c) wealthier than just about anyone else in the world. This means that he has a lot of toys. A lot of really, really expensive toys. Here is a quick rundown of exactly what $30 billion and a royal pedigree can get you.
Cars
Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal has a ridiculous number of vehicles. With his schedule, it is a wonder he has a chance to drive any of them.
Rolls Royce Phantom
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Ferraris and Lamborghinis
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He owns roughly 300 of the two types of popular sports cars. Yep. 300. It is safe to assume that most of them rarely see the light of day, but it must be pretty awesome to look out on a sea of some of the most powerful vehicles in the world.
Special Addition Mercedes Benz SL 600
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Simply owning a Mercedes Benz SL 600 would be enough for most people. Clearly Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal is not most people. His Mercedes Benz is completely diamond encrusted – including the tailpipe. He added a little extra bling with Swarovski Crystal accents. Word on the street is that he charges $1000 for the privilege of looking at the specially commissioned $48 million vehicle.
Ducati Motorcycle
Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal's Ducati.
Having one diamond encrusted vehicle was clearly not enough, because the prince paid $4.8 million to have the same work done on his already impressive Ducati. You would think the added weight might make the bike unwieldy.
Property
Kingdom Resort
While most people head off to a hotel for a few nights when they want to vacation, Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal heads to his private resort. The sumptuous property includes multiple lakes, sprawling gardens, and a dizzying number of rooms. He has hosted everyone from royalty to Bill Gates at his home. By the way, he also owns multiple hotels, including the Four Seasons and the Fairmont, so odds are you have probably taken a vacation at one of his hotels at some point.
Castel of Castagneto
Not content to own a resort in Saudi Arabia, he decided to purchase a massive Italian villa, too. The property sits on 173 acres of land that includes a farm, multiple orchards, gardens, and greenhouses, balconies covered with flowers, and a separate multi-room house for the head servant. The main house itself is a spiraling 21,528 square foot structure.
Kingdom Oasis
Yes. He has two private luxury resorts. Kingdom Oasis is the other one. It only has one lake, but it makes up for its lack of water with a zoo.
He owns four or five other properties around the world, including one called "The Promotion Palace". He doesn't live there. The entire building is just for show.
Yachts and Planes
Uncertain if you're wealthy? If you have a yacht and a private plane waiting for you somewhere, then you're probably wealthy. Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal currently owns the same yacht that was used in the Bond film, "Never Say Never Again". The yacht, which he named Kingdom 5KR, for his investment firm and the names of his children, measures 282 feet, and includes a dance floor, a private movie theater, a billiards room, and luxury sleeping quarters for a large number of guests. He is currently waiting on delivery of his new yacht, which is supposed to arrive sometime in 2014. At 557 feet, it will be the third largest yacht in the world and cost him $500 million.
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He also owns three private planes. He bought one initially, a Hawker Siddeley 125. The mid-sized plane is designed for businessman, and only a few were made. It runs on an engined created by Rolls Royce. He subsequently purchased a customized Boeing 747, which came complete with bedrooms, a throne, and a massive dining room and dining room table. He also purchased an Airbus 380, just to spread his wealth around between the major plane manufacturers. His Airbus 380 contains a garage for his Rolls Royce, a concert hall, Turkish baths, and a boardroom that features holographic image displays. It reportedly cost $500 million to customize his Airbus A380.
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So, yeah, those are the kind of toys that being a royal with $30 billion in the bank can get you.
