Coming from a royal family, the billionaire dubbed “Warren Buffett of the Middle East” owns a huge fortune and a lavish lifestyle that is hard to match. According to Investopedia, he is currently the richest person in Saudi Arabia.
Prince Al Waleed bin Talal, grandson of Abdulaziz (king of Saudi Arabia from 1953 to 1964), is the founder and chairman of Kingdom Holding Company, a diversified investment company, such as finance, real estate, tourism and hospitality, media, entertainment, petrochemical, aviation and technology.
He is one of the richest people in the world with an estimated fortune of $16.2 billion (VND 380 trillion). He is known as the “Warren Buffett of the Middle East” because he has invested a lot of money in hotels, real estate and stocks.
The beginnings of a modern-day Saudi prince
After completing a master’s degree with distinction in social sciences from an American university in 1985, Prince Al Waleed returned to Saudi Arabia. From a small cabin in the capital Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) with a start-up amount of $30,000 supported by his father (more than 700 million VND), the 25-year-old man at that time founded Kingdom Establishment.
Before that, he first got a taste of success after partnering with a South Korean construction company in 1982 on a project to build a bachelor’s club at a military academy near the capital. Riyadh. All profits from the project are reinvested in both real estate and the stock market. In the following years, he focused on investing in brands and by 1989, his net worth was $1.4 billion.
Al Waleed’s motto is “to eat a lot,” so in the early 1990s, he prioritized investing in risky but potentially profitable companies. He holds shares of famous corporations such as Disney, Apple, eBay, … At the same time, he is also the second largest owner of Twitter, after Elon Musk.
According to Vanity Fair, Al Waleed loves luxury hotels, he owns Savoy Hotel in London, England, Plaza in New York, USA and George V in Paris, France.
The Plaza Hotel in New York
As an animal lover, he also invested in a large “resort farm” located on the outskirts of the city. Including a miniature version of the Grand Canyon National Park, a miniature zoo, luxurious stables and 5 artificial lakes. All located in a vast emerald oasis.
All luxurious means of transportation
Al Waleed bin Talal owns nearly 300 cars in true royal style, including a blue Rolls-Royce for girls. He also owns a rare Lamborghini Veneno Roadster, one of only nine ever produced in the world. Among his cars are the Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, Pagani Zonda, Koenigsegg CCXR, Bentley Continental GT and McLaren P.
The “noble” cars of the prince
“Warren Buffett Middle East” also owns a superyacht Kingdom 5KR, worth $325 million (VND 7,626 billion). The 85.9m-long yacht is named after Kingdom Holding, the number 5 is Al Waleed’s lucky number and the first two letters of his two children. Acquired from Donald Trump, the yacht can accommodate 22 guests in 11 rooms, served by 31 crew members.
Inside the superyacht
People will be extremely surprised to know that the yacht has a full range of facilities, from a pub, a sauna office to a cinema with 800 movies and a helipad, in addition to a room. medical examination and treatment in the same operating room to ensure the safety of the trip. Even, to prevent the worst case of being stranded, the ship is equipped with 6 refrigerators with enough food for three months for 100 people.
One of his other expensive possessions is a Boeing 747 jet. Surprisingly, the plane has a large dining room and can serve delicious dishes that are not inferior to five-star restaurants. The plane also has a prayer area with an electronic navigation system that always points to Mecca.
Own three splendid palaces
Al Waleed currently lives in a lavish palace with 435 rooms in the heart of the capital Riyadh. The building, called Kingdom Palace, is worth 130 million dollars (3 trillion VND), paved with 1500 tons of Italian marble. The palace’s four kitchens, with well-trained staff, can cook Arabic, European and Asian delicacies for 2,000 people in a few hours. In addition, the building also has a lagoon-shaped swimming pool and a 45-seat cinema in the basement.
The second palace is Kingdom Resort, spread over 46 thousand square meters in the center of Riyadh. The highlight of this opulent palace are three lakes interspersed with gardens. The third palace under construction is Kingdom Oasis, but it is no slouch when it comes to more than 46 thousand square meters with a lake of more than 68 thousand square meters and a private zoo.
In addition to the palaces, the Saudi billionaire has planned to develop a residential area on tens of thousands of hectares on the outskirts of Riyadh. Prominent among them is Kingdom Tower with a budget of 10 billion dollars (234 trillion VND). If completed, it will be the tallest tower in the world.