King Charles III and Rishi Sunak Featured on 2025 Sunday Times Rich List

In the latest release of the Sunday Times Rich List, British King Charles III saw his wealth rise by around £30 million over the past year. The 76-year-old monarch now occupies the 238th spot, sharing the ranking with former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty.

The Hinduja family, originally from India, continues to hold the top position for the fourth year in a row, despite losing £2 billion since May 2024. It’s interesting how fluctuations in wealth can reflect broader economic trends.

According to the report, “The granting of licenses for wind farms has significantly boosted the profits of Crown Estates, enabling an increase in funding for official royal activities.” It also clarifies that most royal assets are excluded from the king’s financial evaluation, as they aren’t considered personal holdings. This includes notable estates like Balmoral and Sandringham, in addition to investments inherited from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Meanwhile, Sunak has faced some declines in his wealth, mainly due to lowered stock values linked to Murty’s shares. His estimated fortune has dropped to £640 million, but he has moved up from last year’s 245th place. He is currently engaged in a part-time role at Stanford University and has joined the Washington Speaker Bureau.

The report notes that shares from Infosys, the IT company founded by Sunak’s father-in-law, yielded £7.5 million in dividends last year, though its value has taken a hit. The couple is also working on a charity focused on various issues, which adds an interesting layer to their public profiles.

Aside from the Hinduja family, this year’s top ten list includes the Reuben brothers, who have seen their wealth rise to around £268.7 billion, securing the second spot. Lakshmi N. Mittal, the NRI tycoon from Arcelor Mittal Steelworks, ranks eighth at an estimated £15.444 billion. Anil Agarwal of Vedanta Resources follows at 25th with around £17 billion.

Other notable Indian billionaires featured include Prakash Lohia at 31st with £6.02 billion, and retail tycoons Mohsin and Zuber Issa at 32nd with £6 billion. In the pharmaceutical sector, siblings Navin and Varsha engineer wealth of £3.45 billion, ranking 48th. Among the top 100 wealthiest Britons, the Arora brothers are 69th with £25.7 billion, while industrialist Lord Swaraj Paul’s family is at 81st with £2 billion.

This edition of the Rich List highlights a significant drop in the number of billionaires, marking the most pronounced decrease in its 37-year run. The count fell from 165 in 2024 to 156 this year, which raises some eyebrows about the economic environment.

Robert Watts, the compiler of the annual rankings, noted that it was particularly challenging this year due to external factors like US tariffs and market fluctuations. He added that the decline in collective wealth is a stark illustration of the current state of affluence in Britain.

The rankings for this year were established based on evaluations conducted between November 2024 and April 2025.