prince alwaleed bin talal yacht

Muslim Owner Of Donald Trump's Old Yacht Calls Him Disgrace "To All America"

The Saudi prince who now owns the 281-foot yacht formerly known as "The Trump Princess" tells Trump he's a total loser who will never become president.

BuzzFeed News Reporter

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz al Saud, a mogul and member of the Saudi royal family tweeted on Friday that Donald Trump was a disgrace to all of America and should quit the presidential race.

الوليد بن طلال @Alwaleed_Talal .@realDonaldTrump You are a disgrace not only to the GOP but to all America. Withdraw from the U.S presidential race as you will never win. 07:02 PM - 11 Dec 2015 Reply Retweet Favorite

Trump and the Saudi prince have an interesting history. When Trump was deep in debt in the 1990s he was forced to sell his beloved 281-foot yacht , "The Trump Princess," to Alwaleed.

Trump's 1991 book Surviving at the Top had a chapter on the yacht: "Ship of Jewels: The Trump Princess."

Alwaleed renamed the ship "Kingdom 5KR," and today it docks in France.

Alwaleed also bought a controlling stake in the Plaza Hotel, another Trump property in 1995.

"The deal is subject to approval by the consortium of banks, led by Citibank, that has controlled the Plaza since 1993, after Trump was unable to make loan payments," Newsday wrote in 1995 on the sale. The Saudi prince's stake in the hotel has changed over the years.

Read the whole story on the yacht here.

buzzfeed.com

Earlier in the year, Trump tweeted at an Alwaleed parody account:

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Saudi Arabia should be paying the United States many billions of dollars for our defense of them. Without us, gone! @AlWaleedbinT 11:40 AM - 29 Jun 2015 Reply Retweet Favorite

Alwaleed’s son, Khaled bin Alwaleed, replied mocking The Donald:

Khaled Alwaleed @KhaledAlwaleed @realDonaldTrump @AlWaleedbinT lol wrong Twitter user. Just FYI. 02:17 PM - 29 Jun 2015 Reply Retweet Favorite

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A Saudi prince helped save Trump from bankruptcy—twice

Donald Trump  claimed on Twitter today that he has no “financial interests in Saudi Arabia.” But his financial ties to the kingdom go back a very long way.

In 1991, Donald J. Trump was a mid-tier real estate developer with $900 million in debt, a collapsing casino business, and a name perhaps best known for a headline-dominating split with his wife Ivana. With his empire at risk of falling apart, Trump was searching for cash everywhere; his father even illegally bought $3.35 million worth of casino chips and never gambled them, to help Trump make a massive bond payment a year earlier.

A helpful burst of cash from a Saudi prince eased some tension with his creditors. Alwaleed bin Talal bought Trump’s yacht for somewhere between $18 million and $20 million (reports vary). It wasn’t a great bit of business for Trump—he had bought it from the Sultan of Brunei three years earlier for a reported $29 million .

In 1995, Trump was still in deep trouble—and Alwaleed swooped in again . The prince, who calls himself the “Warren Buffett of Saudi Arabia,” took over Trump’s 51% stake in his beloved New York Plaza hotel. As a result, Trump’s creditors forgave $125 million of his debt.

Alwaleed, who was one of several royals to be detained by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in 2017, is deemed the world’s 74th richest man by Bloomberg, and owns stakes in companies like Apple, Snapchat, Twitter and Citigroup.

As late as 2015, Trump was still happy to boast about his connections with Saudi Arabia. Speaking at a rally in Alabama, he  bragged : “Saudi Arabia, I get along with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much.”

Correction: A typo in an earlier version of the article stated that Trump was $900 billion in debt in 1991. This article has been updated to note that he was $900 million in debt. 

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Owner of Kingdom 5KR Prince Alwaleed bin Talal to donate billions to charity

Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has announced he will donate all of his $32 billion fortune to charity. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is the owner of superyacht Kingdom 5KR .

In an official statement, the Saudi Prince said that his billions would go his organisation, Alwaleed Philanthropies, and be used to “foster cultural understanding” and support communities in need, including aiding disaster relief. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal also said the donation of his fortune would help causes that “empower women” – the Prince’s progressive views on women’s issues can be seen in his staff, which counts many women in its roster. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has already donated $3.5 billion to his charity.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is one of the world’s wealthiest people, ranked at number 34 on Forbes ’ list of the world’s billionaires. While he is a royal – the nephew to King Salman – Prince Alwaleed bin Talal doesn’t hold any official government position and is widely considered a “self-made” billionaire. According to the AP , he built his wealth through seed money from his father and varied investments. His company, Kingdom Holdings, owns stakes in Disney, Apple, Twitter, GM, News Corp, 21st Century Fox, and hotel groups including the The Four Seasons, Raffles and Fairmont.

Now Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is donating all of his fortune, stating he has been inspired by the Gates Foundation, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. Bill Gates enjoys yachting holidays himself, having been spotted on superyacht Serene last year.

"Philanthropy is a personal responsibility, which I embarked upon more than three decades ago and is an intrinsic part of my Islamic faith," Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said in the statement.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal owns the superyacht Kingdom 5KR , launched by Benetti in 1980. The 85.9 metre displacement motor yacht was designed by Luigi Sturchio , and she enjoyed a refit in 1993. The 1,768GT, Saudi Arabia-flagged yacht can accommodate 22 guests.

No word yet on whether donating all his wealth includes the eventual sale of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s superyacht Kingdom 5KR as well. An exact timeline of the donations was not announced in his statement, but the Prince said that the donation of his billions would occur through a “well-devised” plan in the coming years, supervised by a board of trustees that he will head.

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From selling a Saudi billionaire his 282-foot yacht to sword-dancing on his first international trip as president, Trump's ties with Saudi Arabia run deep

In 1991, trump sold his 282-foot yacht named "the trump princess" to a saudi billionaire for $20 million..

In 2001, Trump sold the 45th floor of Trump Tower to the Saudi court for $4.5 million. In 2008, the floor became part of the Saudi mission to the United Nations.

The New York Daily News revealed the sale in September 2016 after Trump had attacked Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail for the Clinton Foundation accepting money from Saudi Arabia.

"Crooked Hillary says we must call on Saudi Arabia and other countries to stop funding hate," Trump wrote on Facebook in June 2016. "I am calling on her to immediately return the $25 million plus she got from them for the Clinton Foundation!"

But earlier, at a 2015 rally in Alabama, Trump had said: "Saudi Arabia — and I get along great with all of them. They buy apartments from me.

"They spend $40 million, $50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much," Trump added.

After announcing his presidential candidacy, Trump incorporated several companies with names indicating that they may do business in Saudi Arabia, such as "THC Jeddah Hotel Advisor LLC." Jeddah is the second largest city in Saudi Arabia.

After he was elected, Trump's company, the Trump Organization, announced that it had shut down those companies.

Source: Buzzfeed News , CBS

Since Trump took office, the Saudi government has also been a major customer of the president's hotels in New York and Washington DC.

Between October 2016 and March 2017, MSL Group Americas, a lobbying group working for the Saudi government, spent $270,000 at Trump International Hotel in DC for lodging, catering and parking.

In June 2017, the Trump Organization announced it would donate all profits from the sales to charity.

In March 2018, the Trump organization said it had donated $151,470 to charity, but ethics experts have challenged the company's calculations of the actual profits.

Also in March 2018, members of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's entourage stayed at the president's Trump International Hotel in New York, which caused the hotel's quarterly profits to go up 13 percent.

The Maryland and DC Attorneys general have since filed suit against the president , arguing that the transactions could also violate the Constitution's emoluments clause, which prohibits federal officeholders from receiving anything of value from a foreign state.

Source: Washington Post

In 2017, Saudi Arabia said it would invest $20 billion in a US infrastructure fund before Trump unveiled a $200 billion plan to fix the US's roads, airports and more.

Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, who visited Saudi Arabia with Trump in 2017, has since withdrawn from an investment meeting in Saudi Arabia planned for next week.

Trump has also intimately engaged with the Saudi court in other ways, including participating in a traditional sword dance known as ardah.

In May 2017, Trump simultaneously touched an odd glowing orb with Saudi King Salman and Egypt's President Sisi, which reportedly symbolized their intentions to combat exremism.

Source: CNN

Trump has also said that the US cannot rescind on its $110 billion arms deal, $14.5 billion of which has gone through to Saudi Arabia, arguing that Riyadh would just turn to China or Russia.

The US had already faced criticism for the arms deal over the Saudi-led coalition's execution of the war against Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, which has become one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, have also formed a cozy relationship as they have discussed initiatives to reshape the Middle East since Trump was elected.

You can read more about that here and here .

But Trump has denied any financial ties to the Saudi court.

"For the record, I have no financial interests in Saudi Arabia (or Russia, for that matter)," Trump tweeted on Tuesday. "Any suggestion that I have is just more FAKE NEWS (of which there is plenty)!"

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See What’s Inside Donald Trump’s Former Superyacht

By Nick Mafi

When Donald J. Trump bought a 282-foot superyacht from Saudi billionaire Adnan Khashoggi in the late 1980s, it was among the largest in the world. Outfitted in marble and gold (and a master bedroom ceiling made of endangered tortoise shell), and equipped with such amenities as a helipad, a disco, and a movie theater, the Trump Princess seemed the perfect vessel for a man with a penchant for glitz. In fact, one of Trump’s first requests was to change the H on the helipad to a T.

The Trump Princess, which includes 11 cabins for 22 guests and 31 crew members, wasn’t in the real-estate tycoon’s possession for very long. By 1991, Trump was forced to sell his beloved boat. The buyer was Saudi Prince Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who renamed the vessel the Kingdom 5KR, after his lucky number and his two children's first initials.

The yacht, which can hit a top speed of 20 knots and a cruising speed of 17.5 knots, was built in Benetti Shipyards in Viareggio, Italy, and designed by renowned craftsman Jon Bannenberg. It was once featured in the James Bond movie Never Say Never Again (1983), starring Sean Connery.

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‘I love the Saudis': Trump business ties to kingdom run deep

FILE - This is a July 4, 1988 file photo of Donald Trump’s yacht, the Trump Princess, in New York City. In 1991, as Trump was teetering on personal bankruptcy and scrambling to raise cash, he sold his 282-foot Trump Princess yacht to Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin-Talal for $20 million, a third less than what he had reportedly paid for it. Donald Trump’s business ties to Saudi Arabia run long and deep, and he’s often boasted about his business ties with the kingdom. Now those ties are under scrutiny as the president faces calls for a tougher response to the kingdom’s government following the disappearance, and possible killing, of one of its biggest critics, journalist and activist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump said Friday that he will soon speak with Saudi Arabia’s king about Khashoggi’s disappearance. (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler, File)

In this Oct. 10, 2018 photo, Trump World Tower, right, rises above the United Nations headquarters, left, in New York. In 2001, Donald Trump’s business ties to Saudi Arabia run long and deep, and he’s often boasted about his business ties with the kingdom. Now those ties are under scrutiny as the president faces calls for a tougher response to the kingdom’s government following the disappearance, and possible killing, of one of its biggest critics, journalist and activist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump said Friday that he will soon speak with Saudi Arabia’s king about Khashoggi’s disappearance. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

In this Oct. 10, 2018 photo, Trump World Tower, right, rises above the United Nations headquarters, center, in New York. Donald Trump’s business ties to Saudi Arabia run long and deep, and he’s often boasted about his business ties with the kingdom. Now those ties are under scrutiny as the president faces calls for a tougher response to the kingdom’s government following the disappearance, and possible killing, of one of its biggest critics, journalist and activist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump said Friday that he will soon speak with Saudi Arabia’s king about Khashoggi’s disappearance. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

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NEW YORK (AP) — He’s booked hotel rooms and meeting spaces to them, sold an entire floor in one of his buildings to them and, in desperate moments in his career, gotten a billionaire from the country to buy his yacht and New York’s Plaza Hotel overlooking Central Park.

President Donald Trump’s ties to Saudi Arabia run long and deep, and he’s often boasted about his business ties with the kingdom.

“I love the Saudis,” Trump said when announcing his presidential run at Trump Tower in 2015. “Many are in this building.”

Now those ties are under scrutiny as the president faces calls for a tougher response to the kingdom’s government following the disappearance, and possible killing, of one of its biggest critics, journalist and activist Jamal Khashoggi.

“The Saudis are funneling money to him,” said former federal ethics chief Walter Shaub, who is advising a watchdog group suing Trump for foreign government ties to his business. That undermines “confidence that he’s going to do the right thing when it comes to Khashoggi.”

Trump paid his first foreign visit as president to Saudi Arabia last year, praised its new young ruler and boasted of striking a deal to sell $110 billion of U.S. weapons to the kingdom.

But those close ties are in peril as pressure mounts from Congress for the president to find out whether Khashoggi was killed and dismembered after entering a Saudi consulate in Turkey, as Turkish officials have said without proof.

Trump said Friday that he will soon speak with Saudi Arabia’s king about Khashoggi’s disappearance. But he also has said he doesn’t want to scuttle a lucrative arms deal with the kingdom and noted that Khashoggi, a U.S. resident, is not a citizen. For its part, Saudi Arabia has called allegations it killed Khashoggi “baseless.”

The president’s links to Saudi billionaires and princes go back years, and appear to have only deepened.

In 1991, as Trump was teetering on personal bankruptcy and scrambling to raise cash, he sold his 282-foot Trump yacht “Princess” to Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin-Talal for $20 million, a third less than what he reportedly paid for it.

Four years later, the prince came to his rescue again, joining other investors in a $325 million deal for Trump’s money-losing Plaza Hotel.

In 2001, Trump sold the entire 45th floor of the Trump World Tower across from the United Nations in New York for $12 million, the biggest purchase in that building to that point, according to the brokerage site Streeteasy. The buyer: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Shortly after he announced his run for president, Trump began laying the groundwork for possible new business in the kingdom. He registered eight companies with names tied to the country, such as “THC Jeddah Hotel Advisor LLC” and “DT Jeddah Technical Services,” according to a 2016 financial disclosure report to the federal government. Jeddah is a major city in the country.

“Saudi Arabia, I get along with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million,” Trump told a crowd at an Alabama rally on Aug. 21, 2015, the same day he created four of the entities. “Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much.”

The president’s company, the Trump Organization, said shortly after his 2016 election that it had shut down those Saudi companies. The president later pledged to pursue no new foreign deals while in office.

In a statement this week, the company said it has explored business opportunities in many countries but that it does “not have any plans for expansion into Saudi Arabia.”

Since Trump took the oath of office, the Saudi government and lobbying groups for it have been lucrative customers for Trump’s hotels.

A public relations firm working for the kingdom spent nearly $270,000 on lodging and catering at his Washington hotel near the Oval Office through March of last year, according to filings to the Justice Department. A spokesman for the firm told The Wall Street Journal that the Trump hotel payments came as part of a Saudi-backed lobbying campaign against a bill that allowed Americans to sue foreign governments for responsibility in the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Attorneys general for Maryland and the District of Columbia cited the payments by the Saudi lobbying firm as an example of foreign gifts to the president that could violate the Constitution’s ban on such “emoluments” from foreign interests.

The Saudi government was also a prime customer at the Trump International Hotel in New York early this year, according to a Washington Post report.

The newspaper cited an internal letter from the hotel’s general manager, who wrote that a “last-minute” visit in March by a group from Saudi Arabia accompanying Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had boosted room rentals at the hotel by 13 percent for the first three months of the year, after two years of decline.

Saudi Arabia has also helped on one of Trump’s key policy promises, and helped the president’s friends along the way.

Last year, the kingdom announced plans to invest $20 billion in a private U.S.-focused infrastructure fund managed by Blackstone Group, an investment firm led by CEO Stephen Schwarzman. Blackstone stock rose on the news. Earlier this year, Trump unveiled a $200 billion federal plan to fix the nation’s airports, roads, highways and ports, tapping private companies for help and selling off some government owned infrastructure.

Schwarzman, who celebrated his 70th birthday at the president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, accompanied Trump on his visit to Saudi Arabia.

What Is Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud's Net Worth?

Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud's net worth

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a prominent Saudi Arabian investor and a royal family member, has a net worth of $17 billion. He is the founder, chief executive officer, and a 95 percent stakeholder of the Kingdom Holding Company. His holdings span private and public enterprises across the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. He was listed in the 'Top 100 Most Powerful Arabs' from 2013 to 2021 by Gulf Business.

What are Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud's sources of income?

Prince Alwaleed's wealth primarily stems from his ownership and leadership role in the Kingdom Holding Company. This conglomerate has investments in diverse sectors, including banking, financial services, hotels, media, entertainment, retail, agriculture, petrochemicals, aviation, technology, and real estate. Moreover, he has earned substantial income through strategic investments in companies like Citigroup, News Corporation, and Twitter.

Business Ventures

After completing his bachelor's degree in 1980, Prince Alwaleed founded Kingdom Establishment. In 1982, he partnered with a South Korean construction company, enabling investments in real estate and the stock market. Over the years, he strategically acquired United Saudi Commercial Bank, which later became a leading Middle Eastern bank after mergers. By 1989, Prince Alwaleed had become a billionaire.

Later, he purchased a 50 percent controlling interest in the Fairmont Hotel group, a 22 percent stake in the Four Seasons, a 42 percent share in the Plaza Hotel, and the George V Hotel. He invested in media and technology companies, becoming the largest shareholder in Apple Inc.

Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud's assets

With an impressive 420-room palace, multiple residences, and ownership of the top three floors of the iconic Kingdom Tower, Prince Alwaleed's real estate holdings alone surpass $4.5 billion. In 1991, Prince Alwaleed acquired Donald Trump's yacht, the 85.9-meter Kingdom 5KR.

He also owns a fleet of private aircraft, including a Boeing 747, Airbus A321, and a converted Hawker Siddeley 125. He had also purchased an 80.5 percent stake in the television broadcaster Rotana, valued at over a billion dollars. Furthermore, he owns more than 30 million shares in Twitter.

Alwaleed bin Talal's personal life

Born into the Saudi royal family on March 7, 1955, Prince Alwaleed attended schools in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Menlo College in 1979 and a master's degree in social science from Syracuse University in 1985.

In 2017, he, along with over 300 influential Saudis, was arrested on charges of bribery, money laundering, and extortion, leading to an 84-day detention at the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh. He was released after a substantial financial settlement, rumored to exceed $1 billion.

What is Prince Alwaleed's net worth?

Al Waleed has an estimated net worth of $17 billion.

How did Prince Alwaleed accumulate his wealth?

Prince Alwaleed's wealth comes from his ownership of the Kingdom Holding Company, strategic investments, and successful business ventures in various sectors.

What legal issues did Prince Alwaleed face?

Prince Alwaleed faced arrest and detention in 2017 on charges of bribery, money laundering, and extortion. He was released after reaching a financial settlement.

'Real or Fantasy'? Prince Al Waleed bin Talal's Luxury Boeing 747

Written by Sally Shakkour

Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al Saud  is a Saudi  businessman ,  investor ,  philanthropist , and a member of the  Saudi royal family . 

Prince  Al - Waleed   bin   Talal owns several aircraft converted for private use: a Boeing 747, [78]  an Airbus 321 and a Hawker Siddeley 125. He also have the 65th-largest private yacht in the world.

This 747 which was originally configured to seat more than 400 people.  The Saudi prince bought this plane in 2003 and afterwards had it customized to fit his own needs. Two luxurious bedrooms, a dining table for 14 people and a throne in the middle of the plane most likely remind the prince of his home palace while travelling.

Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal owns a special Boeing 747 private jet which worth over $500 million. (YouTube)

Inside Prince Alwaleed bin Talal's jet. (Forbes)

Prince Al Waleed has a private seat at his Luxury Boeing 747. (YouTube)

Prince Al Waleed's Boeing 747 contains separate seating for the minions. (imgur.com)

Bedroom lower deck inside Prince Al Waleed's Boeing 747 private plane. (imgur.com)

The madulus area at the front. (imgur.com)

The dining facilities on board Saudi prince Al Waleed bin Talal's Boeing 747. (allofaviation.blogspot.com)

Main lounge area. (imgur.com)

Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal's Boeing 747. (YouTube)

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His Profile

The man behind one of the world’s most successful international holding companies, Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), has been named twice by Forbes magazine as one of the smartest and most creative investors in the world. Such a portrayal encapsulates the remarkable achievements of His Royal Highness Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, founder and chairman of one of the world’s most successful and diversified financial investment enterprises.

Prince Alwaleed was born in 1955, He is the grandson of two remarkable, and in some ways legendary, historical leaders, King Abdulaziz Al Saud, founder and first ruler of Saudi Arabia, and Riad El Solh, an iconic statesman in Lebanon’s drive for independence and its first Prime Minister.

The uncommon achievements of those two personages must have loomed large in shaping Prince Alwaleed’s propensity towards excellence, as became evident in his school years.

I have a very good relationship with the East and the West and I'm going to use this to bridge the gap between both sides

He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, magna cum laude, from Menlo College in California in l979, and his Masters in Social Sciences with Honors from Syracuse University in New York in 1985.

In recognition of his business and civic accomplishments, Prince Alwaleed has been the recipient of numerous honors and accolades from many organizations, societies, monarchs and heads of state. These include 27 Honorary Doctorates from universities in the U.S., Britain, Korea, Egypt, Malaysia, Ghana, Palestine, Philippines, Tunisia, Uganda, Indonesia, Hungary, Jordan, Australia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Spain, Bulgaria, and Madagascar.

The citations accompanying these honors particularly point to his financial contributions to education, international understanding, coexistence, and to the provision of assistance to the victims of natural disasters, as well as to the poor and needy, irrespective of nationality, race or creed.

Here's How Prince Alwaleed Spends His '$29.6 Billion' Fortune

It's a classic he-said-she-said — except she is Forbes' Senior Editor Kerry Dolan and he is Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, considered to be the richest man in Saudi Arabia and one of the richest people in the world.

They're fighting over how much the Saudi Arabian prince is worth .

Alwaleed believes the number is a $29.6 billion, while Forbes disagreed and placed him at number 26 on its annual billionaires list with a net worth estimate of $20 billion .

Regardless, Alwaleed is still rich beyond belief from his stake in his Kingdom Holding Company, his Saudi real estate investments, shares in Arab media companies, and investments in public and private companies globally, including Twitter .

Prince Alwaleed was born into Saudi royalty.

He is the son of Prince Talal and Mona Al Solh .

His maternal grandfather was the first prime minister of Lebanon and his paternal grandfather, King Abdulaziz, created Saudi Arabia.

He attended a California school for college.

It was while attending Menlo College in Atherton, California that he acquired what many believe to be a Western world outlook , making him the go-to Saudi investor for American businessmen.

He got his big break when he invested in a little company called Citicorp.

He received a $30,000 gift, a $300,000 loan, and a house from his father after graduating, and slowly began investing.

In 1991, when Alwaleed was 36, he made a high-stakes decision to invest in Citicorp, which made him $800 million. By 2005, that had turned into $10 billion.

He's married to the gorgeous Princess Ameerah.

Princess Ameerah is Alwaleed's fourth bride (and his only current wife — Alwaleed is a one-wife-at-a-time kind of guy).

They've been married for eight years, and she is heavily involved in charity work.

He has met many of the richest and most impressive people on the planet.

Alwaleed makes a point of meeting and being seen with the world's royals, politicians, and celebrities.

He and his wife were guests at Kate Middleton and Prince William's royal wedding , and he's met the Queen of England, Prince Charles, Nicholas Sarkozy, Queen Rania of Jordan, Michael Jackson, and the former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, among others.

He owns an estimated $700 million in jewelry.

When Forbes' Kerry Dolan visited with the Saudi Prince in 2009 , he reportedly showed her part of his impressive jewelry collection that he claimed neither he nor his wife even used:

"The most spectacular set on display was a diamond and emerald necklace with three emeralds the size of sparrow eggs dangling from the center, with earrings and a ring to match. With a combined total of 200 carats, the set is worth $40 million," Dolan wrote.

He sleeps only four hours a night and loves CNBC.

The prince follows a bizarre schedule of going to bed at 4 or 5 am, and waking up at 9 am. He then eats one big meal a day at 8 pm which he calls "lunch."

The TV is constantly turned to CNBC while Alwaleed is eating or working, and the Saudi royal has even appeared as a guest on his favorite TV channel .

He's a women's rights advocate (sort of).

The prince takes pride in the fact that nearly 65 percent of the staff at his palace and his investment company, Kingdom Holding, are women . 

But he's been accused of doing it for publicity: For instance, Business Insider's Nicholas Carlson reports his female pilot Hanadi Zakariya Hindi has hardly flown any of Alwaleed's aircraft, and when she was hired, Alwaleed told his aviation staff that she never would .

He bought the third biggest yacht in the world for $500 million.

Alwaleed's old yacht, the New Kingdom 5KR Yacht , was 282 feet long, and appeared in the Bond movie "Never Say Never Again." The boat has a disco, cinema, helipad, pool, guest rooms, and more.

But Alwaleed commissioned a new yacht double the size at 557 feet, making it the third biggest yacht in the world. It's expected to be delivered in 2014 and will cost a reported $500 million.

He owns a lot of expensive cars, too.

His collection includes a Rolls Royce Phantom, which retails just under $500,000 , a $48 million diamond-encrusted Mercedes Benz SL 600 , and several other Lamborghinis and Ferraris.

He bought (and then sold) an Airbus 380 plane.

It was reportedly tricked out with three floors, a Turkish bath, a "concert hall" with seating for 10, a boardroom with holographic projectors, and a garage for his Rolls Royce. The aircraft cost an estimated $500 million.

Alwaleed recently sold the plane to a private buyer for an undisclosed price, with proceeds going toward his investments in Saudi Arabia and the greater Middle Eas t, according to his spokesperson.

But he still owns his Boeing 747.

Alwaleed owns a $220 million Boeing 747 with a throne, two bedrooms, and a 14-seat dining table with 11 flight attendants from around the world.

He lives in a 420-room palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Alwaleed's palace is made with high-quality marble and hung with large portraits and photographs of himself.

It also has two indoor pools and an outdoor tennis court.

He also owns a huge farm/resort on the outskirts of the city.

The Farm has over 120 acres , and has a miniature version of the Grand Canyon, a mini-zoo, horse stables, and five artificial lakes.

Alwaleed is a big game hunter.

He often goes on hunting expeditions, and shoots game that are typically illegal to hunt . His prized animal is a stuffed zebra that he killed with his daughter .

His palace is filled with the taxidermied animals that are put on display for guests to admire.

He hires little people to act like his "court jesters."

Business Insider's Nicholas Carlson reports : "Almost every source we spoke to, including Alwaleed's official spokesperson, confirmed that, like a medieval monarch, Alwaleed keeps in his entourage a group of dancing, laughing, joking dwarfs."

The sources continued that even though they were initially shocked, in Saudi culture it would be considered charity since the little people would most likely be out of work and considered "freaks" in the country.

But it's not all about the toys: Alwaleed also donates heavily to charities.

It is common for Alwaleed to make donations to petitioners , as well as to numerous charities and causes through the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation ( even if it might just be for publicity ). 

He has given to those affected by the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami , as well as to universities like Harvard and Cambridge .

He's not the only prince doing well for himself.

The Incredible Lives Of The World's Richest Royals >

• Main content

Worth 8 times more than King Charles, Saudi Arabia’s Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal is a self-made billionaire who leads a life so luxurious that no royal can even dream of. He travels in his personal Boeing 747, unwinds on his $325 million megayacht, and owns three lavish palaces.

Note – As of writing this article according to Forbes Prince Al Waleed is worth $18.7 billion. According to the Guardian, King Charles is worth $2.3 billion.

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