Royal Ascot’s richest owner is so unbelievably wealthy that he boasts his own private airline, in addition to an ultra-rare car collection and a £370million superyacht. Sheikh Tamin Bin Hamad Al-Thani, better known as the Emir of Qatar, is one of the new kids on the block when it comes to horse racing. He has only been involved for around three years but has wasted little time in making a splash.
Through his impressive Wathnan Racing operation, he won the Ascot Gold Cup at the first attempt with Courage Mon Ami back in 2023. Last year, they had another four winners and will be hoping to impress once again this week. They recently shelled out a huge amount of money to buy Lazzat, who has won 19 of his 27 races, showing they have no shortage of cash to burn.
However, it is not just on the racecourse where the Emir flaunts his extraordinary wealth. He is so amazingly rich that he owns a private airline, which consists of 14 jumbo jets to ferry him and his entourage around the world.
Each plane is thought to have cost over £300m, meaning the entire fleet is estimated to be worth a barely-believable £4.2billion.
The Emir also owns a superyacht, known as Al Lusail, which has been hailed as ‘the most beautiful in the world’. The vessel spans 400 feet and boasts its very own helicopter landing pad, in addition to several indoor pools and a built-in cinema.
The yacht has enough room to house 36 guests and 56 crew members, while its stunning decor was curated by March and White, the award-winning interior designers based in London.
As the leading member of Qatar’s ruling family, the Emir lives in the Royal Palace which is believed to be worth around £1bn. It has a garage big enough for 500 cars, which he uses as a base for his incredible collection of ultra-rare vehicles.
He is said to own a Bugatti Divo, of which only 40 were ever built, alongside several other Bugattis, a LaFerrari Aperta and a Lamborghini Centenario.
The Emir also has a penchant for fine art, reportedly boasting a collection worth hundreds of millions of pounds. In 2011, the royal family purchased a Paul Cezanne piece for around £260m, making it the most expensive painting in the world at the time.
Also included in the collection are works from Andy Warhol and Mark Rothko, with each piece believed to be worth at least nine figures.
This week, the Emir will be hoping for Lazzat to secure Ascot glory in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes. He will pocket just over £570,000 if the horse wins, but this figure would pale in comparison to the almost unimaginable wealth he already possesses.