The permanent population of Qatar is about 2.505 million, but only about 300,000 citizens of Qatar, and the rest are all foreigners, mostly foreign workers who come to Qatar to work, and these foreign workers have become the target of oppression by Qataris. Qatar's 300,000 citizens are indeed not poor, and even if they work four hours a day, even if they work hard, birth, old age, illness and death are free.
Like Qatar, the Saudi royal family is known for leading a rather extravagant lifestyle. In addition to the royal family's wealth, Saudi Arabia's laws are too strict, and many critics say they have not improved despite the kingdom's lifting of some restrictions. To this day, the kingdom still faces massive revolt for its brutal forms of punishment. Moreover, it is not just Saudi law that faces controversy, with some members of the Saudi royal family accused of assaulting their staff, while others have been accused of imprisoning their own relatives. Due to the large amount of controversy surrounding the Saudi royal family and its leadership, many people are curious to know the truth about the Saudi royal family.
Abdul Aziz ibn Saud captured Riyadh (the capital of the kingdom) in 1902, as well as two holy cities, Mecca in 1924 and Medina in 1925. Finally, in 1932, Saudi Arabia proclaimed itself King and renamed the country Saudi Arabia. To further his unity, the king married women from other tribes and with connections to influential families. These marriages produced 45 sons, and the king continued to keep them in power.
Since its modern founder, King Abdulaziz, the leadership of the monarchy has continued to the male descendants of the founder. Currently, the ruler of Saudi Arabia is King Salman.
In 2021, the ruling royal family had an estimated 15,000 members, of which 4,000 were said to be princes holding various government positions. Regarding the large number of royals in the family, Princess Basma bint Saud bin Abdulaziz (granddaughter of the founding king) claimed that in addition to having 15,000 members of the royal family, only about 2,000 of them truly enjoy royal privileges. "They have all the power, all the wealth, and no one can even say anything against because they are afraid of losing what they have," the princess claimed.
If you consider the British royal family's net worth of $88 billion to be impressive, the Saudi royal family's so-called net worth of about $1.4 trillion is said to be enough to shock you. It is known that the original royal wealth came from the oil reserves accumulated during the reign of King Abdulaziz.
With no shortage of wealth, it's no surprise that the Saudi royal family is known for living in luxury. Still, some of their price purchases left some people dumbfounded. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bought Leonardo da Vinci's "Savior" for $450.3 million. Similarly, the New York Post reported that MBS owned an ultra-luxurious 440-foot yacht that cost a staggering $494 million. The ship allegedly had two swimming pools and a helipad, supposedly an impulse purchase.
With so much of seemingly unnecessary extravagance, it's no surprise that the Saudi royal family faces backlash for wasting wealth. However, it is also worth noting that certain members, such as the crown prince, have not felt remorse for their spending. "I'm a rich man, not a poor man. I am not Gandhi or Mandela. I am a member of the ruling family that existed for hundreds of years before Saudi Arabia was founded. “
Members of the Saudi royal family are certainly not thrifty when it comes to real estate. King Salman's son MBS paid more than $300 million for the Château de Louis XIV, a luxury property in France that Fortune magazine called "the most expensive house in the world." According to the New York Post, the house is fully intelligently connected, with everything accessible via iPhone — fountains, lights, air, heat and sound. There is also a moat containing sturgeon and koi, which can be viewed from a transparent underwater room.
People become arrogant when they have money, and members of the Saudi royal family face allegations of abuse of former workers. According to some of their former employees, working for the Saudi royal family is not exactly a dream come true. A Parisian decorator received some grossly unacceptable royal treatment. He claimed that after going to paint the Saudi princess's apartment, he was bound, beaten, and forced to kiss the Saudi princess's feet. If that wasn't enough to make the alleged experience worse, the decorator said he was also kicked out and not paid for his work.
Saudi Princess Buniah al Saud was arrested on suspicion of assaulting one of her maids and charged with a felony. That incident is said to have happened at a princess townhouse in Orlando, Florida, and the maid reportedly said it wasn't the first time the princess had put her hand her. You see, the people of the royal family are so arrogant.
In addition to being cruel to outsiders, the Saudi royal family has also imprisoned some of its own family members. With strict enforcement of the rules, it is not surprising that the Saudi royal family did not hesitate to severely condemn their family members. According to The Guardian, MBS shocked the world in 2017 when he turned the Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh, into a detention cell and detained many senior figures, some of them members of the royal family. While the outlet said King Salman issued an arrest warrant, it was MBS who carried out the order. Similarly, in 2020, the New York Times reported that MBS detained three members of the royal family: Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, brother of King Salman, former Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and his brother, Prince Nawaf ibn Nayif.
After talking about Saudi Arabia, Qatar's royal family, led by Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, is one of the richest dynasties in the world. The Qatari royal family, which defines the difference between the rich and the super-rich. Tamim and his family showed the true power of power and money. The Tani dynasty has a whopping $335 billion in net wealth, according to Forbes, Elon, Musk, and Jeff Bezos, who are worth $191.4 billion and $131.5 billion, respectively.
Qatari Royal Residence, Royal Palace Doha.
In addition to the palaces in Doha, the royal family lives in bustling central London. Emir's third wife bought the Cornwall terrace for $80 million. She then paid another $40 million for 2-3 Cornwall Terrace, making it one of the most expensive real estate plots.
Personal art collections comparable to museums –
The rulers of Qatar have an eye for all things beautiful, including numerous precious works of art. Over the past two decades, royal art lovers have collected some enviable pieces. Members of the Tani family have led Qatar's interest and involvement in the art scene, so much so that William Lawrie, Christie's head of modern contemporary Arab and Iranian art, quipped: "The royal family of Qatar is very much like the modern equivalent of the Medici family in Florence in the 16th century." The Qatari royal family shocked the art world by buying Cézanne's Solitaire for $250 million.
The royal family has a fleet of mortal dreams, and their collection of supercars actually blocks traffic.
A $400 million superyacht, one of the most luxurious luxury vessels in the world. The 7,922-tonne yacht, one of the world's largest mega superyachts, is moored in Falmouth, Cornwall, close to the royal residence. Equipped with a helicopter deck, satellite dome, tender and jet ski, it can accommodate nearly 35 guests and 90 crew members.
Not only are trendsetters on land, the Qatari royal family is also the master of the sky, boasting a jaw-dropping $600 million Boeing 747-8, the converted private jet is top-notch, with ten bathrooms, several lounges spread over two floors and a stunning bedroom suite.
Qatari royal family with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
The Qatari royal family's love of sports is as deep-rooted as their love of luxury. Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani put Qatar on the world map through sports. As President of the National Olympic Committee, he presided over Qatar's bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He was also a key figure in the acquisition of Paris Saint-Germain FC. Back in 2010, members of the Qatari royal family bought Spanish club Malaga. Paris Saint-Germain was acquired 11 years ago by Qatar's royal Soverign Wealth fund for 50 million euros, and the club is now estimated to be worth around €4 billion.
Behind the apparent luxury of Qatar and Saudi Arabia is the life of others that resembles the life of slaves. According to the 2021 Global Estimate, 49.6 million people live in modern slavery every day, either forced to work against their will or forced to marry. Forced labour accounts for 27.6 million of the 22 million modern slavery and forced marriages, almost one in every 150.
In addition to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the oil states of the Middle East, and constitutional monarchies, the 10 countries with the highest prevalence of modern slavery are North Korea, Eritrea, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Afghanistan, Mauritania, South Sudan, Pakistan, Cambodia and Iran. There is one country that seems to be fine with most of these.
Modern slaves are not only oppressed to work, but also face the deprivation of life at any time. In 2015, 126,670 solid organ transplants were performed worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) conservatively estimates that the illicit organ trade accounts for about 10% of global transplant activity. Revenues from illicit trade are estimated at between $840 million and $1.7 billion. Black market organ trade has been documented in different countries such as India, Pakistan, Kosovo and the Philippines. It is not clear to the extent of coercion and under what circumstances. What is certain, however, is that unscrupulous traffickers and brokers target vulnerable groups, including irregular migrants and refugees on the move.
Can the leaders of developed countries represent ordinary people? Britain's latest prime minister, Sunak is worth 700 million pounds, twice as much as the former Queen of Britain, and Sunak's husband is worth $3.6 billion. How can this kind of rich man speak for the poor, and the prime minister with a net worth of 6 billion yuan sounds sarcastic. Only the mainland serves the people wholeheartedly, and all of them are proletarians!