The Toys Of Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal
His Royal Highness Prince Al Waleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
is a Saudi Arabian national who is the Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of Kingdom Holding Company, or KHC. He is one of the richest men
in the world, with a net financial worth amounting to around $20
billion. Coming from the oil-rich Middle Eastern country, one would
think that he earned his wealth from the oil and gas industry. Prince Al
Waleed, however, made his mark in real estate properties and
construction, before cementing his fortune in the banking industry.
Prince Al Waleed was the man responsible for bailing out Citicorp in
the early 90s with an investment amounting to $590 million. The bank
recovered, and he has since been laughing all the way to the bank. He
loves life and the perks that go with it, so he indulges himself in toys
that mere mortals like us could just dream of. Here are some of the
toys of Prince Al Waleed bin Talal.
Rolls Royce Phantom
The car features panels finished with oak woods, an LCD television set,
air conditioning controls for both front and back seats, sensors for
occupants, and storage for authentic French champagne. The car’s luxury
and design are perfect complements to his image and lifestyle.
Sports Cars
He has in his collection several Lamborghinis and Ferraris. As a matter
of fact, he has more than 300 cars in his collection, which is several
times more than what we would own in our lifetimes. Owning one of those
red beauties with an engine sound resonating with a distinctive high
pitch is a car lover’s ultimate wish. Well, Prince Al Waleed has several
of these Ferraris, meaning he has had his wish granted several times
over.
Mercedes Benz SL 600
After getting his 37th car, the Prince decided he needed something special for his 38th.
So he bought a Mercedes Benz. Hmm, does not sound that incredible, does
it? So, he had diamonds encrusted all over the car. He added some
Swarovski crystals just for good measure. And when I say all over the
car, I do mean all over. Diamonds are encrusted not only in the body,
but also in the tailpipe, the wheel rims, the logo, the door handles. It
was unveiled in Dubai during the carmaker’s anniversary. Not sure if he
was short of money to pay for the $48 million car because reports have
it that he is charging a thousand dollars to anyone who wants to touch
it.
Ducati
He probably liked the design of his diamond Mercedes so much that he
ordered the same thing, but this time for a motorcycle. He paid $4.8
million for a Ducati that was encrusted all over with diamonds and
Swarovski crystals. A Ducati, by itself, can already grab the attention
of bystanders. Wearing a diamond, by itself, can have the same effect.
Even the mere presence of Prince Waleed may be enough to make people
stop and look. So you can just imagine the amount of attention that a
Ducati with diamonds encrusted and sparkling all over it would grab
whenever he passes by. Hmm, it actually begs the question of does he
really use it?
Kingdom Resort
Sure, he owns several hotels and resorts, from Toronto to Paris To
Seychelles to Dubai. He owns or has a stake in hotel brands like
Movenpick, Fairmont and Four Seasons. But Prince Al Waleed needs his own
space, and that is why he has his own Kingdom Resort in Riyadh in his
native Saudi Arabia. The place features three giant lakes and also
contains several spectacular gardens. This is where the Prince
entertains his very important guests like Khaldoon al Mubarak, the Chief
Executive Officer of Mubadala Development Company of Dubai, Bill Gates
of Microsoft, representatives and parliamentary delegates from various
countries and other VIPs.
Castel of Castagneto
The Prince bought this house located on the hills of Turin in Italy in
2009. The size of the house is 21,528 square feet, and the total area of
the land is equivalent to 173 acres. The huge place features a farm
building, a house for the caretaker, several orchards, vegetable gardens
and flower balconies, as well as vintage greenhouses. An artistic house
in a cozy area, this is used whenever he decides to swing by southern
Europe.
Kingdom Oasis
This is different from the abovementioned Kingdom Resort. The Kingdom
Oasis is a luxury resort, though everything about the old Kingdom Resort
is luxury as well. it will also feature a massive lake. Maybe, just to
make it different, a private zoo is also included in the Kingdom Oasis.
New Kingdom 5KR Yacht
Okay, so the Prince already has an older yacht named 5KR as well. Five
is his favorite number, Kingdom stands for his investment firm, and K
and R are the initials of his children. The old yacht measures 282 feet
and was used in the Bond flick Never Say Never Again. It has a disco,
cinema, helipad, pool, guest rooms and all the other luxuries you can
think of. However a new yacht has caught the Prince’s fancy. It will
cost him $500 million, but the yacht will be almost double the size of
the old one at 557 feet. It is reputed to be the third biggest in the
world and is slated for delivery in 2014. It would be named the New
Kingdom 5KR. No word yet what he plans to do with the old one.
Private Planes
The Prince owns a Hawker Siddeley 125, a medium-sized corporate plane
that is powered by the Viper Turbojet engines from Rolls Royce. The
plane is a limited edition and is only built for a few rich and famous
people. Then again, only the rich and famous could buy a private plane.
Still, he bought a Boeing 747 outfitted with a throne, two bedrooms, and
14-seat dining table. There are 11 flight attendants who come from
different parts of the world who serve it. So as not to antagonize
Boeing’s competitor, he also bought an Airbus 380, which has a Turkish
bath, a concert hall, boardroom with holographic projectors and a garage
for his Rolls Royce.
