Sir David Beckham has officially become the UK's first billionaire sportsman, which is just a fancy way of saying he can now afford to buy every single football ever made and still have change for a cup of tea. According to the annual Sunday Times Rich List, the collective wealth of Sir David and his wife, Lady Beckham, is estimated at £1.2bn - double what it was last year. Meanwhile, Oasis brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher have made their debut on the list with a combined £375m, proving that even years of bickering can be financially lucrative.
Topping the list for the fifth consecutive year are Sanjay and Dheeraj Hinduja and family, sitting pretty on a combined fortune of £38bn. The brothers run the Hinduja Group, which has its fingers in oil, gas, banking, and transport - basically everything except the spare change in your couch cushions. This year's biggest risers include Nik Storonsky, co-founder of fintech company Revolut, and trading entrepreneur Alex Gerko, who apparently didn't get the memo that the economy is supposed to be struggling.
The Sunday Times Rich List calculates there are now 157 UK billionaires - 20 fewer than four years ago, because even the ultra-rich are feeling the pinch. King Charles' estimated wealth grew by £40m to £680m, pushing him to number 230 and allowing him to finally surpass former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty, who are worth £563m. Take that, commoner.
The biggest fallers this year include inventor Sir James Dyson, whose £12bn fortune dropped £8.8bn - partly blamed on US tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump, because nothing says "British innovation" like being collateral damage in a trade war. Manchester United part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe also slipped from £17bn to £15.19bn, presumably after realizing owning a football club is a great way to lose money.
New additions include Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis and family, worth an estimated £400m. Eavis told the BBC last year: "As much as there is talk about our profit, which we do still need to have in order to recover and also to get land, we also try to give away as much money as we can." She added that selling the festival would be "awful" and she'd "rather literally die before that happens." We appreciate the commitment.
Entrepreneur Christopher Harborne also joins the list in sixth place, having broken records for political donations to Reform UK, including a £5m gift to Nigel Farage in 2024. Nothing says "I have too much money" like funding a political party.
Other familiar names include Sir Elton John, Lord Lloyd-Webber, Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, JK Rowling, Charlotte Tilbury, Sir Brian May, and Sir Lewis Hamilton - proving that fame and fortune are still best friends.
Robert Watts, who compiles the list, called this year's edition "a tale of two exoduses." One in six individuals and families from two years ago no longer feature, and many foreign billionaires have moved away. There's also been a sharp rise in British nationals now living in Dubai, Switzerland, and Monaco - because nothing says "British patriotism" like living in a tax haven.
The list is based on identifiable wealth - land, property, art, racehorses, or significant shares in publicly quoted companies. Bank accounts are not included, because the newspaper has no access to them, which is probably for the best.
Meanwhile, boxer Tyson Fury makes his debut in the paper's 40 under 40 Rich List. Thirty-four of the entrants have self-made fortunes, and nearly a third are linked to London-based AI start-ups. Topping that list are the Duke and Duchess of Westminster with an estimated £9.7bn, while Gymshark founder Ben Francis - who dropped out of university to focus on his sportswear brand - came in fifth at £800m. Some people just have a knack for making money, even without a degree.