© Getty Images

Queen Letizia of Spain’s wedding dress - The most highly publicized and extravagant royal weddings in recent years are those of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and later Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Both brides wore stunning gowns that cost hundreds of thousands to make.

© Reuters

Queen Letizia of Spain’s wedding dress - However, they didn’t come close to the luxurious wedding dress designed for Queen Letizia of Spain. The Spanish queen got married to Prince Felipe in 2004 while wearing a silk gown made by royal couturier Manuel Pertegaz. It featured a 15 ft (4.5 m) train and golden and silver embroidery. It cost a total of US$8 million!

© Getty Images

The Maharaja of Alwar’s luxury garbage trucks -

In 1920, the Maharaja of Alwar (a princely state in India) visited a Rolls Royce showroom in London and was not impressed with the service. He was insulted after allegedly being ignored by the salesmen. He left the store and returned later that day with a plan.

© Getty Images

The Maharaja of Alwar’s luxury garbage trucks -

The Maharaja purchased seven Rolls Royces, on the condition that the salesman who had insulted him escort the cars back to India. When the cars arrived at his home, he ordered that they all be used to collect garbage. He certainly made his point!

© Getty Images

Queen Margrethe of Denmark’s coffin -

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has been putting part of her US$40 million fortune towards planning for her future in a rather morbid way. The monarch commissioned a respected Danish artist to begin building her coffin back in 2003.

© Getty Images

Queen Margrethe of Denmark’s coffin -

Sculptor Bjørn Nørgaard worked on the unusual structure for 15 years before finally completing it in 2018. The coffin cost an estimated US$5 million and is sitting in St. Birgittas Chapel in Roskilde Cathedral, waiting for the Queen’s death.

© Getty Images

The Sultan of Brunei's cars -

The Sultan of Brunei is one of the richest monarchs in the world, worth a reported US$20 billion. He’s also a collector of luxury cars. It’s estimated that he owns more than 7,000 cars worth around a total of US$5 billion.

© Getty Images 

The Sultan of Brunei's cars -

One of the most extravagant vehicles in his collection is a Rolls Royce coated in 24 karat gold, which he used on the day of his wedding.

© Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth’s McDonald's franchise -

In 2008, late Queen Elizabeth purchased the sizable Bath Road Retail Park. The park is visible from the nearby Windsor Castle, although it probably wasn’t the most scenic vista at her disposal!

© Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth’s McDonald's franchise -

Queen Elizabeth dropped an enormous US$122 million to purchase the retail park. British newspapers were tickled to report that the Queen of England technically owned a McDonald’s drive-through.

The property was sold at the beginning of 2023.

© iStock

The Thai royals' giant diamond - In 1995, the former King of Thailand obtained the largest and most valuable diamond in the world. The Golden Jubilee Diamond was discovered in 1985 and is 545.67 carats. The precious stone weighs in at 109.13 gm (3.9 oz).

© Getty Images

The Thai royals' giant diamond -

The Golden Jubilee Diamond is worth an estimated US$4 million. It was given to King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the 50th anniversary of his coronation, and is now owned by his son, the eccentric King Rama X.

© Getty Images

The Qatari royals' Cezanne -

The royal family of Qatar holds the record for the second most expensive piece of artwork ever purchased. It was the most expensive at the time they bought the painting back in 2012, but the cool US$250 million they paid has since been surpassed.

© Getty Images

The Qatari royals' Cezanne -

The painting in question is Cezanne’s ‘The Card Players.’ The Qatari royals are known as some of the top art buyers in the world in terms of the amount of money they put down. The family has been aiming to develop the country’s artistic culture for many years.

© Getty Images

Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s chateau -

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman owns what is arguably the most expensive home in the world. His US$300 million French chateau near Versailles was made on the grounds of a run-down 19th-century chateau and took three years to build. The enormous property now has smart home capabilities throughout.

© Getty Images

Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s chateau -

Incredibly, the building itself is not as valuable as its contents. The Prince also owns the most expensive painting in the world: Leonardo da Vinci's ‘Salvator Mundi.’ He purchased it at auction for a whopping US$450 million (it’s worth noting that some experts aren’t convinced the painting is a real da Vinci!).

© Getty Images

The Dutch royal family’s yearly expenses -

The Netherlands is a fairly small nation compared to many of its European neighbors. The Dutch royal family is also quite small compared to other European royal families, but their expenses are comparatively high! In fact, they are the most expensive royal family in Western Europe.

© Getty Images

The Dutch royal family’s yearly expenses -

For example, the Spanish royal family is three times the size of the Dutch royal family, but the Dutch royal family spends four times as much as them per year. Their expenses are even higher than that of the British royal family.

© Getty Images

The Dubai Sheikh's record-breaking wedding -

The current ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Rashid al Maktoum, married his senior wife and consort in 1979. He threw the most expensive wedding in history. It lasted for a week, and five days of public holiday were declared.

© Getty Images

The Dubai Sheikh's record-breaking wedding -

A new stadium capable of holding his 20,000 guests was built just to host the event. The Sheikh hired 34 private jets just to transport his guests. The wedding cost US$137 million (twice as much as Prince William and Kate Middleton’s 2011 wedding).

© Getty Images

Charles and Camilla’s Caribbean tour -

When members of the British royal family travel, they don’t choose low-cost airlines. Naturally, they require private transport and lodgings for their own safety. However, it's still hard to imagine how Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles’ 2019 tour of the Caribbean cost more than half a million dollars.

© Getty Images

Charles and Camilla’s Caribbean tour -

The royal couple spent 12 days touring the islands of the Caribbean taking part in various public engagements, including a cocktail making class. They continued traveling to other parts of the world on their tour, bringing the total cost of the trip up to US$1 million.

© Getty Images

King Mswati III's lavish lifestyle -

The Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) is a small African nation with less than 1.2 million inhabitants. Most of these people live on less than US$1 per day. Their royal family, however, enjoys a much more lavish existence. In 2014, an activist group called SwaziLeaks exposed the outrageous spending of the impoverished country’s leaders.

© Getty Images

King Mswati III's lavish lifestyle -

King Mswati III has 15 wives and 20 children. He reportedly purchased 19 Rolls Royces for himself and his wives. He is also known to have thrown impressive birthday parties for his many children, including a party in an aquarium in Dubai.

© Shutterstock

Queen Elizabeth's handbags -

If there’s one thing we could rely on when the late Queen Elizabeth II made a public appearance, it was that she would be wearing an elaborate hat and holding a small leather handbag. While her handbags were usually the most understated parts of her colorful looks, she didn't scrimp on her accessories.

© Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth's handbags - She was reported to have owned a collection of more than 200 handbags from the luxury brand Launer alone. The brand prides itself on having been one of the Queen’s favorites for so long.

© Getty Images

Prince Rainier's car museum -

Monaco is a tiny but wealthy country, synonymous with luxury and affluence. It’s no secret that the royal family of Monaco is one of the richest in Europe. One of their many extravagances is the expansive car collection started by Prince Rainier III in the 1950s.

© Getty Images

Prince Rainier's car museum -

Prince Rainier III (widower of Grace Kelly) purchased a wide range of luxury cars including the racing cars from the Monaco Grand Prix, which are some of the most expensive vehicles in the world. In 1993, he decided to share his incredible collection with the world, and opened the Monaco Top Cars Collection, also known as the Collection Privée des Voitures de S.A.S. le Prince de Monaco.

© Getty Images

King Rama X's dog obsession -

King Rama X of Thailand has a reputation for being eccentric and extravagant in equal measure. He has been known to indulge in his love of dogs, and once traveled on a private jet with 30 poodles. He even made one an air marshal. Needless to say, no expenses are spared when it comes to his extensive collection of purebred pooches.

Sources: (Insider 1 and 2) (Ranker) (The Guardian) (South China Morning Post)

See also: Who are the richest royals in the world?

© Shutterstock