King Charles III and former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have found themselves side by side, not in politics, but in pounds. Both are now worth an estimated £640 million, earning them the 238th spot on the 2025 Sunday Times Rich List, released Friday. The list, which tracks Britain’s 350 wealthiest individuals and families, reveals a dramatic reshuffling at the top, and signs of financial turbulence rippling through the elite.At 76, King Charles climbed 20 spots from last year, buoyed in part by surging profits from Crown Estate wind farm deals, which doubled returns and boosted the sovereign grant that funds royal activities. Still, most royal assets, including Buckingham Palace, remain off the books as they’re owned “in the right of the Crown,” not personally. His private wealth includes the Balmoral and Sandringham estates, along with an investment portfolio inherited from Queen Elizabeth II.Meanwhile, Sunak’s political exit hasn’t dented his bank balance too much. The former PM has taken up a part-time role at Stanford University and joined the lucrative Washington Speakers Bureau. His wife, Akshata Murty, continues to draw dividends from Infosys, £7.5 million last year, though the tech stock’s recent slide shaved off some value. Despite this, the couple’s fortunes rose just enough to push them up from last year’s 245th place.Indians dominate the topThe Hinduja family holds the crown at the top for a fourth straight year, with an estimated £35.3 billion, even after a £2 billion dip. They’re followed by another Indian-born duo, David and Simon Reuben, who climbed to No. 2 with £26.87 billion.Lakshmi Mittal, the steel magnate behind ArcelorMittal, remains at No. 8 with £15.44 billion, while Anil Agarwal of Vedanta Resources sits at No. 25 with £7.5 billion. Also on the list: Prakash Lohia (No. 31, £6.02 bn), Mohsin and Zuber Issa of Asda and EG Group (No. 32, £6 bn), and Navin and Varsha Engineer (No. 48, £3.45 bn). The Arora brothers and Lord Swraj Paul are also among the top 100.Billionaires in retreatBut not everyone’s raking it in. The 2025 list saw the sharpest fall in billionaire numbers in its 37-year history, down to 156 from 165 last year.“This was one of the toughest editions to compile,” said list compiler Robert Watts, blaming Donald Trump’s tariffs and market volatility. “It’s the third straight year of collective wealth decline, and the biggest drop in UK billionaires we’ve ever recorded.”In an increasingly shaky economy, it seems even the richest aren’t immune. But for now, wind farms, Indian billionaires, and a former PM on the lecture circuit are holding their ground.
