Meet the foreign royals who own more property in London than King Charles

Mint

a day ago

The ruling royal family of Qatar, the House of Al-Thani, now owns more of London than the British monarchy — and the scale of their influence is raising eyebrows.
According to a report by GB News, the Al-Thani family has built a vast property empire across the capital. Their real estate portfolio includes around 1.8 million square feet of land — far surpassing the private holdings of King Charles III.
While King Charles is linked to many historic sites like the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace, these are not personally owned by him. They belong to the Crown Estate, meaning they are held 'in trust' for the country, not private property of the monarch.
The Qatari royals, however, face no such limits. Their investments are personal or state-owned assets, and their reach stretches far across London.
They reportedly own a quarter of northwest Mayfair — now nicknamed 'Little Doha' — and have full ownership of Harrods, the world-famous department store. They also own luxury hotels including The Berkeley, Claridge's, The Connaught, and The Emory through Maybourne Hotels, which is run by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al-Thani.
Their influence isn't limited to property and hospitality. The Al-Thanis also hold a 95% stake in The Shard, the tallest building in Europe, and co-own Canary Wharf, one of London's key business districts.
In transport and retail, their power is also growing. Qatar owns 20% of Heathrow Airport, which is expected to handle over 84 million travellers in 2025. In addition, the Qatari state owns 14.3% of Sainsbury's, one of the UK's largest supermarket chains.
Despite their growing presence, much of the Al-Thani family's activity has been quiet and gradual. Today, their influence in London rivals — and even surpasses — that of the British royal family, at least in terms of land ownership.
With an estimated family wealth of around £2.4 billion, and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, personally worth about £1.6 billion, their investment power continues to grow — reshaping London's landscape along the way.