When we think of the richest royals in Europe, we tend to imagine Kate Middleton, Princess Leonor, or even Prince William at the top of the list. But no.
The name that really leads this conversation is Lady Charlotte Wellesley, and what’s surprising is that her enormous fortune doesn’t come solely from her lineage.
Lady Charlotte, daughter of the ninth Duke of Wellington and Princess Antonia of Prussia, is a direct descendant of Queen Victoria.
Born in 1990, she grew up in the imposing Stratfield Saye House and studied at elite schools and universities, including Oxford, where she graduated with a degree in archaeology and anthropology.
She has worked behind the scenes in fashion, collaborating with renowned photographers, and has even put her stamp on the design of restaurants such as the famous Casa Cruz in Notting Hill.
But the big jump in her bank account came in 2016, when she married Alejandro Santo Domingo, a Colombian-American financier who is among the world’s wealthiest individuals, in Spain.
The wedding brought together members of the British and Spanish royal families—such as Queen Camilla and King Emeritus Juan Carlos I—in one of those celebrations that seem straight out of a movie. Since then, they have had two children and, according to The Times, a fortune of around €3 billion.
What is interesting here is that Lady Charlotte is not a constant media figure, nor is she in the front row at official events, but her name circulates in the most exclusive circles in the United Kingdom.