We are pretty sure that you would have an idea of just how wealthy the Sultan of Brunei is.

The ruler of the tiny nation, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, has not exactly been shy about flaunting his wealth.

So, it should come as no surprise if he is the wealthiest monarch in the world, right?

Well, he is not...and by a wide margin.

The world's richest monarch

He's the richest monarch in the world.
According to a report by CEOWorld Magazine, the richest monarch in the world is none other than the King of Thailand, King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

The report stated that his personal wealth is estimated to be between US$30 billion (RM125 billion) to US$43 billion (RM179 billion).

As comparison, the man we thought was the richest monarch in the world has a personal wealth of just US$28 billion (RM116 billion).

The King of oil-rich country Saudi Arabia, King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud, meanwhile, has only US$18 billion (RM75 billion) in his bank account!

That's actually pretty insane.

The people are now angry at him.
So how did he acquire that much money, you ask?

Financial Times reported that the King’s wealth was acquired after he ascended the throne back in December 2016, when Thailand's Crown Property Bureau transferred its entire portfolio to him.

The royal assets, reportedly worth tens of billions of dollars, were held for more than 80 years on behalf of the monarchy.

The ongoing unrest in Thailand has brought to light the King's personal wealth, with protesters questioning why taxpayers' money are going directly into the personal bank account of the King.