I have always been fascinated by those who possess wealth and power and by royalty and the aristocracy. Britain has somehow managed to remain a monarchy since the civil war, its abolition and then restoration, the continuation of titles although many, if not most of the great houses have become the property of public institutions and the great land holdings transferred to companies, especially the Hedge and Pension funds.
It was just before Christmas I learned about the power and wealth of royalty in 2010, although in this instance it was one branch of the Saudi Royal Family. Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal is an extraordinary figure by any standards and times. It was not his wealth or business interests which attracted my attention, but his decision, coupled with the ability to do so, to use his natural body clock irrespective of the local of any visit. I say this because once my body clock has adjusted to one pattern I have great difficulty in adjusting to another although I also go through phases where I am at six and sevens, as now, finding it difficult to stay awake or go to sleep for a few days at a time until a new or old pattern emerges/
The Prince is a nephew of the King born 7th March 1955. He is believed to be have a property and market worth of just under $20 billion US making him one of the 20 wealthiest men in the world. My initial interest arose because of a film about the refurbishment and reopening of the Savoy Hotel which he owns and visited with his entourage said to be of the order of sixty arriving in his private jet plane at 1 am because he is inclined not to vary his body clock from, his homeland time. The purpose of the visit was to inspect how the quarter of a billion spent on the redevelopment of the hotel had turned out and for its official opening by the Prince of Wales.
We learned that he provided precise requirements in advance which included purchasing all the seats at a theatre so he could make a late evening visit and having arranged for a one restaurant to remain open for the exclusive use of his party, he was said to have changed his mind and wanted a curry so the hotel arranged for another at short notice. There was also film of the man and his party being given a guided walking tour of central London in the early hours.
I went in search of the man behind the image and first of all discovered that holds a Batchelor of Science first Degree, a Master’s of Social Science and a Doctorate, the latter from the University of Exeter. The other basic information immediate available is that his mother is the daughter of the first Prime Minister of the Lebanon and that he is married with two wives, has four children and he is a Muslim. He also owns two completed Palaces with a third under construction. The first is said to have three lakes and splendid gardens and is where he entertains his guests. More is reported of the second which cost some $300 million for its 317 rooms, with 1500 tons of Italian Marble, silk oriental carpets and 250 TV sets. It has four kitchens with a fifth just for desserts and is reputed to be able to feed 2000 people at an hour’s notice. This is where he lives. His third Palace project will have a large lake and a private zoo.
Although he commenced as a business investor in 1979 it was only in the 1990’s that he became known as a world player when purchasing an estimated half a billion investment in Citicorp and which is now said to be worth in excess of a billion. The Prince is said to own 94% of the shares of Kingdom Holdings, which is quoted on the Saudi Stock Exchange for the available 6%. The company is said to have had significant financial interests at one time in some of the great International companies of the world including AOL/Time Warner, Amazon, Apple, Canary Wharf, Coca Cola, Compaq, Disneyland Paris, E Bay Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Ford, Hewlett Packard, McDonalds, Motorala, Pepsi Co, Priceline, Protor and Gamble, the Walt Disney Company, the Saudi Bank and the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation.
From the list I have missed out Fairmont Hotels and resorts which has properties in sixteen countries, especially in Canada and includes the Plaza in New York, the Peace Hotel in Shanghai and the Savoy which has kept its name while all the others have been renamed with the prefix Fairmont.
The 268 guest room hotel is located on the banks of the river Thames and has an iconic entrance which set the standard for the turning circle of the London Taxi cab. The renovation which took a year longer than anticipated has retained aspects of his high Edwardian grandeur with the trans Atlantic Art Deco and it is this aspects which is said to have upset some patrons who expected a full restoration. The famous Savoy Grill started by Auguste Escoffier sees the return of Gordon Ramsay and the River Restaurant has an international feel. The American bar appeared more of a Transatlantic night club while the programme said that it is possible to pay £150 for one glass of champagne in the specialist bar. Traditional English tea is served in the Edwardian lounge.
The Hotel comes into the 5 star luxury class with rooms individual designed and furnished with a basic price for bed and breakfast of around £300 plus VAT and gratuities for two people. For the opening it was possible to book a special package where the second night is only charged at the original price of one guinea and this £1000 offer when all is taken into account includes the services of one the 30 Butlers who will unpack and pack and press as well serve en suite meals, drinks and receptions. The programme intimated that some suites will cost as much as £3000 an all in stay with the two bedroom Royal suite £10000.
The hotel is setting out to continue to attract the international celebrity with former guests, Claude Monet and James Whistler, Sarah Bernhardt, Enrico Caruso, Lillie Langtry, H G Wells, George Bernard Shaw, Nellie Melba, Charlie Chaplin, Fred Astair, Marlena Dietrich. Lionel Barrymore, Harry Truman, Audrey Hepburn, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Babe Ruth, Ivan Novello, Noel Coward, Bob Dylan, Laurence Oliver and Vivian Leigh, Marilyn Munroe and Humphrey Boart, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Richard Harris who lived at the hotel during the last years of his life, Maria Callas, Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, Julie Andrews, Lena Horne, Barbara Streisand, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Elton John, U2, Led Zepplin, The Who, George Clooney, Whoopi Goldberg and Stephen Fry. The previous Royal of great note was Edward VII while the alleged most infamous, Oscar Wilde said to have conducted his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas there.
The programme feature after an hour length documentary on the extent to which the media would hound Kate Middleton, potentially future Queen of England in the same way it pursued Diana, Princess of Wales. The programme covered the broad history of the love hate relationship Diana experienced with the media and on the ability of Kate to cope. Interestingly is was alleged she and others girl who shared a school dormitory had photos of the Prince and Kate was said to have dreamed of a relationship. It was said she was capable of running a home herself and implied that the couple lived simply in their North Wales home and that she would find the 24 hour security protection service now difficult to get used to in the that she would be expected to notify all her movements outside her home in advance.
Given the recent alleged misjudgement of the Prince of Wales in agreeing to attend the Royal variety Performance while rioters were reported to be about in the area of their journey my belief that forces are at work promoting a jump in the succession continue not be fanciful. As I have said such a jump could provide for the continuation of the monarchy although whether this is a food or bad thing is a debate for another day.
I still hope to gain wealth although the only possibility is now the national and European lottery. I do deal in millions in terms of points at Mahjong and over the year have improved from 13 million per completed beginner’s game to over 16 million and then recently the first of what is now three over 17 million with the latest a high second at 17.75 million. Therefore the 20million is a possibility
Returning to real money although these days 1 million, spread across a family does not amount to a fundamental change in lifestyle unless ones approach was to spend spend, spend, which is not my personality or inclination. My expenditure would relate to the level of winnings, a million, a few million or tens of millions and a substantial proportion would go to providing financial security for the family. A small win of a few thousand would reduce the anxiety of living with debts and little capital which worries because of the implications of the situation for the family if my departure is sudden and within the debt repayment period. Whereas I was comfortable with the position in the past, now its nags.
This is not say I would not like to stay at the Savoy or do not appreciate the logistical problems of the Prince’s lifestyle and continual sense that many rely on his ongoing ability to manage wealth.
It was just before Christmas I learned about the power and wealth of royalty in 2010, although in this instance it was one branch of the Saudi Royal Family. Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal is an extraordinary figure by any standards and times. It was not his wealth or business interests which attracted my attention, but his decision, coupled with the ability to do so, to use his natural body clock irrespective of the local of any visit. I say this because once my body clock has adjusted to one pattern I have great difficulty in adjusting to another although I also go through phases where I am at six and sevens, as now, finding it difficult to stay awake or go to sleep for a few days at a time until a new or old pattern emerges/
The Prince is a nephew of the King born 7th March 1955. He is believed to be have a property and market worth of just under $20 billion US making him one of the 20 wealthiest men in the world. My initial interest arose because of a film about the refurbishment and reopening of the Savoy Hotel which he owns and visited with his entourage said to be of the order of sixty arriving in his private jet plane at 1 am because he is inclined not to vary his body clock from, his homeland time. The purpose of the visit was to inspect how the quarter of a billion spent on the redevelopment of the hotel had turned out and for its official opening by the Prince of Wales.
We learned that he provided precise requirements in advance which included purchasing all the seats at a theatre so he could make a late evening visit and having arranged for a one restaurant to remain open for the exclusive use of his party, he was said to have changed his mind and wanted a curry so the hotel arranged for another at short notice. There was also film of the man and his party being given a guided walking tour of central London in the early hours.
I went in search of the man behind the image and first of all discovered that holds a Batchelor of Science first Degree, a Master’s of Social Science and a Doctorate, the latter from the University of Exeter. The other basic information immediate available is that his mother is the daughter of the first Prime Minister of the Lebanon and that he is married with two wives, has four children and he is a Muslim. He also owns two completed Palaces with a third under construction. The first is said to have three lakes and splendid gardens and is where he entertains his guests. More is reported of the second which cost some $300 million for its 317 rooms, with 1500 tons of Italian Marble, silk oriental carpets and 250 TV sets. It has four kitchens with a fifth just for desserts and is reputed to be able to feed 2000 people at an hour’s notice. This is where he lives. His third Palace project will have a large lake and a private zoo.
Although he commenced as a business investor in 1979 it was only in the 1990’s that he became known as a world player when purchasing an estimated half a billion investment in Citicorp and which is now said to be worth in excess of a billion. The Prince is said to own 94% of the shares of Kingdom Holdings, which is quoted on the Saudi Stock Exchange for the available 6%. The company is said to have had significant financial interests at one time in some of the great International companies of the world including AOL/Time Warner, Amazon, Apple, Canary Wharf, Coca Cola, Compaq, Disneyland Paris, E Bay Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Ford, Hewlett Packard, McDonalds, Motorala, Pepsi Co, Priceline, Protor and Gamble, the Walt Disney Company, the Saudi Bank and the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation.
From the list I have missed out Fairmont Hotels and resorts which has properties in sixteen countries, especially in Canada and includes the Plaza in New York, the Peace Hotel in Shanghai and the Savoy which has kept its name while all the others have been renamed with the prefix Fairmont.
The 268 guest room hotel is located on the banks of the river Thames and has an iconic entrance which set the standard for the turning circle of the London Taxi cab. The renovation which took a year longer than anticipated has retained aspects of his high Edwardian grandeur with the trans Atlantic Art Deco and it is this aspects which is said to have upset some patrons who expected a full restoration. The famous Savoy Grill started by Auguste Escoffier sees the return of Gordon Ramsay and the River Restaurant has an international feel. The American bar appeared more of a Transatlantic night club while the programme said that it is possible to pay £150 for one glass of champagne in the specialist bar. Traditional English tea is served in the Edwardian lounge.
The Hotel comes into the 5 star luxury class with rooms individual designed and furnished with a basic price for bed and breakfast of around £300 plus VAT and gratuities for two people. For the opening it was possible to book a special package where the second night is only charged at the original price of one guinea and this £1000 offer when all is taken into account includes the services of one the 30 Butlers who will unpack and pack and press as well serve en suite meals, drinks and receptions. The programme intimated that some suites will cost as much as £3000 an all in stay with the two bedroom Royal suite £10000.
The hotel is setting out to continue to attract the international celebrity with former guests, Claude Monet and James Whistler, Sarah Bernhardt, Enrico Caruso, Lillie Langtry, H G Wells, George Bernard Shaw, Nellie Melba, Charlie Chaplin, Fred Astair, Marlena Dietrich. Lionel Barrymore, Harry Truman, Audrey Hepburn, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Babe Ruth, Ivan Novello, Noel Coward, Bob Dylan, Laurence Oliver and Vivian Leigh, Marilyn Munroe and Humphrey Boart, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Richard Harris who lived at the hotel during the last years of his life, Maria Callas, Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, Julie Andrews, Lena Horne, Barbara Streisand, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Elton John, U2, Led Zepplin, The Who, George Clooney, Whoopi Goldberg and Stephen Fry. The previous Royal of great note was Edward VII while the alleged most infamous, Oscar Wilde said to have conducted his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas there.
The programme feature after an hour length documentary on the extent to which the media would hound Kate Middleton, potentially future Queen of England in the same way it pursued Diana, Princess of Wales. The programme covered the broad history of the love hate relationship Diana experienced with the media and on the ability of Kate to cope. Interestingly is was alleged she and others girl who shared a school dormitory had photos of the Prince and Kate was said to have dreamed of a relationship. It was said she was capable of running a home herself and implied that the couple lived simply in their North Wales home and that she would find the 24 hour security protection service now difficult to get used to in the that she would be expected to notify all her movements outside her home in advance.
Given the recent alleged misjudgement of the Prince of Wales in agreeing to attend the Royal variety Performance while rioters were reported to be about in the area of their journey my belief that forces are at work promoting a jump in the succession continue not be fanciful. As I have said such a jump could provide for the continuation of the monarchy although whether this is a food or bad thing is a debate for another day.
I still hope to gain wealth although the only possibility is now the national and European lottery. I do deal in millions in terms of points at Mahjong and over the year have improved from 13 million per completed beginner’s game to over 16 million and then recently the first of what is now three over 17 million with the latest a high second at 17.75 million. Therefore the 20million is a possibility
Returning to real money although these days 1 million, spread across a family does not amount to a fundamental change in lifestyle unless ones approach was to spend spend, spend, which is not my personality or inclination. My expenditure would relate to the level of winnings, a million, a few million or tens of millions and a substantial proportion would go to providing financial security for the family. A small win of a few thousand would reduce the anxiety of living with debts and little capital which worries because of the implications of the situation for the family if my departure is sudden and within the debt repayment period. Whereas I was comfortable with the position in the past, now its nags.
This is not say I would not like to stay at the Savoy or do not appreciate the logistical problems of the Prince’s lifestyle and continual sense that many rely on his ongoing ability to manage wealth.
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