AS one of the richest countries in the world, Qatar is home to a long-reigning royal family.
Here is everything we know about them including their net worth.
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Who is in the Qatar royal family?
Qatar has seen 11 different Emirs rule since being founded and each one of them have been members of the Al Thani dynasty.
The Emir is the monarch and head of state of the country.
They are also the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and guarantor of the Constitution.
In Qatar, they have an absolute monarchy – a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power.
Here’s a look at some of the members of the current ruling royal family.
The Emir, Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
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Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is the current Emir and holds the most powerful position in the country.
Born on June 3, 1980, the Emir is the fourth son of the previous monarch, Hamad bin Khalifa.
He took over as the head of state of the country in 2013 when his father abdicated the throne.
Sheikh Tamim attended the prestigious Sherborne School and Harrow School in the UK.
He then joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where he graduated in 1998.
Both Prince William and Prince Harry of the UK Royal Family attended the same training facility.
Upon graduation, Sheikh Tamim was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Qatar Armed Forces.
He became the heir apparent to the Qatar throne on August 5, 2003, when his older brother Sheikh Jassim renounced his claim to the title.
In 2005, he founded Oryx Qatar Sports Investments, which owns Paris Saint-Germain Football Club.
Under his guidance, Qatar also won the rights to host the 2014 FINA Swimming World Championships and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Sheikh Tamim has been married three times and has thirteen children in total.
On January 8, 2005, he married his first wife Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad Al Thani – they share four children together.
On March 3, 2009, Sheikh Tamim married his second wife Sheikha Al-Anoud bint Mana Al Hajri – the pair welcomed five children.
On February 25, 2014, Sheikh Tamim married a third wife, Sheikha Noora bint Hathal Al Dosari – they share four children.
In total, the Emir has seven sons and six daughters.
HH, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
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Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani is a member of the royal family and was the previous monarch from 1995 until 2013.
The Qatari government refers to him as the Father Emir.
He seized power from his father, Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, in a bloodless palace coup d’état in 1995.
During his reign, Qatar’s natural gas manufacturer arrived at 77 million tons – making Qatar the richest nation on the planet.
The former Emir ruled an autocratic regime in Qatar with no organized political opposition and prohibitions on free speech and dissent.
As the head of state of the country, Sheikh Hamad founded news media group Al Jazeera and also played a part in negotiations between the United States and the Taliban.
The former Emir has three wives and 24 children – 11 sons and 13 daughters.
Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned
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Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned is the consort of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and mother to the current Emir of Qatar.
She shares seven children with her royal husband – five sons and two daughters.
She co-founded and chairs the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.
She has been named as one of Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women at number 74 and ranked in the Top 100 most powerful Arabs, from 2013 to 2017 by Gulf Business.
As of the early 1990s, the number of royal family members was estimated to be around 6,000.
What is the Qatar royal family’s net worth?
The ruling royal family’s collective net worth is estimated at around $ 335 billion.
The head of the royal family – Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, is estimated to be worth around $ 2 billion alone.
The Thani family hold investments in a number of properties around the world, including London’s Shard skyscraper, Olympic Village, Harrods department store, Canary Wharf, the Chelsea Barracks, and New York’s Empire State Building.
They also hold investments in Barclays Bank, British Airways and Volkswagen.
Qatar hosted the football World Cup in 2022 and will host the Asian Games for the second time in 2030.