Thai monarch is world's richest royal

Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the world's richest royal, according to a Forbes magazine list dominated by Middle Eastern monarchs riding high on surging oil prices.

Forbes said the 15 monarchs on its list had a combined wealth of $131 billion, up from $95 billion last year, adding that they had managed to hold on to their riches "despite controversy ranging from tax evasion to the dissolution of parliaments in Swaziland and Kuwait".

It did, however, warn that its wealth estimates were "a blend or art and science" because the relationship between individual and state wealth was not always clear.