Rishi Sunak, who will become the UK’s new prime minister today, and his wife, Akshata Murty, are one of the country’s wealthiest couples, with a combined net worth of £730 million ($823.4m), according to The Sunday Times Rich List 2022.
Their personal fortune makes them the 222nd richest couple in Britain — and means they are wealthier than King Charles, who is now worth $600m after inheriting $500m from his mother, Queen Elizabeth, after her death on September 8.
However, the majority of the couple’s net worth is derived from Ms Murty’s reported £400m stake in Infosys, India’s second-largest IT company that was founded by her billionaire father, Narayana Murty, in 1981.
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Watch: everything you need to know about Rishi Sunak
“According to financial filings, Akshata Murty owns 0.93 per cent of Infosys directly and earned around $14m in dividends from the family business in 2021,” according to Celebrity Net Worth, which tracks the wealth and finances of the rich and famous.
“Rishi and Akshata's combined net worth makes them [more than] $200m richer than King Charles,” it added.
Mr Sunak — one of the wealthiest politicians in Westminster — was named the new leader of the Conservative Party on Monday after a shortened leadership contest following the resignation of Liz Truss after only 44 days in office.
The former chancellor, who will be the UK’s third prime minister in less than two months, won the race when rival Penny Mordaunt failed to gain the backing of 100 MPs and after Boris Johnson ended his comeback attempt on Sunday.
Mr Sunak, a former Goldman Sachs hedge fund manager, and Ms Murty, who have two young daughters, also own three properties in the UK and the US, worth a combined total of about $20m, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
“The couple's primary home is a five-bedroom mansion in Kensington, West London … this property alone is worth $10m,” it said.
They also own the Grade II-listed Kirby Sigston Manor, a 4.8-hectare country estate in North Yorkshire, where Mr Sunak’s constituency is based, and a $7m penthouse apartment in the beachside suburb of Santa Monica in the US.
“The family bought the manor in 2015 for £1.5m. After buying the property, they spent an additional £400,000 converting parts of the property into a wellness retreat with a modern pool, spa and gym,” Celebrity Net Worth said.
“They reportedly spend around $20,000 per year just to heat the pool, which is 50 [feet] by 16 feet.”
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Rishi Sunak through the years — in pictures
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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announces July 4 as the date for the 2024 general election at No 10 Downing Street. Here, The National looks back at his political career. Getty Images -
Mr Sunak during local election campaigning in Teesside in May 2024. Getty Images -
Mr Sunak presents cupcakes to journalists on board a plane on the way to Warsaw in April 2024. Getty Images -
Mr Sunak during a press conference in Downing Street in January after the Safety of Rwanda Bill passed its third reading in the House of Commons. Getty Images -
Being applauded after his speech at the Conservative Party conference in October 2023. Getty Images -
Looking pensive alongside then-home secretary Suella Braverman at No 10 in October 2023. She didn't last much longer in the cabinet. Getty Images -
Mr Sunak sits in an old Special Branch police vehicle which was used to transport former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, in July 2023. Getty Images -
On board Border Agency cutter HMC Seeker during a visit to Dover in June 2023. Getty Images -
Mr Sunak alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during the G7 Summit in May 2023. Getty Images -
Mr Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty arriving in Japan ahead of the G7 Summit in May 2023. Getty Images -
Mr Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt sending a message at Accrington Market Hall in January 2023. Getty Images -
Mr Sunak and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in Ukraine's capital Kyiv in November 2022. Getty Images -
King Charles III welcomes Mr Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government in October 2022. Getty Images -
Mr Sunak makes a statement outside No 10 in October 2022 after taking office. Getty Images -
Mr Sunak arrives inside Number 10 in October 2022. Photo: Simon Walker/ No 10 Downing Street -
Greeted by colleagues at Conservative Party HQ after having been announced winner of the leadership contest in October 2022. Getty Images -
Mr Sunak at Westminster Hall in London following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. PA -
Mr Sunak visits his family's old business, Bassett Pharmacy, on the campaign trail in August 2022. Getty Images -
Mr Sunak looks at an NLAW anti-tank launcher during a visit to the Thales Defence System plant in Belfast in August 2022. Getty Images -
At a hustings event in Exeter in August 2022. Getty Images -
Celebrates England's first goal as he watches the Women's Euro 2022 final in Salisbury in July 2022. Getty Images -
Mr Sunak and Ms Truss take part in the BBC Leadership debate at Victoria Hall, Hanley, in July 2022. Getty Images -
With daughters Krisna and Anoushka and wife Akshata Murthy in July 2022. Getty Images -
Opening the Great Ayton Village Fete during the queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022. Getty Images -
Mr Sunak and Ms Murthy speak to then-Prince Charles at a British Asian Trust event in February 2022. Getty Images -
Mr Sunak arrives at COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021 when he was chancellor. Getty Images -
Holding the budget box as he departs 11 Downing Street to deliver his Autumn Budget in October 2021. Getty Images -
At a press conference on the 2021 Budget in London in March 2021. Getty Images -
With former prime minister Boris Johnson during a visit to PD Ports on the River Tees in March 2021. Getty Images -
Mr Sunak poses with the budget box at 11 Downing Street in March 2021. Getty Images -
Meeting staff back at work after being furloughed at Hamleys toy shop in London, December 2020. Photo: HM Treasury -
Mr Sunak visits the Imperial Clinic Research Facility at Hammersmith Hospital, London, in November 2020. Getty Images -
Lighting a candle for Diwali on Downing Street, November 2020. Getty Images -
Working on a speech in his flat above 11 Downing Street in November 2020. Photo: HM Treasury -
Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak visit the headquarters of Octopus Energy in London in October 2020. Getty Images -
With his 'Winter Economy Plan' outside 11 Downing Street in September 2020. AFP -
Decorating a plate at Emma Bridgewater pottery in Stoke pottery in September 2020. Getty Images -
Promoting 'eat out to help out' on the Isle of Bute, Scotland, in August 2020. Getty Images -
A member of the public takes a selfie with Rishi Sunak during a visit to Scotland in August 2020. AFP -
Visiting a Wagamama restaurant in central London in July 2020. Photo: HM Treasury -
Rishi Sunak visits a Pret A Manger in Westminster in July 2020. HM Treasury -
With Mr Johnson at his first Cabinet meeting after a reshuffle at 10 Downing Street in February 2020. Getty Images -
Mr Sunak speaks during a general election debate in Cardiff in November 2019. Getty Images
Mr Sunak was a multimillionaire in his mid-20s, according to The Sunday Times.
In April, Ms Murty, an Indian national, said she would pay UK taxes on her worldwide income after it was disclosed that she was a non-domiciled in Britain for tax purposes.
A month later, Mr Sunak was under pressure from the UK’s Labour Party, which asked him to explain whether his family was benefitting from Infosys’ presence in Russia.
“This is a matter for Infosys and should be addressed to them,” a spokeswoman for Ms Murty said at the time.
“Ms Murty is one of many minority shareholders and has no involvement in the operational decisions of the company.”
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