The Emir of Abu Dhabi, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, left behind part of the history of the United Arab Emirates, but also a series of eccentricities that traveled the world. The Emir of Abu Dhabi, who passed away in 2022, had an immense fortune and was recognized as one of the richest individuals on the planet.
However, among the vastness of his eccentricities, one reached a legal dispute and a controversy that made headlines worldwide: the British mansion of the family that was rarely visited and had an inexplicable whim: its faucets dispensed bottled water from the brand Evian.
What was the faucet system of the Emir of Abu Dhabi like?
The residence of Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Great Britain, which was rarely used by the family, was the Berkshire Palace, built in the 18th century and located in the surroundings of Windsor Great Park. There, the tanks underwent a modification due to the Emir’s whim, who decided to fill them with bottled water.
The mineral water was specially transported from France and belongs to the Evian company, considered one of the most exclusive in the world. In this magnificent castle, valued at 67 million euros, it was not used by the clan, nor were there any protocol or other types of meetings held there. Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan suffered a stroke in January 2014 and stayed away from his duties despite holding his positions as president of the Emirates, supreme commander of its armed forces, and head of its investment authority until his death in 2022.
The heritage of the Emir of Abu Dhabi also brought legal troubles.
Jalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan was considered the richest person on the planet, with a net worth exceeding 16 billion euros. Moreover, the rest of his family also amassed a significant fortune as they manage the affairs of Abu Dhabi. The total wealth of the entire clan is estimated to be around 135 billion euros. In addition to the Berkshire palace, Jalifa owned other properties with large gardens in the Ham Gate district in southwest London.
At that time, the emir was concerned about extending his 5.5 million euro property and acquiring the adjacent property, but he was unable to do so because his neighbor flatly refused. This legal dispute revealed that the emir also owned a country house in northern Madrid, where he invested 500,000 euros annually to pay 15 servants, despite the fact that neither he nor his family had visited the property in the last 17 years.
The story of the richest emir of Abu Dhabi.
Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan was the president of the United Arab Emirates in 2004 and was the successor of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, his father, who was responsible for unifying the seven emirates that make up the UAE and who turned it into the oil empire it remains today. Khalifa chose to follow in his father’s footsteps and undertook numerous modernization and development projects until the stroke he suffered in 2014 left him out of the public eye.
This emir was considered one of the richest in the world, and his fortune was valued at over 18 billion euros. In addition, he ranked third on the list of the world’s wealthiest rulers, and his wealth was based on oil and his hotel empire, among which the luxurious Emirates Palace stands out.
