Paul McCartney, Britain’s first billionaire musician

Former Beatles Paul McCartney has joined the billionaires club, becoming the first British musician to amass such a fortune, confirming a downward trend in the number of billionaires in the United Kingdom, according to the “Sunday Times” annual ranking.

• Read more: Mystery Solved: McCartney’s Bass Found

• Read more: Paul McCartney explains the meaning of ‘Yesterday’ lyrics

Paul McCartney, 82, rose to No. 165, reaping the benefits of his many concerts and his royalties, according to a ranking of the country’s 350 biggest fortunes released Friday.

This year he got a little help from American singer Beyoncé, who covered the Beatles’ “Blackbird” on her latest album.

In total, according to the “Rich List” of the “Sunday Times”, the United Kingdom has a total of 165 billionaires, six less than last year and 12 less than the record reached in 2022, with 177 billionaires, the newspaper insists. “(…) It seems that the world’s richest people are starting to leave the country.

Among the reasons cited by the paper are increased tax levels in recent years or the lost luster of the London stock market, which attracts less capital.

The combined wealth of the country’s 350 richest fell from £796.5bn (€929bn) to £795.3bn (€927.7bn) due to rising interest rates, inflation and a sluggish economy.

Gopi Hinduja’s family, which owns a conglomerate in finance, energy and technology with a fortune of £37 billion, still tops the rankings.

He is ahead of Leonard Blavatnik and his £29.2 billion, who controls Warner Music Group or music platform Teaser, second only to businessmen Simon and David Reuben (24.9 billion).

Prime Minister and former investment banker Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy, heir to the founder of Indian technology giant Infosys, are at number 245 with a fortune of £651 million.

King Charles III is not far behind, in 258th place with £610 million, the Sunday Times notes, with a cautious estimate of the sovereign’s wealth, particularly in addition to assets he owns as monarch, such as the Duchy of Lancaster or the crown. Estate.

New entrants to the rankings include F1 driver Lewis Hamilton and former prime minister Tony Blair’s son, Euan Blair, co-founder of Multiverse, a technology company that improves learning in organizations.