In a table headed, 'Kings, Queens and Dictators', Forbes lists the world's richest rulers, identifying the country, estimated worth, source of wealth and the year they came to power.

The first two places are taken by the Sultan of Brunei, worth $38 billion, and King Fahd of Saudia Arabia, worth $20 billion. Next comes President Suharto with an estimated wealth of $16 billion, coming from stakes in major Indonesian firms.

Trailing behind him come the rulers of Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Saddam Hussein of Iraq, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, the King of Thailand, President Fidel Castro and Queen Elizabeth.

The sub-heading reads: L'etat c'est moi. Businesspeople they are not, but they have accumulated great wealth – legally, extra-legally, and frequently illegally.