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Sunday Times Rich List 2021: De Haan brothers have bigger fortune than JK Rowling and Sir Paul McCartney

10:26, 21 May 2021

updated: 14:46, 21 May 2021

Saga's cruise ships may have sat idle for the past year, but the wealth of its founder's sons have show no signs of slowing after the De Haan brothers once again figured highly in the Sunday Times Rich List for 2021.

The annual appraisal of the wealthiest people, put Sir Roger and Peter as the 180th richest people in the country with a combined wealth of an eye-watering £900million.

Sir Roger De Haan made his fortune by the sale of the Saga empire
Sir Roger De Haan made his fortune by the sale of the Saga empire

According to the data, that is up £24m on the year before.

And it puts the brothers - whose father Sidney De Haan created the Saga empire - higher up the list than both Sir Paul McCartney and Harry Potter creator JK Rowling.

Sir Paul, who lives just over the East Sussex border in Peasmarsh, near Rye, was tied with the author in 196th position. Both had a wealth of £820m.

Top of the overall list was Ukrainian-born Sir Leonard Blavatnik, who made his remarkable fortune in the worlds of music and sport and buying stakes in newly privatised Russian companies. His overall wealth was an incredible £23billion - up more than £7bn on the year before.

The De Haan brothers generated their fortune when they sold the entire Saga business in a management buy-out for £1.35billion in 2004. They had been handed the reins of the holiday and insurance company in 1984 when their father decided to retire.

The De Haan brothers have bigger fortunes than both Sir Paul McCartney and JK Rowling
The De Haan brothers have bigger fortunes than both Sir Paul McCartney and JK Rowling

Since then, Sir Roger has invested heavily in the regeneration of Folkestone - where Saga was founded and still headquartered - ploughing many millions into ambitious plans to boost the seaside town.

In a surprise move last year, he invested £100m of his fortune into Saga to help it ride out the financial problems it faced due to the pandemic.

The firm had only recently spent many hundreds of millions of pounds on two new cruise ships - only for both to be confined to port due to the travel restrictions imposed.

In returning to the company his father created, he took over the role as non-executive chairman and is looking to sail it back into less turbulent waters.

Also on the main rich list is Sir Brian Souter and Dame Ann Gloag - the duo behind the Stagecoach transport empire.

Mick Jagger is riding high in the highest earning musician's list. Picture: Dave Hogan
Mick Jagger is riding high in the highest earning musician's list. Picture: Dave Hogan

Dame Ann will be familiar to those in Thanet. In 2014 she bought Manston Airport for £1, vowing to transform it into a thriving airport.

But just months later she announced it was to close and the site be sold - enraging local politicians and residents.

On the Music Millionaires list, Dartford's Sir Mick Jagger - frontman of the Rolling Stones - sits in fifth place with a fortune of some £310m - up £25m on the year before.

One place below him is the band's guitarist Keith Richards with a fortune worth £295m - also up £25m.

Leading the music list is Sir Paul McCartney, followed by U2 (£620m) and then Lord Lloyd Webber. The impact of the pandemic on the musical theatre maestro has been significant, with his £525m fortune down a staggering £275m on the last year. He had been top the previous year, but the list says his seven West End theatres were losing £1m a month while they were closed during the lockdowns.

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