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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
World
Clare McCarthy

Inside Rishi Sunak’s private life - Astonishing wealth, devout faith and luxury homes with wife and children

Rishi Sunak has been appointed as Britain's Prime Minister by King Charles today, following Liz Truss' recent resignation.

Sunak, 42, only entered politics in 2015 and is the first British-Asian and the first Hindu to ever hold the office of leader of the UK.

He will also be the richest resident in 10 Downing Street's history, with him and his wife having a combined wealth that even outranks the monarch.

READ MORE: New UK Prime Minister confirmed as Rishi Sunak amid demands for a general election

The multi-millionaire politician succeeded Liz Truss just seven weeks after she beat him in the Tory leadership contest but later resigned on October 20 after only 45 days in office.

As he takes up the new role, here’s what we know about the new Prime Minister including his huge personal wealth, his devout faith and the luxury homes he owns with his wife and two children.

Astonishing wealth

Before carving out a career in politics, Rishi Sunak graduated with a first class degree in politics, philosophy and economics from Oxford and went on to work in finance.

Rishi met his now wife Akshata Murthy while they were both studying at Stanford Business School. The pair married in 2009 and have two daughters, Krishna and Anoushka.

His wife Akshata is the daughter of IT mogul N.R. Narayana Murthy, the sixth richest man in India, who is reported to have assets worth around £3.5 billion.

Earlier this year Sunak became the first frontline politician to be included on the Sunday Times Rich List of the UK's wealthiest people, with him and his wife being estimated to have a combined net worth of £730 million.

Sunak recently came under fire for his wife's non-dom tax status, enabling her to save millions in taxes.

Devout Hindu faith

Rishi Sunak is a Hindu and the politician has been open about practicing his faith.

When he became an MP in 2015 for Richmond in North Yorkshire, he took his oath at the House of Commons on the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu text.

In 2020, when he was Chancellor Sunak lit ceremonial diyas on the steps of 11 Downing Street to mark Diwali.

Speaking about his faith after lighting the candles he said: “It gives me strength, it gives me purpose. It’s part of who I am.”

During the Tory leadership contest in the summer, Mr Sunak was asked about his faith, replying: “I’m a practising Hindu and that’s how we’ve raised our kids.

“Just a few weeks ago I was back at my temple in Southampton where I grew up.

“Every year we have a family prayer day where we cook lunch and serve it to the community, and it was a very special part of how I was brought up and a special part of how I live my life today.”

Luxury homes with wife and children

Rishi Sunak and his wife own a lavish property portfolio which includes at least four homes worth over an estimated £15 million.

Their main residence, where he lives with his wife and their two daughters, is a five-bedroom mews house in Kensington, believed to be worth around £7 million.

The huge home features five bedrooms, four bathrooms and two reception rooms spread over four storeys and it also has its own private garden.

Their other properties include a £1 million flat near Old Brompton Road in London, a Santa Monica penthouse in California worth £5.5 million, and a £2 million Georgian mansion located in the village of Kirby Sigston in Yorkshire which the family use as a weekend retreat.

The Yorkshire property was recently renovated, adding a £400,000 leisure complex to the property which includes a state-of-the-art gym, yoga studio, swimming pool and tennis court.

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