Singing all the way to the bank: Jason Drummond, Emma Bunton and, left, Gary Barlow
By NICK CRAVEN
THEY are under 30, mostly single, and worth a fortune. They are Britain’s Young Rich. Among them are Spice Girls, soccer heroes, computer entrepreneurs and – the wealthiest of all – the youthful aristocracy. The list, compiled by the Observer newspaper this weekend for the first time, shows that vast wealth in today’s Britain can be made – inherited-in a very short space of time. To qualify, all have to be worth at least a mil- lion before their 30th birthday and before millennium. Among the celebrities, the Spice Girls lead the field. Bride-to-be Posh Spice Victoria Adams is valued at no less than £24million. groom, England and Manchester United star David Beckham is rated at a mere £5million. The other Spice Girls, Scary, Sporty and Baby are not far behind her, and even former Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell is worth £17.2million. The core of the girls’ wealth is their record sales. The most surprising entry in the celebrity lists comes in at number five in the shape of Gary Barlow, 28, who is £12million ahead of his former Take That colleague Robbie Williams. Most of Barlow’s fortune reflects his authorship of Take That’s back catalogue. England captain Alan Shearer, the highest-rated footballer is, according to the Observer, worth £15.5million.
Representing the literary arts is author Louise Bagshawe, 27, in 40th place with £2million, following the publication of her blockbuster novel Career Girls. Another listing focuses on the entrepreneurs who have cashed in on the information technology revolution. Topping the list is Time computer tycoon Tahir Mohsan, 27, valued at £27million. He started his mail-order firm based in his parents’ corner shop in Blackburn. Behind him is 24-year-old Jason Drummond, who has carved out a business providing Internet users with copyright and brand-name protection. He is worth £24million. Bespectacled law student John Bennett, 24, who teamed up with his brother and father to found the Software Warehouse company, is valued at £6million. Among the oddest entries is convicted drug importer William Cressy, the 26- year-old kingpin of a Scottish heroin empire. Somehow it is calculated that the man sentenced to 11 years for his crimes is still worth £4million. But the entertainers and the entrepreneurs will have to work a lot harder to compete with the fabulous wealth of the ‘elite’ – the titled trust-fund generation who will inherit mind-blowing sums. They are headed by the dashing Earl of Burlington, the 30-year-old heir to the Duke of Devonshire. He will inherit £750million. Old Etonian Nathaniel Rothschild, 28, will inherit £500million on the death of his father, Lord Rothschild. Much of the Rothschild fortune lies in trusts in Swiss banks. A measure of the size of family wealth is the fact that even the number 30 on the elite list, Henry St Clere Gage, heir to Viscount Gage, stands to inherit £15million.
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