Here's How Much Of London Is Actually Owned By Qatar

The Gulf emirate has bought three landmark London hotels – Claridge's, The Connaught, and The Berkeley – for a reported £1.6 billion. Here's a rundown of what it owns in the capital.

1. The Shard

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The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, owns 95% of Europe's tallest skyscraper.

2. Harrods

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Mohammed Al Fayed, the former owner of the London department store, sold up to the QIA in 2010 for a reported £1.5 billion.

3. The Olympic Village

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After the 2012 London Olympics, Qatari Diar, a branch of the QIA, took ownership of the Olympic Village for £557 million. Qatari Diar says it will build 2,800 homes on the site. This time last year, the Daily Mail reported that the British government had lost around £500 million in the sale of the site and that Qatari Diar could end up making a £1 billion profit.

4. The former US Embassy building

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The 600-room Chancery Building on Grosvenor Square, in the heart of Mayfair, was acquired by Qatari Diar in 2009.

5. One Hyde Park

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Half of what is reportedly the "world's most expensive apartment block" is owned by Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the former Qatari prime minister, through his development company Waterknights.

6. Chelsea Barracks

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Qatari Diar acquired the 52,000-square-metre former military site in 2007 from the Ministry of Defence for over £900 million, and plans to build 448 homes on the property.

7. A £200 million home in Regent's Park

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Three Regent's Park homes have been bought for a total of £120 million by Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, one of the wives of former emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, which are being converted into one enormous property with an estimated value of over £200 million.

8. The Canary Wharf financial district

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The Canary Wharf complex, including the famous One Canada Square tower, formerly the tallest in Britain (seen here from behind the Swiss Re building, also known as the Gherkin), was acquired by the QIA in January of this year for £2.6 billion.

9. Claridge’s, The Berkeley, and The Connaught

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The Barclay brothers sold the three top-end London hotels to the QIA on 23 April 2015. The sum has not been disclosed, but it may have been as high as £1.6 billion.

10. The London Stock Exchange

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The QIA bought over 20% of the London Stock Exchange in 2007. However, it has since sold much of the stake, and now owns around 10%.

11. Camden Market

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The QIA acquired a 20% stake in Camden Market in 2008 for a reported £80 million, although this figure was said to be exaggerated.

The QIA also owns stakes in Barclay's and Sainsbury's, and quite a lot of other non-London-specific things.

Apr. 24, 2015, at 12:42 PM

Qatar is a sovereign country, and Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani is a former prime minister of Qatar. A previous version of this piece misstated that it was a part of the United Arab Emirates, and that Jaber Al Thani is the current prime minister.