How the Current Guinness Family’s ‘Normal’ Wealth Compares to The House of Guinness Heirs’ Fortune
The House of Guinness shot up to Netflix’s top-watched shows since its premiere. The historical drama focuses on the Irish family that rose up due to the expansive brewery headed by Sir Arthur Guinness and the aftermath of his death.
The series was created by Steven Knight and Guinness heir Ivana Lowell after the latter realized how impactful her family was after being inspired by Downton Abbey. “I was looking around, and I just thought, Oh my God. Our family would make such a good TV series,” she told Vanity Fair. “It’s got everything: drama and money and beer. And best of all, it’s all true.”
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The series delves into the lives of Arthur Guinness’ four adult children, Arthur, Edward, Anne, and Ben, and their lives in Dublin and New York City. But is the family still thriving today?
What is the Guinness family’s net worth today?
According to The Times Rich List, the Guinness family’s current wealth stands at £856 million (or approximately $1.15 billion).
The series accounts that Benjamin Guinness’ wealth would be around the equivalent of about $162 million today, plus houses, shipyards, railroads, and real estate. In the 1930s, the family invested in a purchase of 4000 acres of land that is now known as the British Properties.
Who runs the Guinness family today?
Arthur Edward “Ned” Rory Guinness, the 4th Earl of Iveagh, is the current head of the Guinness family. He inherited the title from his father at 23 and entered the House of Lords as a peer where he was the youngest hereditary peer on the benches.
“Being a Guinness is normal to me – it’s just normal. And apart from say passports at the airport, frankly when an eyebrow gets raised or whatever, you know in a lovely comment or something, it’s not something that really features because it’s just normal and we’re all normal,” the Earl told Evoke.
His family currently lives in the 22,500-acre Elveden estate in Suffolk.
Other notable Guinness heirs include fashion Daphne Guinness, designer Jasmine Guinness, Julia Samuel, and Hugo Guinness.
Guinness, the beer brand, is owned by beverage company Diageo, which was formed when Guinness LPC and Grand Metropolitan merged. The company has a market capitalization of $52.99 billion.
