Richest people in London: David Beckham, Adele and Patsy Palmer among celebs who’ve had a prosperous year

London is the home and birthplace of many successful people including David Beckham, Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne.

It has raised A-list actors including Daniel Radcliffe and Idris Elba, interesting authors including David Walliams and incredible singers including Adele.

Richard Branson tops our list of the richest people in London with an astonishing £1.4 billion net worth, whilst Paloma Faith sits at the bottom with a still impressive £2.5 million.

From singers and actors to footballers and entrepreneurs, let’s take a look at 11 of the richest people in London.

Richard Branson

Richard Branson was born in Blackheath in 1950, and attended Stowe School in Buckinghamshire until the age of 16.

He is an entrepreneur and businessman who founded the Virgin Group in 1970.

In 1970, he set up a mail-order record business before opening chain of record stores, Virgin Records, in 1972.

Following this, Richard’s Virgin brand grew rapidly, as he started the Virgin Atlantic airline, expanded the Virgin Records music label and founded the Virgin Rail Group.

There are now Virgin Media, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Experience Days, Virgin Money, Virgin Radio and many more subsidiaries in the group.

In 2004, he founded spaceflight corporation Virgin Galactic, based at Mojave Air and Space Port in California - and in July 2021, Richard travelled as a passenger onboard Virgin Galactic Unity 22.

The test flight mission lasted approximately one hour, reaching a peak altitude of 53.5 miles and he became the third oldest person to fly to space.

Sir Richard Branson and his family feature at number 44 on the Sunday Times Rich List, with a net worth of £1.4 billion.

Simon Cowell

Simon Cowell was born in Lambeth in 1959, and raised in Hertfordshire.

The 63-year-old is known as a television presenter, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of The X Factor and Got Talent franchises.

Simon has been a judge on Pop Idol (2001–2003), The X Factor UK (2004–2010, 2014–2018) and Britain’s Got Talent (2007–present), as well as American Idol (2002–2010), The X Factor US (2011–2013), and America’s Got Talent (2006–present).

The artists he has signed include Little Mix, James Arthur, Labrinth, Leona Lewis, Fifth Harmony, Olly Murs, Noah Cyrus, Cher Lloyd, Fleur East, Susan Boyle, Westlife, and One Direction.

In 2020, Simon announced he would be writing a seven book series with his son. Wishfits is scheduled to be published this year.

Simon Cowell has a net worth of $600 million (£496 million), according to Wealthy Gorilla. In 2019, he featured on the Sunday Times Rich List.

David Beckham

David Beckham was born in Leytonstone in 1975, and was educated at Chingford County High School in east London.

He is a former professional footballer, who played for England’s first team between 1996 and 2005. He was captain for six years, played at three FIFA World Cup tournaments and scored 17 goals in 115 appearances.

During his senior career, he played for Manchester United, Preston North End (loan), Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan (loan) and Paris Saint-Germain.

He is the first English player to win league titles in four countries: England, Spain, the United States and France.

David is currently the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF in America. He was also a brand ambassador for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

He is married to former Spice Girls singer Victoria Beckham, who now has a self-titled fashion brand.

According to Wealthy Gorilla, David Beckham is worth $450 million (£370 million) - the same as his wife.

Adele

Adele Adkin was born in Tottenham in 1988, and later graduated from the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology in Croydon in May 2006.

She is best known as a singer and songwriter. Her albums are titled after the age that she wrote the songs; 19 (2008), 21 (2011), 25 (2015) and 30 (2021).

West Norwood in south London, where she lived with her mother in the early 2000’s, is the subject of her first song ‘Hometown Glory’.

The 34-year-old has been on three tours, won 173 awards and is currently hosting a residency called Weekends with Adele, in Las Vegas.

Adele has a net worth of $220 million (£180 million), according to Wealthy Gorilla.

Sharon Osbourne

Sharon Levy was born in London in 1952, and rose to fame when she married heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne in 1982.

Sharon starred on The Osbournes - a MTV reality show about her family’s daily life - between 2002 and 2005.

She later became a judge on The X Factor (2004–2007, 2013, 2016–2017) and on America’s Got Talent (2007–2012).

Between 2003 and 2006, Sharon hosted her own television talk show, The Sharon Osbourne Show, and between 2010 and 2021, she co-hosted CBS’s The Talk.

In 2022, the 70-year-old joined TalkTV, hosting a prime time show also titled The Talk.

Sharon has released three autobiographies and two novels. Her first autobiography, Extreme, debuted at number one on the Sunday Times best-seller list and went on to become the most successful female autobiography ever.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Sharon Osbourne has a net worth of $220 million (£180 million) - the same as her husband Ozzy Osbourne.

Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe was born in Hammersmith in 1989, and was educated at three independent schools in London: Redcliffe School, Sussex House School, and the City of London School.

He rose to fame at age 12 when he was cast as Harry Potter. He has since starred in all eight Harry Potter films, starting with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 2001 and finishing with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in 2011.

Following his success, Daniel has since starred in What If? (2013), The Woman in Black (2012), Kill Your Darlings (2013), Victor Frankenstein (2015), Swiss Army Man (2016), Now You See Me 2 (2016), and Imperium (2016).

Most recently, in 2022, he starred in the action comedy The Lost City and portrayed Al Yankovic in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

According to Cosmopolitan, Daniel Radcliffe has a net worth of $110 million (£90 million).

Idris Elba

Idrissa Akuna Elba was born in Hackney in 1972, and briefly attended Barking and Dagenham College before winning a place in the National Youth Music Theatre from a £1,500 Prince’s Trust grant.

Idris is best known for acting, and has starred  in a number of films including American Gangster (2007), Obsessed (2009), Thor (2011), Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013), Molly’s Game (2017), and The Suicide Squad (2021).

The 50-year-old is also known for his role as DCI John Luther in BBC One series Luther - a role he has won six awards for.

He made his directorial debut in 2018 with an adaptation of the 1992 novel Yardie, and performs as a DJ under the moniker DJ Big Driis or Idris.

Idris Elba has a net worth of $40 million (£33 million), according to Celebrity Net Worth.

David Walliams

David Williams, known professionally as David Walliams, was born in Wimbledon in 1971, and grew up in Surrey.

He is a comedian, actor and author, best known for starring in BBC comedy sketches Little Britain (2003-2007) and Come Fly With Me (2010-2011), alongside Matt Lucas.

Since his success, David has featured in a number of television series including BBC One’s Big School, Partners in Crime, and Walliams & Friend.

He began writing children’s novels in 2008, and he has been described as "the fastest-growing children’s author in the UK".

Some of his books have been adapted into television films, which he has also appeared in, including Mr Stink (2012), Gangsta Granny (2013) and Billionaire Boy (2016).

From 2012 to 2022, David was a judge on Britain’s Got Talent.

David Walliams has a net worth of $25 million (£20.5 million), according to Celebrity Net Worth.

John Fashanu

John Fashanu was born in Kensington in 1962. He was adopted at age five and raised in Shropham, Norfolk.

He is a former professional footballer who played for Norwich City, Miramar Rangers (loan), Crystal Palace (loan), Lincoln City, Millwall, Wimbledon and Aston Villa.

John also made two appearances for England’s first team in the 1989 Rous Cup, one against Chile and the other against Scotland.

He retired from football in 1995, due to an injury, and became a television presenter. The 60-year-old presented Gladiators, Flash’s Football Challenge, and Man vs Beast.

John also appeared in the second series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! where he came second, and this year he will appear on Dancing on Ice.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, John Fashanu has a net worth of $20 million (£16.4 million).

Patsy Palmer

Julie Merkell, known professionally as Patsy Palmer, was born and raised in Bethnal Green, east London. The 50-year-old attended Globe Primary School and then Haggerston Girls Secondary School.

She is known for her roles as Natasha in Grange Hill (1985–1987), and Bianca Jackson BBC’s EastEnders (1993–1999, 2008–2014, 2019).

Patsy has since made a number of cameo appearances on the likes of Strictly Come Dancing (2005), The Verdict (2007), The Masked Singer (2020), The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off (2022), and this year, she will feature on Dancing on Ice.

Patsy Palmer has a net worth of $13 million (£10 million), according to Idol Net Worth.

Paloma Faith

Paloma Bloomfield, known professionally as Paloma Faith, was born in Hackney in 1981. She took dance classes in Dalston and did her A-levels at City and Islington College.

She is best known for her singing talent and released five studio albums between 2009 and 2020. She has also been on five tours.

The 41-year-old has also worked as an actress, appearing in St Trinian’s (2007), The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), Dread (2009), Youth (2015), and television series Pennyworth (2019–present).

Paloma Faith has a net worth of $3 million (£2.5 million), according to Celebrity Net Worth.