The UK's richest people have defied the double-dip recession to become even richer over the past year, according to the annual Sunday Times Rich List.
The newspaper's research reveals the combined worth of the country's 1,000 wealthiest people is £414bn, up 4.7%.
It means their joint wealth has passed the level last seen in 2008, before the financial crash, to set a new record.
Top spot for the eighth straight year is held by Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, 61, with £12.7bn.
There are now 77 billionaires on the list, with individuals needing to have at least £72m to make the top 1,000.
The richest billionaire of all, Mr Mittal, retains his position despite seeing 27% of his family fortune wiped out in the last 12 months because of a drop in the share price of their steel producing business.
The Mittal family have held the number one spot in the list since 2005.
Another person who has made money from the metal industry, Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov, is second with £12.3bn, while Chelsea owner and oil baron Roman Abramovich is third with £9.5bn, despite being £800m down on last year.
The richest woman is former Miss UK Kirsty Bertarelli, who shares a £7.4bn fortune with her husband Ernesto, while the Duke of Westminster's property portfolio makes him worth £7.3bn.
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