London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 25, 2025

Prada And Pools: Rishi Sunak's Mega-Wealthy Wife And In-Laws

Prada And Pools: Rishi Sunak's Mega-Wealthy Wife And In-Laws

Rishi Sunak's father-in-law, N.R. Narayana Murthy, 76, co-founded tech giant Infosys in 1981.

Akshata Murty, the Indian wife of Britain's next Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, is fabulously rich thanks to her billionaire father, a fortune that is attracting controversy as ordinary people reel from a cost-of-living crisis.

Sunak's father-in-law, N.R. Narayana Murthy, 76, co-founded tech giant Infosys in 1981. The outsourcing behemoth now worth around $75 billion helped drive India's transformation into the "back office of the world".

One of only two non-Americans in Fortune magazine's 2012 list of the "12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time", the Infosys chief's life-changing moment came in 1974 when he was locked up for four nights in communist Eastern Europe.

"That cured me from being a confused leftist to a determined compassionate capitalist," Narayana said afterwards.

Sunak's mother-in-law Sudha meanwhile was Tata Motors' first female engineer after famously complaining via a postcard to the chairman about the firm's stipulation that "lady candidates need not apply".

Regarded as "India's favourite granny", she is a prolific author and a powerful force in social work, setting up 60,000 libraries and building 16,000 toilets -- and is reputed to be humble despite her own immense wealth.

Doctor's son


Sudha ensured an austere upbringing for her children Akshata and Rohan, with no television at home and insisting they go to school in an auto-rickshaw like their classmates.

Atypically for class-conscious India, where arranged marriages are still common, the couple were fine with Murty's comparatively humble choice of husband, a doctor's son from Southampton named Rishi Sunak.

In a letter, Murty's father -- who spells his surname differently to his daughter -- said Sunak was "all that you had described him to be -- brilliant, handsome, and, most importantly, honest".

The couple met at Stanford University in the United States when Murty was pursuing her MBA. The future prime minister was a Fulbright scholar with a first-class degree from Oxford.

Their 2009 wedding was a relatively modest affair by the standards of India's well-heeled, but the reception was attended by about 1,000 guests including politicians, industrialists and cricketers.

Non-dom


Murty's stake in Infosys is worth around $700 million, making her richer than the late Queen Elizabeth II, whose personal wealth was estimated at about $460 million by the 2021 Sunday Times Rich List.

The 42-year-old has also earned tens of millions in dividends in recent years, but her "non-domicile" status in the UK shielded some of this income from British taxes.

To assuage some of the resulting public anger that hurt her husband politically, Murty said in April that she would pay UK tax on all her worldwide income.

"I do this because I want to, not because the rules require me to," she tweeted. "My decision... will not change the fact that India remains the country of my birth, citizenship, parents' home and place of domicile. But I love the UK too."

The couple -- who have two daughters and a photogenic dog -- remain extremely rich and their lavish lifestyle hasn't gone unnoticed by the British media at a time when ordinary people are struggling.

In August, reports said that they were spending 400,000 pound on a swimming pool at their country pad. In July, Sunak wore Prada loafers on a campaign visit to a rubble-strewn construction site.

Non-materialistic


Murty and Sunak own at least four properties, including a 7 million pound five-bedroom house in Kensington, London. They also own a flat in Santa Monica, California.

She dabbled in finance and marketing before creating her own fashion label, Akshata Designs, in 2010.

According to a 2011 Vogue profile, Murty works with artists in remote villages to create Indian-meets-Western fusion clothes that are "vehicles to discovering Indian culture".

"I believe we live in a materialistic society," she told the magazine. "People are becoming more conscious about the world they live in. Doing good is fashionable."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
×