| Nearly £40m was donated to charity by the Rausing family last year, including £20m to be given to the School of Oriental and African Studies in London over the next 10 years. The Rausing family trusts, principally the Ruben and Elisabeth Rausing Trust, give large sums away every year. Rausing's fortune is derived from the humble but ubiquitous Tetra Laval milk carton, which allows milk to be kept fresh without refrigeration. Since his move to Britain from Sweden in the 1980s, Rausing, 77, has been based in East Sussex, although reports indicate he may be contemplating a move to his Portuguese dairy farm. Rausing sold his Tetra Laval stake in 1995 to his late brother, Gad, netting about £4.4 billion. Since then, he has invested heavily in Ecolean, a biodegradable packaging operation in which he has a 57% stake. But there is little other wealth evident in Britain and his farming firm, Wadhurst Park, which produced speciality foods such as wild boar, has ceased operations. With the British press examining his tax arrangements, Rausing may well tire of this country eventually. If he does move to sunnier climes, he will no longer qualify for this list. Until we bid him adeus, we value him at £4.8 billion, allowing for interest on his investments and his gifts to charity.
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£4,500m
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