6 Year-old Inherits $1.5 BILLION | Inside Mansions of Richest Boy in the World
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- Today, we're uncovering the fascinating story of William Leeds Jr., known as "The Richest Boy in the World." From his father's empire in the American Tin Plate Company to the opulent mansions he grew up in, join us on a journey through history and luxury. We'll explore the architectural marvels of his family's homes and delve into the extraordinary life of young William, who inherited a vast fortune at the tender age of six.
Like, Comment, and Share our video, Subscribe if you enjoyed this video!
Location: America
Join our Membership program:
/ @thishouse
Public Domain Photos from: Library of Congress,
Assets from: Envato Elements
Music from Epidemic Sound
Money won't buy happiness but it makes misery Very comfortable
I was looking him up as you were speaking and saw the pictures of him in the policeman's outfit before you showed it. I had to smile - he didn't look much different from my 3.5 yr old grandson, dressed in his fireman's outfit. Looks like boys are the same, even over more than 100 years.
This would be good subject matter for a miniseries!
As always, Ken, an interesting, knowledgeable report! How sad, he had no direction in & for his life. My children are in their 40’s & I try to stay involved in what is happening in their lives to give sound advise, if I feel it’s needed. I look for your “House” every day & enjoy them so much.
The opulence back in the day was astounding!
That is quite the tale! Thanks for sharing. Not sure what I would have done with that much money at such a young age!
Very interesting tale. Gorgeous yacht.
I lost my father when I was 4. We certainly weren’t rolling in it but we never wanted for anything. I’m somewhat confused as to why the young man divorced his beautiful bride. I’ll have to watch this again, but I thought I understood everything. Probably not. Thanks Ken!
I had to look that up, too. Princess Xenia truly believed Anna Anderson was Anastasia Romanov, while he did not. She couldn’t forgive him for insisting Anna was a fraud and making her leave their home.
@@oneminuteofmyday
Ahhh. The way it was portrayed was they both suspected and they both sent her away. Must have misheard.
It looks like he and Princess Xenia had a child, a daughter, whose married name was Nancy Helen Marie Leeds Wynkoop. She then had a daughter named Alexandra Wynkoop. I can’t find any mention of her inheriting his fortune, though. Her obituary mainly talks about her connection to the Romanov family.
Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark was paternal uncle of the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
I think Prince Philip also had the titles of Prince of Greece and Denmark qualifying him to marry Elizabeth II.
@@danielcraft3727 Aren't they both related (cousins)?
European Royal cousins. Related in some way shape or other.
@@pacificrulesthey’re related to each other 85 different ways
Love your mini docs. Do such a great narration!
Losing a father at 6 can't be compensated by all the money in the world.
IN 1900 at 5 months old, John Nicholas Brown II (of the Brown University Browns) lost both his father and a few days later his uncle Harold Brown. He inherited both of their fortunes. He was called "the richest baby in America."
I suppose it depends on what kind of father he was.
Depends on the father
You must have had a fantastic father :). I did-ish but the money would be well more than welcome :) at such a young age it doesn’t really matter. Any good man would do.
@@ohmoflife1 My father died when I was 8. It affects the rest of your life.
So sorry he wasn’t raised more sensibly …absent parent with enough money to delegate the care of a child is truly sad!!! At least his second marriage seemed a good long and stable one!!!
Like the intro cameo of you Ken! Great touch!
Good morning thank you very much for the great story❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Great job Ken. I love the picture of him with the Schoenhut Circus, very collectible today. I agree with the other comment that losing one's father is irreparable damage at such an early age.
Everyone concentrates on how much money these people spend but lots of people benifitted from the money being spent.
Like who ? The servants with the very long hours and pitiful wages ? Prince Kristoffer ?
@@neideparente1449 well the toy makers did thats for sure.
Thanks again Ken ❤🎉😊
Fascinating...
Who the heck would tell a 6 year old he's rich and let him boss around adults?! Nonnie was a miserable excuse for a mother.
Some people shouldn't have kids.
Who the hell are you to judge?
Real life Richie rich.
Richie Rich is about how his relationship with his parents are way more important than their fortune...
Wanna try again?
Batman origin story?
Richie has self-awareness and decency
I thinks you may be off base here
Thanks Ken, always enjoy your commentaries!!
His mother was nuts, not to let him play with other chidlren.
Very common at the time.
Queen Victoria's mother kept her away from other children. Gloria Vanderbilt was raised by adults by her Aunt Gertrude. The thinking was, that's what governesses were for. Mature proper companions.
You be a rich kid for a while and you'll figure it out yourself .
Incredible..thanks again for a great houses and story
Great content as always! It was a pleasure to see you in the video as well, your face and your voice are a perfect match!
Also very interesting. Love your history of these people and their homes. 👌
A huge fan I love this show. I think it’s really great.
Fascinating story filled with twists….thank you for sharing!
Did he himself have any children? What happened to his fortune after he died?
Love the new format Ken. The camera really likes you 🙂
All your Videos are just Awesome !! Thank you so much for all the information, your voice/presence and everything!❤️❤️❤️Hugs from Europe!!
I love this episode of This House
From your videos I've noticed one thing about a lot of these large homes in Long Island, there sure were a lot of convenient fires.
I noticed that too - it seems to be a common thread with these mansions. Rockefellers original one burnt down too.
Why do you think asbestos was seen a wonder material?
Huntington Hartford inherited $90 million at 21. The A&P money kept rolling in and by the 1950- 60s he was the wealthiest man in Manhattan. By 1992 it was all gone and he went into bankruptcy the last thing he had left was a trust fund with $11 million in it but he couldn't touch the principal, the lawyers administered it. Bloomberg at the time in 2009 estimated that he spent $1 billion dollars not adjusted for inflation.
Poor kid had to slum it on the interest of 11 million bucks. He must have been terrified of ending up homeless 😂
@@doveandpatchin 2004 his daughter was able to get him to the Bahamas and he bought a house there for $6 million dollars. The lawyers approved it and he spent his remaining years there. There's a video on TH-cam of Jerry Hall playing with his ties in his tie closet from 1977.
Wow ... interesting story! Oh, the pampered class!!
Under many of these stories are such sad ones- money not bringing wisdom or happiness. Many rich people have no depth- they are not truly cultured or educated, have not been mentored or loved enough to do anything with their vast fortunes but spend them in grandiose ways.
I would have definitely bought a double wide and new tires for my truck 😂
Lol
It's all relative, that is for sure.
Keep things simple. 😂
For once, albeit not the first time, the story behind the houses is considerably more interesting than the houses themselves.
His story echoed that of Barbara Hutton's " the poor little rich girl" who lost her mother at a very young age.
What an incredible life!
Thanks Ken👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
It’d be wild af if a 6 year old inherited billions today
Prince Albert von Thurn und Taxis was 7 when he became a billionaire on the his father died in 1990.
Is your life that vacant and devoid of anything you’d actually get tired up over one person you do not even know or doesn’t affect you? Really?
Anyone else think of the old (1960s/70s) comic books Richie Rich - The Poor Little Rich Kid?! The little boy was immensely rich and kind of did whatever he wanted ha. As a poor kid, I remember they were fascinating ha!
Except for the library, this may the first of your shown houses I did now like. I falls into the category of more money than taste. That said, your part telling the story made listening worthwhile. Thanks, Ken.
How many people were thinking , this was how. BATMAN. started. LOL
what an interesting story
Would make a great book/movie.
Hi Ken, thanks for this great video! When you showed the high rise I think is at 79th and 5th as the location of Leeds childhood ny mansion, you reminded me of a book that has the original mansion on that site in it, but I can't remember the title, though I have it written down somewhere in notes, along with its ISBN number. It would be a great resource for you I'll pass on when I find it. It's called Landmarks or Mansions of NYC or something similar. I thought it was only Manhattan mansions, but I could be wrong. I think it was published in the 1950s, maybe '54. If you know the book I mean, please say so. Otherwise I will forward the info to you when I find it. It's a treasure trove of Gilded Age architecture. Thanks!
Interesting 😊
Pretty amazing story.
It would be worse if you inherited a 6-yr-old boy! Damage Control 101
Hi Ken, i just did some reading. I found the mansion at the northeast corner of 79th and 5th was called the Brokaw mansion. Was that before Leeds, or more likely after Leeds lived there?
It was during the same time period. Here’s the video I recently did on the Brokaw Mansions th-cam.com/video/Cgq7YU6E7kY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=1PsvtXnCraRGUlet
@@ThisHouse Thanks Ken, I will watch it soon!
wonder why Mr. Leeds' life story
hasn't been made into a movie
very interesting
I wouldn't spend it any differently. Nice houses, cool boats, women. Journeys around the world. What could you want more?
@ 4:48 the inspiration for Caledon "Cal" Hockley of Titanic fame.
Who has the money now?
Prayers for his soul
found an article online about the rich JR, he seemed to grow to be an ok person....gave alot of money away .. gave some ambulances away & actually drove them & helped fix them (allegedly) ...
i don't think getting a lot of money young & never being around your parents is that great of a life.
All said and done, he did what he had to do given the circumstances. Poor dude.
It's really disturbing to me when at the end of these stories, Ken tells us the gorgeous mansion was demolished.
What an odd life little William and his absentee, social climbing mother lived.
Love her salon, though.
Harbourwood is quite nice, and the boat house ceiling is so pretty and dramatic.
Lol, the mugshot of the Polish peasant.
All that money would be too much of a good thing for me.
Such a tragic end to his life..
It's all very strange
They announced their engagement less than 24 hours after meeting? 😳 Wow
William Bateman Leeds Jr. now I know where they got the name for the kid in the movie “The Toy” Master Bates.
Money can’t buy you happiness. Also loneliness too.
This little boy made me sad
large sums of money
make human beings
ridiculous
If it happened today, that kid probably would be entangled in addictions and blow his fortune by the age of 25
A ‘Bay’ horse is brown with black legs, mane and tail.
So he had horses 🐴 that ‘matched’ 😐
He had no children, so who inherited his bazillions? The second wife? 😊
The real question is where did the money go after he died?
I would donate a lot of it to different charities.
I can't answer the question if I would have spent the money differently. #1 I will never be "the richest boy in the world". #2 I will never HAVE that kind of money. On the other hand he was a child, and children buy toys.
Quiet the tangles family but most aristocrat and royal families have them. Prince Chrisotpher is a distant cousin of mine and as Princess Xenia Georgievna. The Princess and Mr. Leeds had a daughter Nancy Helen Marie LEEDS who married Edward Judson Wynkoop Jr. The had a daughter named Alexandra "Aleka" Wynkoop so I assume, for the person who rudely asked who has the money, I would assume Alexandra does.
Why was the question rude?
It was me and I want to know how much I'm getting. I have plans to make! 😂❤
@@whigparty6180 Because it is not his or her business and why does it matter? In many cases money does not last past the 3rd generation there are exceptions such as royals and aristocrats.
@@gregpendrey6711 LOL it will come to me before you assuming there is money left. LOL.
@@BlaineShireHe was a public figure so yes, you can ask who got his money - estates are public record for everyone.
The life of ANNA ANDERSON was interesting n very tragic. Ive read msny books on her. My conclusion? Shed come to genuinely believe she was Anastasia. Meant no harm or scam to anyone.
Thanks to his mom he didn’t have friends growing up. And she was too busy shopping for a rich husband. Real mother of the year stuff there! 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
All the money in the world and no children of his own - interesting.
His father was on the titanic 😢
He lives the life her knew and was taught by his family. He didn't seem unhappy, but it would have been nice if he had children. I suppose hi late wife got his money. She wouldn't have any attachment to his old homes, so it makes since she buy or build her own.
I would have saved it for my future children
The real life Richie Rich
He's alone who can he trust
Will he help abused animals especially elephants and rhinos..let us hope?
What a mess.
The video of yourself presenting the narrative is not necessary.
To prove to the trolls that he is not a bot.
WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL HIS MONEY AFTER HIS DEATH ???
How ruuude. 😂
P you can't be rude to someone who's dead p it's not possible@@gregpendrey6711
Nancy Leeds Wynkoop (1925-2006)
He had a daughter by his first wife.
IRS took it all
How much was left when he died anywho got the money?
A ‘Bay’ horse is brown with black legs, mane and tail.
So he had horses 🐴 that ‘matched’ 😐