Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has vowed to donate his entire $32bn (£20bn; €29bn) fortune to charity. The Prince's announcement comes during the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims are encouraged to give charity and help the needy.
He believes philanthropy is a personal responsibility, and is an intrinsic part of Islamic faith.
The 60-year-old nephew of King Salman is one of the world's richest people—number 34 on the Forbes list. He's giving his personal wealth, which is separate from his ownership in Kingdom Holding Company.
The Gates Foundation, set up by Bill and Melinda Gates in 1997, inspired him to take this step. The money would be used to foster cultural understanding, develop communities, empower women, provide vital disaster relief, enable youth and create a more tolerant and accepting world.
Mr Gates called the prince's action an "inspiration to all of us working in philanthropy around the world".
Prince Alwaleed said the donation would take place over several years and would be overseen by a board of trustees, which he will head. Source: BBC.
The Kingdom interests me particularly because I've written a rough draft of a novel set in 2027, right before the Great Flood destroys civilization-as-we-know-it—a prequel to the Higher Ground dystopian series of books. In the plot, a prince of The Kingdom employs a young woman living in London. She moves to Elstree (where I live). And then, it rains and rains, flooding everything around her. She writes a diary of events on velum. Losing hope of survival, she climbs inside the church bell tower and leaves her document sealed inside the golden casket the prince gave her.
As I said, the novel is in rough draft form and needs further work before publishing.
I once dreamed of using the money I earned as a model to set up a home for young women. But, circumstances nipped my career in the bud.
What would you do if you had money to spare?