Billionaire adventurer Richard Branson's name has already been mentioned on our list, because it's his 'Virgin' company which is selling tickets to outer space to people like Katy Perry and Ashton Kutcher. Branson is something of an eccentric, who owns planes and trains in the United Kingdom, as well as a cable TV company. He once tried to become the first man to float around the world solo in a hot air balloon, but when that didn't work out, he turned his hand to exploring below the seas instead.
Branson bought the Necker Islands group in the British Virgin Islands, and then purchased a submarine called the 'Necker Nymph' to explore what lies beneath them. Nobody knows for sure how much Branson paid for his vessel, but if you want to see it for yourself, you can rent it from him and take your own tour of his islands. All you need to do is contact him to make a booking, and come up with the $25,000 per week hire cost.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.