Britain's largest landowners range from affluent aristocrats to government departments to foreign billionaires and revered charities.

If you've ever wondered who really owns the most land across the nation, you've come to the right place.

Read on to discover the UK's top landowners, with everything from historic family estates to stunning rural reserves bolstering their enviable property portfolios. 

Think of the name Fleming and odds are that Ian Fleming, creator of the James Bond series, springs to mind.

However, his cousin, Robin Fleming CBE, was just as notable as his shaken-not-stirred relation. 

This art-loving financier was one of the UK's top landowners until his death in 2020 at the age of 87. 

Robin owned the spectacular 80,000-acre Black Mount estate in Scotland, which had been in his family since the 1920s and remains so now.

Alastair Morrison, third Baron Margadale, owns the Isle of Islay in Scotland's Inner Hebrides. Islay, which comprises around 73,000 acres of land, was purchased by Alastair's ancestor James Morrison back in 1853.

Baron Margadale also owns Fonthill Estate in Wiltshire (pictured), which boasts 9,000 acres of woodland, farmland and gardens. This brings his portfolio to a grand total of 82,000 acres.

Danish billionaire Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, whose grandfather Ole invented LEGO building blocks, owns 82,800 acres in the Scottish Highlands.

His portfolio spans across three estates – Strathconon, Scardroy, and Ledgowan – and his holdings include parts of deep glacial valleys and the longest glen in Scotland, which runs for more than 20 miles.

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The Seafield family possesses 84,500 acres of land in Scotland thanks to their ownership of the Seafield & Strathspey Estates.

This land is largely used for farming, forestry and tourism in the lowlands of Banffshire and the Spey Valley. 

Technically, lands held by the Scottish Crown Estate are owned by the monarch, although revenue profit generated by the properties goes to the Scottish government. 

The 91,430 acres belonging to the Scottish Crown Estate are mainly rural lands used for forestry and farming. The Crown also leases shoreline out to 12 nautical miles, and approximately half of Scotland’s foreshore.

Stòras Uibhist is a community-owned company that manages the 93,000-acre South Uist Estate, which covers the Outer Hebridean islands of Eriskay, South Uist and parts of Benbecula.

Around 3,000 local residents clubbed together to purchase the South Uist Estate in 2006 for £4.5 million, or £6.6 million in today's money. 

Dŵr Cymru Cyfyngedig is the not-for-profit company that owns and operates Welsh Water.

Its massive portfolio of land accounts for more than 98,840 acres, and it also manages 92 reservoirs.

The ruling family of Dubai, the Al Maktoum clan is headed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum and owns property across the UK.

This includes a 63,000-acre estate in Wester Ross, Scotland, as well as properties in Surrey and Newmarket.

An investigation by the Guardian and anti-corruption organisation Transparency International suggests that the family's holdings are likely to exceed 98,840 acres.

GFG Alliance is a collection of businesses and investments around the world that are owned by or associated with businessman Sanjeev Gupta and his family.

In 2016, GFG purchased 114,000 acres in Scotland, with the property now known as JAHAMA Highland Estates.

The former hunting estate includes land near Ben Nevis and was purchased as part of the acquisition deal of a nearby aluminium smelter and hydro station. 

Ascending the throne in September 2022, King Charles now owns the Duchy of Lancaster, which comprises 45,670 acres of land across rural estates in England and Wales.

The new monarch also inherited Balmoral Castle, which comes with around 49,430 acres, and owns Sandringham House, which boasts around 20,000 acres.

When his mother Elizabeth passed away in 2019, Alistair Janson, Earl of Sutherland, inherited Dunrobin Castle (pictured). By contrast, Alistair's twin brother received just £250,000 in his mother's will.

The historic Dunrobin sits on 120,000 acres in the Scottish Highlands, and is particularly noted for its exquisitely designed gardens.

When Captain Alwyne A. C. Farquharson of Invercauld MC, Chief of the Clan Farquharson, passed away in October 2021 at the age of 102, his title and estate were both passed on to his great nephew, Philip Farquharson.

Comprising 128,000 acres, the clan’s sprawling Scottish estate includes Braemar Castle, which is cared for by the local community.

The Duchy of Cornwall owns 131,000 acres of land spanning across numerous English counties and belongs to the Prince of Wales. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William acquired the Prince of Wales title, making him the 25th Duke of Cornwall.

However, His Royal Highness doesn't own the Duchy in the traditional sense, as its capital assets are kept in trust for the nation.

Billionaire Hugh Grosvenor inherited the Grosvenor Estate in 2016 after the death of his father, Gerald Grosvenor, who was the 6th Duke of Westminster.

The estate represents the most valuable land holding in the UK and includes 300 acres of prime property around London's Mayfair and Belgravia areas.

The publicly listed United Utilities describes itself as "the largest corporate land owner in England" on its website, and oversees around 138,380 acres of land in the northwest of the country.

Shareholders of the water company effectively own significant parts of areas including Greater Manchester, Merseyside, and Cheshire.

When an heirless Iain Murray died in 1996, his Duke of Atholl title passed to John Murray, a distant cousin who lived in South Africa.

However, the late Duke opted to give huge chunks of his estate – including Blair Castle in Perthshire and an estimated 144,000 acres of land – to a charitable trust rather than to John.

The National Trust for Scotland is a conservation charity that oversees 187,800 acres of Scottish countryside.

This includes historic properties, nature reserves, and hundreds of miles of mountain footpaths.

The Crown Estate owns a total of 191,000 acres across England and Wales.

As long as it belongs to the reigning monarch, the Crown Estate cannot be sold and is not considered the King's private property. The holding includes high-value areas of London and swathes of agricultural land.

A commission charged with mapping the land holdings of the Church of England concluded in 2021 that it owns approximately 200,000 acres.

While much of it is unsuitable for development, the Church says it aims to use as much of this land as possible for affordable housing. 

The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry has been steadily selling off land from his various Scottish estates in recent years.

In 2020, for example, he sold 5,000 acres from his Langholm Moor estate to a local community group. The Langholm Initiative had the goal of creating a 10,000-acre nature reserve but didn't have enough cash for the full property at that time. However, after two more years of fundraising, the group met its goal in August 2022.

The Duke is now estimated to own just shy of 230,000 acres, with much of his property portfolio located across Scotland. This includes 61,000 acres at Bowhill House, which has belonged to his family for centuries.

Danish retail magnate Anders Holch Povlsen the founder of the Bestseller chain, has acquired 12 Scottish estates in recent years and is officially Scotland's largest landowner.

With everything tallied up, the billionaire's UK property portfolio amounts to around 230,000 acres.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is more than 130 years old – and one of the UK's biggest landowners to boot.

The charity oversees around 393,000 acres of reserves, farmland and wetlands throughout Britain.

Across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the National Trust owns 619,000 acres of land. Its portfolio ranges from coastlines to stately homes, and even boasts some pubs and inns too. The organisation is actually the largest conservation charity in Europe.

Sponsored by the Forestry Commission, this government division manages and promotes publicly owned forests, and has 621,000 acres in its portfolio.

The agency has been around since September 1919, when it was established to replant and restore the forests that were depleted during World War I. It currently has around 1,500 forests within its care.

Prodigious expanses of the British countryside are given over for the defence of the realm, with the military owning an astonishing 849,054 acres of land across the UK.

This covers everything from training grounds to barracks, and equates to roughly 626,660 acres in England, 160,370 acres in Scotland, and around 57,570 acres in Wales.

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