Rishi Sunak’s extraordinary journey: From school Head Boy to Britain’s first non-white Prime Minister​

A schoolboy who risked detention by sneaking a TV into the dorm at Winchester College-not to watch the news, but to catch England’s Euro ’96 football matches with his friends-is today’s Rishi Sunak, who earned the title of the first non-white British Prime Minister. From weekend shifts at Kuti’s Restaurant to get a taste of ‘real life,’ to escaping into Jilly Cooper novels and “Bridgerton” episodes, and even channeling Vanilla Ice during raucous karaoke nights—a party trick mastered in his Oxford days—Rishi Sunak has always lived with a sense of fun and flair.

A school head boy who at the beginning of his career waited tables at an Indian eatery in Southampton, England, became the first Non-white Britain Prime Minister at the age of 42. Interesting enough? At Winchester College, one of England’s oldest and most prestigious boarding schools, Rishi Sunak made history as the first student of Indian heritage to become head boy, while also nurturing his love for communication as editor of the school newspaper, The Wykehamist. His academic journey then took him to Lincoln College, Oxford, where he pursued the celebrated PPE course (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics) and graduated with a first-class degree in 2001, cementing his reputation as a sharp mind. Eager to broaden his horizons, Sunak then earned a Fulbright scholarship to study at Stanford University in California, where he completed his MBA in 2006. It was during this transformative period in the United States that he not only honed his global outlook on finance and leadership but also met Akshata Murty, daughter of Infosys founder N. R. Narayana Murthy, who would later become his wife.

If the lives of Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty sound a bit like a modern-day fairy tale of global finance and cosmopolitan flair, their bank balance is pure headline material: in 2024, the Sunday Times Rich List pegged their combined fortune as £651 million, which makes them richer than the King Charles III, according to the annual list of the UK's most wealthy people. Most of this immense fortune comes from Akshata’s stake- which is nearly 1% in her father’s tech giant Infosys, funneling in tens of millions in dividends each year, while Sunak’s own high-flying days at Goldman Sachs and various hedge funds add respectable digits in investment income. Real estate isn’t left behind either. It’s little surprise then that some say the Downing Street couple are better off than the royals, living a lifestyle that gleams with privilege—yet, for Sunak, public scrutiny of this golden world has only fueled his claim that leadership is about character, not cash.

While talking about ‘early good old days’ he confessed he’s a lifelong Star Wars fanatic. As a child, he dreamed of being a Jedi knight when he grew up— he even reportedly owns several collectible lightsabers. Though raised at elite schools, he didn’t enjoy all the trappings of privilege growing up, Sunak shared that his parents skipped “luxuries” like Sky TV in order to channel their modest means into education, instilling in him the values of sacrifice and hard work.

An enthusiastic fitness buff, Sunak starts his days with Peloton cycling-his favorite instructor is Cody Rigsby-and, in addition to loving cricket and horse racing, he’s a die-hard Southampton F.C. fan who claims his dream job (if not in politics) would be running his beloved football club. He’s also fiercely loyal to old friends: James Forsyth, with whom he edited the Winchester school paper, later became Sunak’s political secretary and godparent to his children.