There are thousands of incredibly wealthy men and women on earth. Many of these people came from practically nothing and made it through sheer grit, determination and perhaps a little luck. A few of these people inherited their wealth and, while they may have invested it wisely and multiplied it many times, they still had an almighty helping hand up. Let's take a look at a few notable examples.

Serra Sabancı was born into the Sabanci family, founders of the Turkish conglomerate the Sabancı Group, which has interests in financial services, energy, cement, retail and industrials. Serra is a member of the Sabancı Holding Board and a member of the Board of the Sabancı Foundation and various Sabancı Group companies. She is said to be worth around $1 billion (£742 million).

Twenty-seven-year-old Perenna Kei is said to own 85% of the hugely successful China-based property development company Logan that her father set up and continues to run. Kei is thought to be worth over $1.3 billion (£964 million). One of the world's youngest billionaires, Kei avoids publicity and tries to draw as little attention to herself as possible.

Tom Persson's grandfather Erling Persson founded global budget fashion brand H&M in the 1940s. Unlike his brother and father, who work in the family firm, Tom works in the film business. Investments from his inherited wealth, however, are said to put his worth at around $1.9 billion (£1.4 billion).

Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer is the granddaughter of Estée Lauder, the founder of the international beauty brand that bears her name. She is the eldest daughter of billionaire Ronald Lauder, who is the chairman of Estée Lauder subdivision Clinique Laboratories. Aerin also works for the family firm as Estée Lauder's style and image director and oversees its global lifestyle brand Aerin. She is thought to be worth around $2.3 billion (£1.7 billion).

Delphine Arnault is the eldest daughter of Bernard Arnaultan, the chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton. Delphine is executive vice-president of Louis Vuitton and sits on the board of the parent company LVMH. She is said to have a net worth of around $4 billion ($2.9 billion). She is notoriously private and very little is known of her private life.

Marie Besnier Beauvalot and her siblings Emmanuel and Jean Michel inherited the French dairy empire Lactalis, which was founded by their grandfather. Lactalis owns internationally-known brands President, Galbani and Rachel's, among many other milk, cheese and yogurt products. Marie is said to be worth $4.9 billion (£3.6 billion). She shuns the spotlight but does sit on the board of Groupe Lactalis.

Hugh Grosvenor is thought to be Britain's youngest billionaire. He became the seventh Duke of Westminster when his father Gerald Grosvenor died suddenly in 2016 at the age of 64. He inherited most of his father's fortune, including the Grosvenor Estate, a vast land and property portfolio that covers 300 acres of prime central London land and some of the capital's most prestigious addresses. Not yet 30, the Duke is worth around $12 billion (£9 billion).

Global food processing and packaging giant Tetra Laval heirs Gad and Hans Rausing inherited the business their father founded when he died in 1983. Hans sold his share to his brother in the 1990s and is now said to be worth around $12.5 billion (£9.2 billion). Gad died in 2000, leaving the multi-billion dollar company to his wife and three children. All of his children have a seat on the board.

Adrian Cheng's grandfather, Hong Kong-based entrepreneur Cheng Yu-tung, died in September 2016, leaving his son Henry to take over the helm of Chow Tai Foo, Asia's largest jewelry retailer, and property empire New World. Adrian has now taken over control of New World, but he also invests in promising youth brands and has made a name for himself in the art world as an avid art collector and patron of the arts. He is said to be worth about $14 billion (£10.3 billion).

Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken owns just under a quarter of the Dutch brewery Heineken, which has been in her family for generations. She is an executive director of the company and her son and husband are also on the board. Until her father died in 2002, de Carvalho-Heineken had not worked at the company and had little business experience, but she learned fast. She is now said to be worth around $15.4 billion (£11.4 billion).

Azim Premji was studying at Stanford University in California, but when his father died he dropped out of college at aged 21 to take control of the successful family business Western India Vegetable Products. Premji later renamed the food company WIPRO and expanded its product range into toiletries and later IT. It is now one of the largest technology businesses in India and Premji is said to be worth around $18.7 billion (£13.8 billion).

Dieter Schwarz's father Josef Schwarz founded the Germany-based Schwarz Group in 1930. The group owns the supermarket chains Lidl and Kaufland, which between them have over 10,000 branches in Germany and overseas and are undergoing an ambitious global expansion plan. Dieter now controls the group through his Dieter Schwarz Foundation. He is said to be worth about $20 billion (£14.8 billion).

Stefan Quandt inherited just over a quarter of automobile maker BMW's shares from his parents. He sits on the board, along with his sister who owns about 20% of the company. Stefan also has interests in several other industries and is said to be worth around $20.3 billion (£14.9 billion).

Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen is now retired from the LEGO company the business that was started by his grandfather. Kristiansen was president and CEO and he still owns 75% of the toy giant, alongside his children. He also holds a stake in Merlin Entertainment and is said to be worth around $22.8 billion (£16.9 billion).

Ball bearings and machine components might not sound very glamorous, but Georg Schaeffler has done pretty well from them. Following a stint in the army and then some time practising law in the US, Schaeffler returned to the family firm the Schaeffler Group. After successfully steering it through a rocky patch, he took it public. He still sits on the board and is said to be worth around $25.3 billion (£18.7 billion).

Mukesh Ambani and his brother took over the family business Reliance Industries following the death of their father, who founded it. India-based Reliance is now a conglomerate that is involved in digital technology, petrochemicals and textiles. Mukesh is said to be worth in the region of $41.4 billion (£30.7 billion).

Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers inherited the L'Oreal fortune when her mother Liliane Bettencourt died in 2017. In her mid-sixties, Bettencourt-Meyers is thought to now be worth around $44.3 billion (£33 billion). This makes her a lead contender for the title of the world's richest woman. The Bettencourt family founded L'Oreal and still controls 33% of the global cosmetic giant.

The daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, Alice Walton steered clear of working in the family business. Her focus is on the art world and art collecting and she is chairman of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Her net worth is thought to be around $45 billion (£33.3 billion). Her brother Jim, chairman and CEO of the family's Arvest Bank Group, is thought to be worth $45.3 billion (£33.6 billion). Her brother Rob, chairman of Walmart, is thought to be worth $45.1 billion (£33.4 billion).

The Koch brothers, Charles and David, are the second generation to run the American conglomerate Koch Industries, which was founded by their father and now employs over 100,000 people. Charles is chairman and CEO, while David is executive vice president. Both have an estimated net worth of $49.3 billion (£36.5 billion).

The Mars siblings Jacqueline and John Franklyn Mars and the four daughters of their late brother Forrest Junior are the heirs to their eponymously-named confectionery, food and pet business. They have no role in the everyday running of the company, but are said to have a combined net worth of around $78 billion (£57.9 billion).