Prominent in everything from real estate to politics, the Astors were America's answer to the royal family – and the nation's wealthiest clan to boot.

Over the decades, the dynasty has included philanthropists, the Queen Bee of the Gilded Age, the wealthiest victim of the Titanic disaster, a British viscount, the UK's first sitting female MP, and even an Olympic gold medallist.

Read on to trace the remarkable ascent of the Astor family, from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of society on both sides of the Atlantic. 

All dollar amounts in US dollars