Kings of bling

Nicolas Sarkozy, known to the French press as "President Bling-Bling", is renowned for showing off his shades, Rolex watches and model wife in public Photograph: Patrick Kovarik /AFP

The Russian president-elect, Dmitry Medvedev, inspects a diamond. He recently shared his Franck Muller watch collection with Paris Match magazine, confessing he he likes to colour-coordinate them with his shirts to attain a "certain dandyism" Photograph: Dmitry Astakhov/AFP

The former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev models Louis Vuitton luggage for an advertisement. But if you look closely there's something more sinister going on. Sticking out of his squash bag is a tome entitled 'The Murder of Litvinenko: A Kremlin Cover-up?'. Bling and subversive Photograph: Annie Liebovitz/AP

The Argentinian president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, has attracted as much attention for her appearance as her policies. Known to some as "the queen of botox", she denies having had surgery but admits to caking-on the make-up Photograph: Daniel Garcia/AFP

The Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, makes his point while sporting a fetching medal, sash and brooch combo. He also likes to step out in tracksuit tops Photograph: Fernando Llano/AP

Lest we forget Jean-Bedel Bokassa, pictured here at his coronation as Emperor of the Central African Empire. Just a small do, allegedly costing $20m - a quarter of his nation's annual revenue Photograph: AP

Hassanal Bolkiah, the sultan of Brunei, celebrates his 59th birthday in style with one of his wives. His lavish lifestyle is funded by his country's oil riches, and among his treasures are an airplane with gold furnishings, a theme park and 500 Rolls-Royces Photograph: Roslan Rahman/AFP

Colonel Muammar Gadafy follows a long line of fashionably loud African leaders, with the Libyan opting to don sunglasses, luxurious fabrics and a gold knuckle-duster Photograph: Sabri Elmhewi/EPA

The US president, George Bush, flaunts a pair of custom-made cowboy boots with the presidential seal. Dubya has also been spotted in the least bling footwear of all, a pair of Crocs Photograph: Jim Bourg/Reuters

Team Sarkozy might not deem it appropriate to bling-up for meeting Her Maj, but here she is decked out in all the regalia for the state opening of parliament, in a Puff Daddy-style fur stole Photograph: Cathal McNaughton/PA