Owning an island is the ultimate status symbol; apart from that, these private island kingdoms also afford privacy, peace and tranquility to celebrities who are always in the public eye.

Sir Richard Branson

He is undoubtly the "King of the Islands". He owns Necker and Moskito Islands, Caribbean Sea; Makepeace Island, Noosa River; Island of England, Dubai. Talking of private islands, there is no doubt that Richard Branson is the king. Necker and Moskito in the Caribbean Sea belong to Virgin Atlantic owner Richard Branson, the most flamboyant business mogul in Britain. Both have been transformed into resorts of luxury and indulgence. Necker Island is a 74-acre private paradise nestling in its incredible turquoise waters, with coral reefs and pristine white beaches. The island is often rented out whole by the privileged few. The 120-acre Caribbean island, Moskito is a more recent purchase and is just a mile and a half away from Necker, and cost $10 million. He also bought Makepeace Island for the staff of Virgin which lies off Australian Queensland coast and the Island of England located in Dubai’s man-made world map.

Johnny Depp’s Little Halls Pond Cay, Bahamas

This Pirate of the Caribbean fell in love with the Bahamas during the filming of "Pirates of the Caribbean" and went ahead and bought his own real-life Caribbean paradise getaway for his family in the Bahamas "Little Hall" Pond Cay. This 45-acre, one mile long isle is a private island and is part of the Exuma archipelago to the south of Bahamas. It costed him $3.6 million and boasts of the world’s most beautiful reefs, a private harbor, a palm-fringed lagoon and six pristine white sand beaches and is accessible only by a boat, helicopter or seaplane. Recent news that made headlines was that his island will be run on eco-friendly solar power.

Mel Gibson’s Mago Island, Fiji

Australian natives find the tropical islands of Fiji a perfect vacation spot. Mel Gibson, himself an Australian, has joined the list of Fijian island owners with the purchase of Mago Island in 2005 for about $15 million. The island is 5,400 acres and is one of the largest private owned islands in the South Pacific. This island is almost completely secluded and uninhabited and the actor left it in its pristine state, except for building a modest residence for his personal use.

David Copperfield’s Musha Cay, Bahamas

Magician David Copperfield owns four islands in southern Bahamas, for $50 million. While the 150-acre Musha Cay is where he has his most private resort, the three other islands are used as buffers to ensure maximum privacy. He rents out this island for $325,000 per week and celebrities such as John Travolta and Oprah Winfrey have stayed there. He calls the waters of his island the "fountain of youth", where he says he has discovered that dead leaves or insects near death come alive. In spite of these claims being met with disbelief, the island is said to be out of this earth with breathtaking beauty.

Aristotle Onassis’ Skorpios Island, Greece