The $750 Million Mega Mansion - Villa Leopolda
29,000 square feet, 11 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, 20 acres of property, two guest cottages,
various swimming pools, and helicopter landing pads! Jesus Christ have Mercy on us all!
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Villa Leopolda is one of the most spectacular houses on the French Riviera, a gift from a
sitting monarch to his adored mistress and situated on more than 18 acres of ground.
This wonderful mansion in Villefranche-sur-Mer has a rich history, a distinct culture, and a lengthy
list of famous, admirable, and exceptionally affluent previous owners. This is the home of
all homes, and it is also one of the world's most expensive. Only a few residences have come close
to matching the price tag of this magnificent estate. The last time this house changed hands
was in 2008 when the present owner paid a whopping $750 million for the sprawling estate. Lily Safra
is her name, and she made a great investment. She now has a net worth of $1.2 billion, giving her
plenty of space to haggle if she ever decides to sell. According to Forbes, this property is one
of the most interesting, wonderful, and costly homes in the world, so it's not surprising that
the rest of the world is curious about what makes it so pricey, intriguing, and valued.
This house has a lot of history. This magnificent estate was first established during the reign
of King Leopold II of Belgium. This estate was given to the King's loving mistress as a present.
Blanche Zelia Josephine Delacroix was her full name, although she was more often known
as Caroline Lacroix. The home was where the two had their illegal encounters and where the
King could get away from his family whenever he wanted. After his death, his relatives,
appalled by his audacious and irreverent gift to a lady who was not a royal, expelled the mourning
mistress and permitted King Albert I, the deceased king's nephew, to begin using the home as his own.
During World War I, the estate was used as a practical hospital for military soldiers injured
on the front lines, rather than as a luxury villa. It wasn't until 1919 that Therese Vitali,
Comtesse de Beauchamp, took over the estate and wanted to modernize, expand, and restore it to its
former magnificence. The new owner recruited Ogden Codman, Jr., an American architect who bought all
12 of the structures on the land and combined them into one spectacular estate. By 1931, his
construction was finished, but due to financial constraints, he was obliged to rent the house.
Izaak Walton Killam bought the mansion after the American architect died in 1951.
He died soon after, leaving the mansion to his wife, who sold it to Gianni Agnelli,
Fiat's president, and his wife. In 1963, the couple sold the house to Dorothy J. Killam,
who then sold it to the woman who had originally sold it to them. Dorothy Killam, who was worth
more than $93 million at the time of her death in 1965, lived at the house until she died in 1965.
The mansion remained unaltered until Edmond Safra, a Swiss banker, and his wife purchased it in 1987.
They had a residence in Monaco, not far from the house, where they held lavish parties and indulged
in excess. The house was remodeled and redecorated once more. When Safra died, the house passed
to his wife, who attempted to sell it shortly after inheriting it in 2008. Mikhail Prokhorov,
a Russian billionaire businessman, tried several times to buy the Villa Leopolda from Safra through
Ignace Meuwissen before she finally accepted his offer for €370 million, plus €19.5 million
for the villa's furniture, in the summer of 2008. In July 2008, initial reports on the villa's sale
incorrectly identified fellow Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich as the buyer. Prokhorov then
denied purchasing the property, claiming that he refused to do business in France following
his arrest by French police in 2007 for allegedly providing prostitutes to tourists at Courchevel,
a ski resort in the French Alps. In the prostitution case, no charges were ever
brought against Prokhorov. Following the 2008 financial crisis, Prokhorov sought to back out
of the transaction, which resulted in a litigation between Prokhorov and Safra over the €39 million
deposit he had placed on the property. In November 2012, a French court decided against Prokhorov,
and Safra said that she would distribute his deposit to several international charities.
Safra utilized his down payment to make numerous significant philanthropic contributions.
The house is still in her name, even though she is no longer living there,
according to reports. Today, it's rumored that Microsoft founder Bill Gates is one of the home's
owners — there are numerous, according to reports. The entire estate, which consists of two guest
houses, is designed with outside stairs, sports courts, and an obscenely large swimming pool,
and requires the daily effort of more than 50 gardeners.
There are 19 bedrooms in the house, each with its own lavish private bath and outdoor balcony.
A bowling alley, multiple dining rooms, and even a few kitchens, as well as a private movie theatre,
are all included in the home. The mansion is about 80,000 square feet of extravagant luxury.
There's a lot to say about Villa Leopolda, and a lot of it is amusing; part of it is true,
and some of it is fiction, though not all of it is confirmed. We know the house was erected
without the knowledge of his wife for a sitting queen's lover. After his death, it was taken
over by his family, but it sat abandoned for many years, and no one knows who the present owner is.
Lily Safra is reported to still own the house, though there are claims that she sold it to a
number of people, including Bill Gates. He has never confirmed this knowledge, but he has been
observed visiting the estate and staying within its many intricate walls on numerous occasions.
Another interesting fact is that the house was formerly used as a filming location.
It has become much more popular as a result of its appearance in the 1948 film The Red
Shoes. The protagonist in the film is famous for climbing the iconic steps of the house, believing
she is a dinner guest at the home of a powerful person until she is welcomed to become a star.
In 1955, the house was used once more in the incredibly well-made Alfred Hitchcock picture
To Catch a Thief. Finally, it's not widely recognised that this house is designated as
a historical landmark. It was registered in France for a quite unusual reasons. The house
is decorated in the Belle Epoque style, which was popular from 1871 to 1914, and has been designated
as a historical monument in France. During the writing of his book Red Notice, Bill Browder
remembers seeing Edmond Safra at the villa. That is all for today folks!
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