Owners of the most luxurious houses in the world are not always in sight. We all know who owns Buckingham Palace, but does anyone know the name of Tim Blixet? Or do you know a billionaire from India who built a 27-story building just for himself? We think not.
Well, it's time to fall the veil of secrecy! We have compiled a rating of the most expensive houses - modern castles in the full sense of the word - and people who are lucky enough and rich enough to own them. Introducing you the most expensive homes in the world.
10. Gardens of Upper Phillimore, Building 7
Location: London
Cost: 128 million dollars
Description: This ten-bedroom cottage is more like a private high school with an underground pool, sauna, movie theater and even a fear room. And all this in addition to the general interior decorated with marble, gold and priceless works of art. The house is considered one of the most expensive in England.
Owner: Elena Pinchuk is the daughter of the second president of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma. She is known for leading her AIDS Foundation and is a friend of Elton John.
9. Kensington Palace Gardens Mansion
Location: London
Cost: 140 million dollars
Description: Located on the Billionaire Alley, this palace will soon acquire an underground extension with a tennis court, a wellness center and a car museum. In terms of cost, it takes second place in our rating of the most expensive houses in the world.
Owner: Roman Abramovich is a Russian billionaire and owner of a private investment company Millhouse. He is known throughout the Western world as the owner of the English football club Chelsea.
8. Rock Number 7
Location: Big Sky Resort Area (Big Sky), Montana
Cost: 155 million dollars
Description: The largest property in Yellowstone Club and one of the most expensive in the world is a private golf and skiing area designed for mega-rich; the house has underfloor heating, many swimming pools, a gym, a wine cellar and even its own funicular.
Owners: Edra and Tim Blixet, a real estate businessman and “forest baron,” Tim Blixet, became the co-founder of the Yellowstone Club, but the bankruptcy of the club, divorce proceedings and other misfortunes have caused a serious blow to Blixet’s welfare in recent years.
7. Hurst Castle
Location: San Simeon, California
Cost: 191 ml dollars
Description: The castle with 27 bedrooms used in the filming of The Godfather hosted John and Jackie Kennedy, Clark Gable, Winston Churchill and other famous figures.
Owners: William Randolph Hurst's Trustees - The castle, built by the first US newspaper tycoon, is now a heritage site and tourist attraction, part of California's park system and one of the most expensive homes in America.
6. Ellison Mansion
Location: Woodside california
Cost: 200 million dollars
Description: Rather, it’s not a house, but a mass building of 10 buildings, located on an area of 9 hectares, with an artificial lake, a pond with Chinese carps, a tea house and a bathing house.
Owner: Larry Ellison - co-founder of Oracle, who ranked third in 2013 in the list of the richest people in the world according to Forbes is the owner of this house, one of the most expensive in the world.
5. Kensington Palace Gardens, 18-19
Location: London
Cost: 222 million dollars
Description: Another property on the Billionaire Alley - House 18-19 is located side by side with the house of Prince William and Kate Middleton. This residence itself has 12 bedrooms, equipped with a Turkish hammam, an indoor pool and parking for 20 cars. Well deservedly, takes fifth place on our list of the most expensive houses on the planet.
Owner: Laxmi Mittal is the head of Arcelor Mittal, the world's largest steel producer, and according to Forbes, one of India’s 100 richest people.
4. Fairfield Pond, possession 4
Location: Sagaponac, Hamptons, NY
Cost: 248.5 million dollars
Description: This 29-bedroom house covers an area of more than 25 hectares and has its own power station adjacent to it. Inside there are 39 bathrooms, a basketball court, a bowling alley, squash and tennis courts, 3 swimming pools and a dining room more than 100 meters long.
Owner: Ira Rennert is the owner of the Renco group of companies, a holding company specializing in investments in automobile manufacturing and ore smelting. He also owns holdings in metallurgy and mining.
3. Villa Leopold
Location: Cote d'Azur, France
Cost: 750 million dollars
Description: Opens the top three among the currently most expensive homes, Villa Leopold. According to Variety, this 20-hectare estate includes “an industrial-sized greenhouse, a pool and a house with a pool, an open-air kitchen, a helipad and a guest house that are larger than most of the millionaires.” The house is famous for its appearance in 1955 in the frames of Alfred Hitchcock's "Catch a Thief."
Owner: Lily Safra is a Brazilian philanthropist and widow of Lebanese banker William Safra. Her husband died in another couple’s house after a fire, apparently caused by arson.
2. Antilla
Location: Mumbai, India
Cost: 1 billion dollars
Description: Antilla is not even a house in the traditional sense. This building is 27 floors with a total area of 36,000 sq.m. equipped with an underground six-level garage, three helipads, and its maintenance requires 600 people.
Owner: Mukesh Ambani is India’s richest man who manages a $ 23.6 billion business network, according to Forbes. Ambani made a fortune by managing Reliance Industries, a power and raw materials company.
1. Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace rightfully takes the first place in our rating the most expensive homes in the worldthat are privately owned.
Location: London
Cost: 1.55 billion dollars
Description: Technically still a residential building, but certainly not for sale, the residence of the Queen of England was estimated by the Housing Society of Britain in 2012 at about $ 1.5 billion. This property has 775 rooms (including 19 rooms for state purposes), 52 bedrooms, 188 rooms for staff and 78 bathrooms.
Owner: Currently, Queen Elizabeth II, ascended the throne on February 6, 1952.