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£300million Knightsbridge mansion UK’s most expensive ever

Summary:

The Rutland Gate property overlooks Hyde Park and boasts no fewer than 45 bedrooms spread across seven storeys.

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By Cyrus Engineer

A Knightsbridge mansion is on the market for a reported £300m, making it the most expensive property ever marketed in the UK.

2-8a Rutland Gate, SW7, overlooks Hyde Park and boasts no fewer than 45 bedrooms spread across seven storeys.

The mansion is rumoured to have an indoor swimming pool and luxurious interior décor paved with millions of pounds worth of gold leaf.

Originally four separate homes before being joined together, the property was the London residence of Rafiq Hariri, billionaire and former Lebanese Prime Minister, before his assassination in 2005.

Ownership then passed to Sultan bin Abdulaziz, a Prince in the Saudi royal family with whom Mr Hariri was said to be close with both professionally and personally.

The Prince passed away last year leading to the mansion becoming available but only the mega-rich can hope to come close to matching the asking price.

Property experts are unanimous in their assertions that any buyer of 2-8a Rutland Gate will most likely be from the former Soviet Union or the Middle East.

Talking to The Guardian, Lucian Cook, director of residential research at Savills said: “The house is a completely unique property, not just in a London context but a global context.”

The most expensive property purchase in the UK currently stands at a cool £140m paid by Russian billionaire Andrey Borodin for Park Place in Henley.

London’s most expensive property sale is the £136m Knightsbridge penthouse at One Hyde Park.

As well as offering stunning views of Hyde Park and a golden interior, the next residents of 2-8a Rutland Gate can also enjoy counting many of London’s rich and famous as their neighbours.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, actress Joan Collins, super-model Elle Macpherson and Margaret Thatcher are just some of the people who call Knightsbridge home.

Whilst a £300m house may seem extraordinary to most, the stamp tax alone is £21m, it pales in comparison to the world’s most expensive home.

Antilia, a $1billion tower in Mumbai, is said to be the most expensive home anywhere in the world. At 27 storeys and boasting three helipads, the home of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani makes Rutland Gate look like a bungalow.

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