When you are a billionaire, it pretty much means that you can afford just about everything money can buy. And, while many billionaires around the world are known to indulge in the finest of watches, the sleekest of cars, exotic holidays and such like, they are also often renowned for their panache for luxury villas that they call home. Such is the splendour of the homes of the world’s leading billionaires, it would leave most of us ‘mortal’ folk speechless and spellbound.
From private helipads to bowling alley, personal power plants to endless acres of green grounds, swimming pools, tennis courts, gaming areas, private movie theatres and lots more, many billionaires tend to be utterly extravagant and will traverse great lengths to own and decorate their residences and estate grounds. Welcome to the world of the rich and famous, where lavish lifestyles and stately villas rule the roost! Read on to know more about the world’s top 5 luxurious mansions.
1 : Buckingham Palace: Valued as possibly the most expensive piece of real estate, Buckingham Palace is a home for sure. The difference between this palace and other mansions is that Buckingham Palace is not for sale! The residence of the British Royal Family, this is where the Queen resides, with the rest of her family and staff. The property is known to house a jaw-dropping 775 rooms that also include 19 state rooms, 52 bedrooms, 188 staff rooms, 92 offices, and 78 bathrooms.
Location: London, UK
Value: $155 Billion
Owner: The British Sovereign, currently Queen Elizabeth II.
2 : Antilla: Dubbed the first billion-dollar home in the world, Antilla is owned by the world’s 20th richest man and India’s leading industrialist, Mukesh Ambani. Antilla is located at the prestigious Altamount Road in South Mumbai and rising vertically across an astounding 27 floors of personal residence. If reports are to be believed, Mukesh Ambani’s wife, Neeta Ambani was so impressed with the Asian style décor at the Mandarin Oriental, during one of her stays in New York, that she wanted almost the same, to live in.
Covering almost 400,000 sq. ft., the building has 6 underground parking floors, 3 helipads, and requires a staff of almost 600 people to maintain a lifestyle only befitting India’s richest man.
Location: Mumbai, India
Value: $1 Billion
Owner: Mukesh Ambani, Chairman & MD, Reliance Industries Ltd.
3 : Villa Leopolda: Covering an expanse of 50 acres, Villa Leopolda was built for King Leopold II of Belgium, in 1902. 20 acres of the green estate grounds are covered by olive, orange, lemon and cypress trees and it is believed that 50 full-time gardeners are needed to tend to the estate. The property that houses 11 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms almost changed hands in 2008, when Lily Safra, the widow of Syrian-Lebanese businessman Edmond Safra set out to sell it to Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. But, the deal was not to be because Prokhorov backed out after the global credit crunch hit the markets. Nonetheless, that does not take away the aura of the property that boasts of a commercial sized green house, a swimming pool and pool house, an outdoor kitchen, helipad, and a guest house larger than the mansions of most millionaires,” according to Variety. The villa has also been famously used in the Alfred Hitchcock classic, To Catch a Thief.
Location: Côte D’azur, France
Value: $750 Million
Owner: Lily Safra.
4 : Four Fairfield Pond: Four Field Pond with its 29 bedrooms and 39 bathrooms, is spread across 63 acres of land and has its very own power plant. Additionally, this property also houses 3 swimming pools, 2 tennis courts, a bowling alley, 2 squash courts and a and a $150,000 hot tub. The Mediterranean style roof bears a dozen chimneys and the home also has a 91-foot long dining room. The mansion faces the Atlantic Ocean and has an Italianate facade
Location: New York, USA
Value: $248.5 million
Owner: Ira Rennert, the Renco Group.
5 : Kensington Palace Gardens: The world’s largest steel manufacturing company is owned by Laxmi Mittal, who according to Forbes is also one of the 100 richest men in India. And, Laxmi Mittal is also neighbours with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – Prince William and Princess Catherine. His 12-bedroom residence that accounts for parking for 20 cars, Turkish baths, picture gallery, a ballroom and indoor pools. Mittal bought the property from English business magnate Bernie Ecclestone in 2004 and renovated it with marble that is believed to have been sourced from the same quarry as the Taj Mahal. That is why he jokingly has nicknamed his home as Taj Mittal.
Location: London, UK
Value: $222 million
Owner: Laxmi Mittal, Chairman & CEO, ArcelorMittal.
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