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Last update - 18:06 10/07/2008
Tycoon Abramovich buys world's most expensive house at $500M
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies
Tags: La Leopolda, Roman Abramovich

Russian billionaire and owner of the Chelsea football club, Roman Abramovich, has purchased the world's most expensive house, worth $500 million, British newspapers reported on Thursday.

Abramovich, 41, bought the La Leopolda villa on the French Riviera in honor of his upcoming marriage to model Daria Zhukova, 25.

The tycoon, who lives in Britain, already owns several impressive properties, including the nearby Chateaux de la Croe estate, as well as others in the exclusive London neighborhood of Knightsbridge, Sussex and in Russia.
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Former owners of the La Leopolda include Microsoft guru Bill Gates and Fiat mogul Gianni Agnelli.

Abramovich and Zhukova decided to buy the villa after being granted a private viewing. The property is located in the village of Villefranche, near Monte Carlo, sprawling over 40 dunams.

The estate was built by King Leopold of Belgium as a present for his mistresss. In 1952, Agnielli purchased it for $100,000 and in the 1980s offered to sell it to Lily Safra, wife of renowned banker Edmund Safra, for $3 million.

She refused the offer on the grounds that she did not want to support the 50 gardeners required for maintaining the grounds. Edmund Safra finally agreed to buy the villa in 1999, just a few months before he died in a fire in Monte Carlo home.

In 2006, Safra's widow Lily sold the estate to Bill Gates, at the time the world's wealthiest man.

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      1.   How many toilets can he crap in in the morning? 13:04  |  Clickfool 10/07/08
      2.   What do we know about him? 13:24  |  Shoshana Thomasson 10/07/08
      3.   Clicky, I have often wondered that about the British Royal Family 14:23  |  The Equalizer 10/07/08
      4.   Investing in brick and morter. Its a Jewish thing. 16:35  |  Stephen. 10/07/08
      5.   Clickfool 16:47  |  David Nigel Braham 10/07/08
      6.   How could Haaretz get this so wrong? 16:58  |  David 10/07/08
      7.   Stephen, the "Donald" Trump is not Jewish though he has a keen 17:04  |  The Equalizer 10/07/08
      8.   Edmund Safra ?? 17:42  |  jack 10/07/08
      9.   #4 Stephen 17:48  |  Moshe 10/07/08
      10.   with all the money stolen from the russian people 17:58  |  mehmet 10/07/08
      11.   La Leopolda 18:03  |  Maurice 10/07/08
      12.   Keep Abramovich out of Israel. 18:11  |  Vital 10/07/08
      13.   WHY 9 OUT OF 11 OF RUSSIA`S TOP BILLIONAIRE OLIGARCHS ARE JEWS? 18:13  |  JACKAL 10/07/08
      14.   WHAT DOES IT PROFIT A MAN TO GAIN THE WHOLE WORLD AND LOSE HIS.. 18:28  |  glenna 10/07/08
      15.   Yes, Europe is the BEST place on earth 18:32  |  Euro 10/07/08
      16.   Paying such amount for just a residence 19:05  |  Ulf 10/07/08
      17.   #6 Really? 19:07  |  Ulf 10/07/08
      18.   #1 CF 19:29  |  Moshe 10/07/08
      19.   For Moshe # 18 19:41  |  Clickfool 10/07/08
      20.   To Moshe Nr. 18 20:37  |  Shoshana Thomasson 10/07/08
      21.   Is it true? That most of the cheating oligarchs are Jews? 21:33  |  Honest Question 10/07/08
      22.   #20 Shoshana Thomasson 21:59  |  Moshe 10/07/08
      23.   #19 CF 22:21  |  Moshe 10/07/08
      24.   what d`bag 23:13  |  don 10/07/08
      25.   #9. Moshe of Rockville....? 23:35  |  Stephen. 10/07/08
      26.   To Moshe from Rockville USA 02:09  |  Shoshana Thomasson 11/07/08
      27.   disgusting 02:47  |  sweis Melbourne 11/07/08
      28.   Abramovich Thinks This Is An Accomplishment ? 08:02  |  Tod Zuckerman 12/07/08
      29.   Mr. Abramovich, I need a job, I can be of great help 07:58  |  AK 08/10/08
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