A 45 bedroom London mansion is on the market- for a British record £300million.
The seven-storey property, located in the heart of Knightsbridge, has been valued at 1,300 time the price of the average UK home.
And it has created a huge buzz among industry experts who describe it as a unique opportunity to purchase a house of such stature.
Spread over 60,000sq/ft, the palatial residence has several lifts, underground parking and a decor rumoured to contain millions of pounds worth of gold leaf.
It is one of the largest single homes in the capital and is twice the size of the mega-mansion Roman Abramovich considered building nearby.
The stucco-fronted property, which was initially built as four separate homes on Rutland Gate, SW7, was owned by the late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.
When Hariri was assassinated in a Beirut bomb blast in 2005, the building was gifted to Sultan bin Abdulaziz, crown prince of Saudi Arabia who died in October.
It has 45 bedrooms, a large swimming pool, industrial-sized kitchen, several lifts and underground parking, according to The Financial Times.
The property at 2-8A Rutland Gate is not being openly advertised, with a select number of estate agents privately promiting it.
However, experts say there will be a number of people interested in the property despite the colossal asking price.
Oliver Hooper, from high-end property purchasing agency Huntly Hooper, said: “The property is one of London’s most unique residences and really only comparable to two others.
“Those are Bridgewater House next to St James’s Palace, which is owned by the Latsis family, and Dudley House, in Mayfair owned by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who is the Emir of Qatar.
“As Bridgewater House and Dudley House are not for sale, I suspect this will be the only chance to get a house of this size in the area for a good number of years.
“Properties like these are in such short supply that for them to become available for purchase is a very rare opportunity.
“We heard it might be coming up for sale about six months ago and there will be a number of potential buyers for this despite the price tag.
“The house is located overlooking Hyde Park, but there are security screens on the windows so no-one can see inside.
“I suspect the buyer will be foreign and the purchase of it kept very confidential.”
Mr Hooper added that from a valuation point of view, the asking price is accurate – with properties nearby selling for considerably more than the £5,000 per sq/ft.
If the mansion sells for anywhere near the £300 million mark, it will dwarf the previous record figure of £140 million paid for Park Place in Oxfordshire.
Any buyer would also be handed a staggering stamp duty fee of around £21 million.
The property is three times the £100 million asking price of Heath Hall in Hampstead, which was previously the most expensive house currently for sale in London.
