Hedge fund tycoon buys £95m mansion overlooking Buckingham Palace in most expensive UK home sale since 2011
A billionaire hedge fund manager has paid almost £100 million for a luxury home within sight of Buckingham Palace.
Ken Griffin, 50, founder and CEO of Citadel, purchased the mansion in what is believed to be the most expensive sale of a home in the UK since 2011.
The property, 3 Carlton Gardens, which overlooks the Mall and St James’s Park in central London, was bought by Mr Griffin for £95 million.
A spokeswoman for the billionaire confirmed that Mr Griffin, who is the 152nd richest person in the world, had recently bought the 1820s, Grade II-listed home.
On Monday, she told the FT: “It is an historic property with a spectacular location, extraordinary elegance and stunning gardens. It is truly a unique opportunity to own a home in London.”
It is thought that the billionaire bachelor even bought it at a £30 million discount as it had been on the market for the past two years with a price tag of £125 million.
Whitehall officials told the FT that the home was previously used by MI6, the UK’s intelligence service, to interview potential recruits.
Freshly redeveloped by property developer Mike Spink, it comes complete with an indoor swimming pool, staff quarters and a private garden, according to the newspaper.
The Georgian mansion is only the latest in a string of luxury properties Mr Griffin has bought across the world, including the most expensive home to be sold in New York, Chicago and Miami.
Last year the Chicago-based CEO bought a four-level penthouse in the US city’s No 9 Walton apartment complex for $58.8 million (£46 million).
Mr Griffin is Illinois’ richest man with a reported worth of £6.8 billion. He founded Chicago’s Citadel hedge fund in 1990 and manages about $30 billion worth of investments.
