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World's most expensive house on sale for £311m in South of France

Exclusive: The Most Expensive House On Earth
Exclusive: The Most Expensive House On Earth

The most expensive house in the world has gone on sale in the South of France for the whopping sum of £311 million (€350m).


The Italian distiller Davide Campari-Milano SpA, is betting that Villa Les Cèdres' combination of history, luxury, and a prime location along the coast of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat near Nice will be enough to make it the most expensive residential sale in history.

See also: Ex-council house on Cornwall coast sells for £1.4m

See also: Tiny London alleyway to become luxury home worth millions


The house certainly has a fabulous location on the glittering Riviera, playground to millionaires, billionaires and (holiday) home to a host of famous faces, like Elton John.

Exclusive: The Most Expensive House On Earth
Exclusive: The Most Expensive House On Earth

Marble urns and benches decorate the lawn in private gardens at the 187-year-old property, which boasts 18,000-square-foot and 14 bedrooms set on 35 acres.

Armchairs and tables stand beneath chandeliers as 19th century portraits in ornate frames adorn the walls of one sitting room.

Exclusive: The Most Expensive House On Earth
Exclusive: The Most Expensive House On Earth

The mansion has an ornate decor and, as you might imagine, is sumptuous, decadent and indulgent. And it's no surprise as it was once owned by King Leopold II of Belgium.

According to Bloomberg, Villa Les Cédres was built in 1830 and bought in 1850 by the mayor of Villefrance-sur-Mer when it operated as an olive farm. It was the mayor's descendants that sold the property to the Belgian King Leopold II in 1904.

Exclusive: The Most Expensive House On Earth
Exclusive: The Most Expensive House On Earth

In 1924, 15 years after Leopold's death, the mansion was bought by the Marnier-Lapostolle family, best known for producing Grand Marnier liqueur.

They owned it for 80 years until 2016 when Campari acquired Grand Marnier's parent company.

Exclusive: The Most Expensive House On Earth
Exclusive: The Most Expensive House On Earth

It's thought the price of the property cones from the amount of land and the size of the home relative to its location. Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat is highly sought after, and if you win the lottery and buy the villa, your neighbours will include Microsoft Corp co-founder Paul Allen and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.

If the home sells the for the list price, it will be the most expensive house in the world.

Exclusive: The Most Expensive House On Earth
Exclusive: The Most Expensive House On Earth

According to homesandproperty.co.uk, the most expensive home ever sold in the UK was a £90 million apartment at 199 Knightsbridge, bought by 36-year-old Capital and Heart FM founder Ashley Tabor.