Saudi crown prince stays in ‘world’s most expensive home’ during France trip
During his visit to France to meet with President Emmanuel Macron, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman resides in a sumptuous castle dubbed"the most expensive house in the world" when he bought it in 2015.
The Château Louis XIV in Louveciennes outside Paris is a new mansion of recent construction intended to imitate the extravagant luxury of the neighboring Palace of Versailles, once the seat of the French royalty.
The 7000 square meter property was purchased by an unknown purchaser in 2015 for 275 million euros (300 million dollars at the time), leading Fortune magazine to call it “the world’s most expensive home.”
Two years later, the New York Times reported that 36-year-old Ben Salman was the final owner of a series of fictional corporations.
Local authorities told AFP that the controversial heir to the Saudi throne was staying at the mansion prior to his dinner with Macron later on Thursday.
Reporters outside the perimeter wall saw security men in suits protecting the entrance and the presence of a large police contingent, including half a dozen vehicles.