London’s most expensive home back on the market for a cool £200 million

A 20-bedroom mansion in Knightsbridge is on sale after being put on the market by its billionaire owner.

Hui Ka Yan, a Chinese billionaire purchased the 62,000-square-foot stucco house in 2020 for a record £210 million. The deal made it the most expensive home ever sold in London and the UK.

The house in Knightsbridge is said to have more than 45 rooms, which includes grand state rooms, several lifts, a swimming pool, health spa and gym, over an expanse of 65,000 sq ft. It was built in the 1830s as four townhouses until it was turned into one owner, who bought them all and converted it into a massive mansion in the 1980s.

The interior decoration is said to be covered with substantial of gold leaf, with chandeliers, jewel-encrusted bidets, and even gold-plated waste-paper bins. The windows of the house are reportedly bulletproof.

In previous years, owners of the property include Rafic Hariri, the billionaire, who was twice Lebanese prime minister before his assassination in 2005 in a Beirut car bomb attack. The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, also lived here.

It’s reported that at least five prospective buyers have visited the seven-storey Knightsbridge property at 2-8a Rutland Gate, with a view to buying since it was put on the market. These are said to include Middle Eastern royal families as well as American investors.

Current owner Mr. Hui has been selling assets since Evergrande, one of the largest real estate developers in China and has been hit with massive debts. Mr Hui’s net worth, which was $36.2 billion in 2019, is now $8.8 billion, according to Forbes. It’s reported that the Chinese billionaire is selling off other properties across the world and two private jets.

When the London mansion was last put on the market, the building was in need of extensive renovations, including excavating the basement and repairing the facade. Westminster council granted permission for work to begin, but so far this has not taken place.

The good news for prospective buyers is that the property was once on the market for £300 million.