French Riviera, France-- Having the best views of the French seas, close proximity to Monte Carlo, 10 acres of immaculate grounds tended by 50 gardeners and cascading down to the resort of Villefranche on the French Riviera...and a price tag of 500 million, La Leopolda sets the world record for the most expensive house.   


   The property is located in the village of Villefranche, near Monte Carlo, sprawling over 40 dunams.  
The estate has an interesting history in the world of the super-rich.

   It was originally built for Belgium's King Leopold’s mistresses, and past owners include the late banking magnate Edmund Safra, Microsoft's Bill Gates and Fiat tycoon Gianni Agnelli.   

  Recent (false) rumors said it's just been bought by one of the world’s richest men, billionaire Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich. "The 41-year-old and his oil heiress girlfriend Daria Zhukova, 25, fell in love with the palatial villa during a private viewing."

   "Absolutely, positively, not true," insists Abramovich's spokesman from Moscow. "He already owns a house in France, why would he want another one?"
  
  ...Maybe because when you’re worth an estimated 22 billion, you can pretty much do what you like.

    Roman Abramovich owns the 30-million Chateau de la Croe just down the road from La Leopolda, the hideaway where the Duke of Windsor fled with Wallace Simpson in 1938.

    Roman Abramovich also has properties in Knightsbridge, Sussex and Russia as well as private planes and super-yachts.
   Important Site links:
http://www.worldrecordsacademy.org