Trip to Paris
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is visiting France to meet with President Emmanuel Macron. He is staying at an opulent chateau that was dubbed “the world’s most expensive home” when he bought it in 2015.
The Chateau Louis XIV, a newly constructed mansion outside of Paris, was designed to resemble the extravagant luxury of the nearby Versailles Palace, which used to serve as the home of the French royal family.
The 7,000 square metre home was purchased for 275 million euros ($300 million at the time) by an unidentified buyer in 2015, earning Fortune magazine the title of “the world’s most expensive home.”
Salman, 36, was reportedly the ultimate owner through a number of shell companies two years later, according to The New York Times.
Before his dinner with Macron later that day, local government officials told AFP that the contentious Saudi heir to the throne was staying at the hotel.Paris
A large police presence, including half a dozen vehicles, and security guards in suits guarding the entrance was visible to reporters standing outside the perimeter wall.
Link to Khashoggi
In an ironic turn of events, Emad Khashoggi, the cousin of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi who owns a luxury real estate development company in France, built the Chateau Louis XIV.
The chateau has a nightclub, a fountain with gold leaves, a movie theatre, and an underwater glass room with white leather sofas that looks like a huge aquarium in the moat.
Following the demolition of a 19th-century castle on the property, Chateau Louis XIV was constructed in 2009.
Since becoming Saudi Arabia’s top power broker, Bin Salman has frequently made news for his extravagant spending.Paris
A $450 million Leonardo da Vinci painting was purportedly purchased in 2017 by the son of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. In 2015, the son of the monarch spent $500 million on a yacht.
Official denial of the latter purchase.
