Prince revealed as buyer of chateau

PARIS — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been revealed as the owner of a French chateau described as the world’s most expensive home, according to a report in The New York Times.

The purchase of the vast property west of Paris for $300 million would be the latest in a string of extravagant purchases by the powerful prince.

The newly-built chateau was sold to a mystery buyer in 2015, and though its ownership is concealed, advisers to the royal family have confirmed the prince is its ultimate owner, the Times reported Saturday.

Saudi officials have declined to comment on the report, which comes after French investigative website Mediapart similarly pointed to the prince as the owner in July.

Fortune magazine reported at the time of the 2015 sale that the Chateau Louis XIV had smashed records to become the world’s priciest home.

On the outside, the mansion looks like a 17 th-century chateau in the style of the palace at nearby Versailles, but it is in fact a new-build that went up after its Saudi developer bulldozed the existing 19thcentury property.

Its antique facades hide modern facilities including a cinema, deluxe swimming pool and a moat with a transparent underwater chamber so that visitors can enjoy the sight of koi carp swimming past.

The 23-hectare plot includes manicured gardens, huge fountains and a maze, while the interiors are lavishly decorated with gilding and fresco ceilings.

The Times reported that the prince bought the chateau through a firm managed through his personal foundation, Eight Investment Company, which also handled his 2015 purchase of a $500 million yacht.

The Times also reported earlier this month that a Leonardo da Vinci painting sold for $450.3 million in November was sold to a Saudi prince acting on behalf of the crown prince.