A mansion featuring 40 bedrooms, located within Regent’s Park and previously owned by the Saudi royal family, has been sold for approximately £139 million, marking one of the largest property transactions in London’s history.
Known as The Holme, this expansive residence spans 2,694 square meters (29,000 square feet) and is set on 1.6 hectares (4 acres) of landscaped gardens. It is situated adjacent to the boating lake of the park, near the London Zoo and the US Ambassador’s residence, Winfield House. The property was listed nearly two years ago, with agents initially hoping for bids as high as £250 million.
According to land documents and first reported by the Financial Times, the mansion has been purchased by a UK branch of Zedra, a corporate services company that specializes in advising and managing investments for affluent clients. However, the identity of the actual buyer remains undisclosed.
Once owned by Prince Khaled bin Sultan al-Saud, a member of the Saudi royal family, the estate has now sold for £138.9 million, which is significantly lower than the estimates provided when it was listed in March 2023.
Constructed in 1818, The Holme was acquired for Prince Khaled and his family in 1991, but it was placed on the market after a loan secured against the property lapsed.
The selling price aligns with the £138 million reported for Aberconway House in Mayfair, which was acquired by Indian billionaire Adar Poonawalla, often referred to as “the vaccine prince” due to his family’s extensive pharmaceutical manufacturing operations.
The new registered owner is controlled by a Zedra entity based in Luxembourg, as noted by the Financial Times in its corporate records analysis.
As a result, the true ownership of the estate remains unclear, even though there are regulations requiring offshore companies owning UK properties to disclose their ultimate beneficial owners.
A register of overseas entities was established by the previous government to enhance transparency regarding offshore property ownership. Nonetheless, some companies with properties in the UK manage to obscure their beneficial ownership through structures controlled by offshore trusts.
The Holme, named after a Saxon term that signifies a small island or a raised land area in a waterway, is ultimately owned by the Crown Estate, a historic collection of land and property holdings belonging to the monarch across England and Wales, but it is available for purchase under a long lease.
When it first hit the market for £30 million back in 1988, the property was dubbed “the ultimate desirable residence” by the BBC and described as “perhaps the world’s most expensive home.”
Zedra has been approached for comments.
