Villa Leopolda is the world’s third-largest house, located on the magnificent lagoons of the French Riviera in France. It covers an impressive 8 acres of land and boasts some of the best sea views in the world. Because it combines royal past with a modern touch of excellent architecture and interior design, the home has always been a significant part of European history. While the interior of the house hasn’t been seen by many people, it is reported to contain unique antique artworks. Over the years, Villa Leopolda has been held by a number of different people, each of whom has built, restyled, and decorated it according to their own preferences.
The mansion has been home to various people over the years, from kings to businessmen. It has a lavish atmosphere because it is Europe’s most costly residence. Let’s have a look at what makes Villa Leopolda so beautiful.
The Villa Leopolda
A Property Fit for a King
Villa La Leopolda in Villefranche-sur-Mer, in the Alpes-Maritimes department on the French Riviera, captures the essence of the Belle Époque like few other estates. The house, which was built on property originally owned by the Kings, became a billionaire’s party pad, a gorgeous background to several noteworthy films, including one directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and was mentioned in several classic books.
Villa La Leopolda is situated on an 18-acre plot of land. Overall, it paints a breathtakingly lovely vision, perched in a prominent position with sweeping views of the sea and facing a green valley with pine forests.
Villa La Leopolda’s History
It was once a considerably larger estate owned by King Leopold II of Belgium (1835 – 1909), after whom the current residence is named. Blanche Zélia Joséphine Delacroix (1883 – 1948), his mistress, received the estate as a gift. When the King encountered the 16-year-old Blanche in Paris, where she was purportedly working as a prostitute, he was 65 years old. She was perhaps the most well-known and infamous of Leopold’s mistresses, and she was extremely disliked, probably as a result of Leopold’s expensive gifts to her, which included property, jewelry, and the noble title of Baronne de Vaughan. Blanche was removed from the villa after Leopold died, and his nephew King Albert I became the new owner.
The estate served as a military hospital during World War I. Thérèse Vitali, Comtesse de Beauchamp, a French aristocrat, bought the home in 1919 and commissioned significant renovations.
The spectacular neo-Palladian villa that stands majestically on the site today was created by American architect and interior decorator Ogden Codman, Jr. (1863 – 1951). Between 1929 and 1931, Ogden Codman was the architect who planned and built the magnificent property. He created the landscaping for the villa in a Neo-Palladian style by acquiring existing structures. The architect’s initial paintings and artworks are on display at the New England Antiquities in Boston, Massachusetts. The Safras commissioned Lorenzo Mongiardino, who is famed for his art decorations on movie sets, to develop the interior design of the property after they purchased it. The couple also enlisted the help of renowned designer Mica Ertegün to adorn the villa’s second-floor bedrooms.
He bought the property’s dozen existing structures and began transforming them into his ideal, complete with spectacular architecture, breathtaking views, and vibrantly planted gardens. The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, often known as “Historic New England,” has the original architectural blueprints, as well as many letters and images of the freshly built property, in its collections in Boston, Massachusetts.
Codman began construction in 1929 and finished two years later. However, he ran into financial troubles as a result of his demandingly high standards and wasteful spending, and he could no longer afford to live there. He had no choice except to rent it out to well-heeled clients.
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor (previously King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom and American socialite Wallis Simpson) attempted to lease the villa. They claimed, however, that significant improvements to the property would be required, which went against Codman’s architectural taste and tight protection clauses. Negotiations in a Paris hotel broke down due to Codman’s numerous constraints, to which he responded: “I regret that the House of Codman is unable to do business with the House of Windsor.”
When Codman died in 1951, his estate was sold to Izaak Walton Killam (1885-1955), a Canadian financier, and his wife Dorothy J. Killam inherited it after his death a few years later. Mrs. Killam sold the property to Fiat chief Gianni Agnelli (1921–2003) and his wife Marella Agnelli in the late 1950s. In 1963, the Agnellis sold the villa to Dorothy J. Killam, who lived there until her death in 1965.
Edmond and Lily Safra
Despite owning a penthouse apartment in Monaco just 10 miles away, Edmond Safra, a Lebanese-born Brazilian financier, and his wife Lily bought La Leopolda in 1987 to add to their property collection.
The luxurious interior design was created by award-winning Italian architect, interior and product designer Renzo Mongiardino. Mica Ertegün, a style guru, was enlisted to work her magic on the bedrooms on the second story.
The Safras were well-known for throwing lavish parties at their villa. The guest list for one such event in 1988 was so large that two parties were held, one on Friday and the other on Monday. Guests who were female were given an elaborate enameled box with a portrait of the home on it. Tulips were flown in from Holland, famous chef Roger Verge of the Moulin de Mougins prepared the menu, and Safra’s favorite musicians, Brazilian bandleader Sergio Mendes, who had flown in from California with his entire orchestra, and pianist David Wood, who had flown in from the United Kingdom with his quartet, provided the music. The gathering was called the “ultimate in conspicuous consumption” by author John Fairchild. A team of former Israeli commando soldiers provided security for Safra at the villa.
The 39€ million investment by Mikhail Prokhorov
Mikhail Prokhorov, a Russian billionaire businessman, tried multiple times to buy Villa Leopolda through Belgian real estate entrepreneur Ignace Meuwissen. In the summer of 2008, Lily Safra ultimately accepted his offer of 370€ million (plus 19.5€ million for the villa’s furnishings).
In July 2008, initial reports on the villa’s sale incorrectly listed fellow Russian businessman Roman Abramovich as the buyer.
Following the 2008 financial crisis, Prokhorov sought to back out of the transaction, which resulted in a litigation between Prokhorov and Safra over the €39 million deposit he had placed on the property. In November 2012, a French court decided against Prokhorov, and Safra said that she would distribute his deposit to several international charities.
Monument to Class and Culture in France
Villa La Leopolda has been classified as a Historic Monument in France. La Leopolda was utilized as the backdrop for Lermontov’s villa in the 1948 film “The Red Shoes.” The fiery heroine thinks she’s been asked to dinner as she climbs the steps to the villa. Instead, she gets cast as the lead in a new ballet.
In his 1955 film ‘To Catch a Thief,’ Alfred Hitchcock used La Leopolda as a set. This romantic thriller starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly tells the story of a former cat burglar who tries to redeem himself by apprehending a jewel thief who preys on defenseless visitors to the French Riviera.
Bill Browder, a banker and financier, reported visiting Edmond Safra at the Villa Leopolda alongside billionaire Beny Steinmetz in his 2014 biography “Red Notice.”
Features of Villa Leopolda
The entire estate, which consists of two guest houses, is designed with outside stairs, sport courts, and an obscenely large swimming pool, and requires the daily effort of more than 50 gardeners. There are 19 bedrooms in the house, each with its own lavish private bath and outdoor balcony. A bowling alley, multiple dining rooms, and even a few kitchens, as well as a private movie theater, are all included in the home. The mansion is about 80,000 square feet of extravagant luxury.
Villa Leopolda Facts
There’s a lot to say about Villa Leopolda, and a lot of it is interesting; part of it is true, and some of it is fiction, though not all of it is confirmed. We know the house was constructed without the knowledge of his wife for a sitting queen’s lover. After his death, it was taken over by his family, but it sat abandoned for many years, and no one knows who the present owner is. Lily Safra is reported to still own the house, though there are claims that she sold it to a number of people, including Bill Gates. He has never confirmed this knowledge, but he has been observed visiting the estate and staying within its many intricate walls on numerous occasions.
Finally, it’s not widely recognized that this house is designated as a historical landmark. It was registered in France for a quite unusual reason. The house is decorated in the Belle Epoque style, which was popular from 1871 to 1914, and has been designated as a historical monument in France.
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