Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has splashed out £25 million on a 'temporary home' while builders redevelop his main £150m residence.
The Russian billionaire, who is the 15th-richest person on the planet with a fortune of more than £11 billion, bought the nine-bedroom, 10-bathroom house in Chelsea as work on his main house in Knightsbridge could take up to three years to complete, according to The Independent.
The paper also claims that the general public may be able to get a sneaky glimpse of the house in September this year as the property was once part of the original manor house of Chelsea built on the site of Sir Thomas More's garden, which is now owned by the National Trust.
In September of this year, the Trust plans to open the neighbouring property's entrance and gardens to the public for two days - which means that visitors will be "able to crane their necks for a rare view of Mr Abramovich's back garden and possibly his taste in interior design", according to the newspaper.
Abramovich's temporary digs also contain parking for eight cars, a music room and a separate annexe for domestic staff.
The paper also reveals that the house overlooking the Thames has previously been occupied "by such diverse luminaries as the artist Whistler and society fascist Diana Mitford" (no, we haven't heard of them either).
The tycoon's property portfolio includes:
- Properties in Knightsbridge and Chelsea worth, respectively, £150m and £25m
- A chateau at Cap d'Antibes on the French Riviera worth around £15m
- Two houses in the exclusive ski resort of Aspen, Colorado
- Two houses on the Caribbean island of St Barts
- Two mansions near Moscow and a flat in the far eastern Russian province of Chukotka
So, while £25m might seem like a lot to us hardworking folk, it is just a drop in Abramovich's financial ocean. After all, you would have to pay double that amount for a striker who doesn't even score goals in today's market.