The world’s most expensive home has been put up for sale in the south of France with a €1 billion ($1.1 billion) price tag.

Villa Les Cèdres, which was built around 1830 and was oncehome to Belgium’s King Leopold II, is located in the exclusive town of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, near Nice.

The current owner of the 10-bedroom property, which has an Olympic-size swimming pool, is Suzanne Marnier-Lapostolle, a member of the Grand Marnier family. The house has been in the family, famous for cognacs and liqueurs, since the 1920s.

It has one of the most beautiful gardens in Europe, which includes 35 acres of manicured lawns, 15000 plants, and some 20 greenhouses containing rare tropical vegetation. Some 15 professional gardeners are currently employed by Suzanne Marnier-Lapostollefull time, and she hopes all will be kept on.

Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat has attracted celebrities and royalty from all over the world throughout its history. Those who used to holiday there regularly on belle epoque estates include Winston Churchill, who loved painting the gardens.

Other regulars included actors Charlie Chaplin and David Niven, writer William Somerset-Maugham, movie stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and Prince Rainier III of Monaco.

The most high profile property transaction in the stretch of Riviera around Nice came in 2008, when Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov offered €390 millionto buy Villa Leopolda.

The magnificent mansion in Villefranche-sur-Mer, next door to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, was owned by Lily Safra, who had inherited it from her banker husband, Edmond Safra.

Mr Prokhorov pulled out of the sale following the 2008 financial crisis, leading to Mrs Safra successfully suing him to keep the deposit of €39 million.

Source:  Daily Mail