This billionaire businessman started out in medicine but soon moved into commerce realising that enterprise would better provide for his family. He was imprisoned on falsified charges of contract murder for 11 months in 1996. Subsequently cleared, Rybolovlev then went on to make his fortune in potassium and banking. This divorced father of two has used his fortune to fund the restoration of many of Russia’s churches and also bought Donald Trump’s former residence, The Masion de L’Amitie in Palm Beach, Florida, for $95 million in 2008. This risk taker also parted with another $88 million in December 2011 to purchase New York’s most expensive apartment for his 22-year old daughter. Rybololev’s passions are surfing and 19th and 20th century art.
Tag: UK
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Dmitry Rybolovlev
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Anouska Hempel (Lady Weinberg)
The founder of the world’s first boutique hotel moved to London in 1962 with just £10 to her name. She’s acted with Anton Rodgers in Zodiac and was in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service but it as a designer of global repute that she is best known. Married to Sir Mark Weinberg, the founder of St. James’s Place Wealth Management, Hempel was born on a boat sailing from Papua New Guinea to New Zealand. This society figure’s first hotel, Blakes, created in 1978, is the favourite of personalities such as Sharon Stone and Seal and still sets the barometer for style today. -
Bono (Paul David Hewson)
This Irishman is one of the world’s best-known philanthropic performers. Having invested £56 million in Facebook in 2009, he’s now the richest living musician. His shareholding of 2.3% in the company is now worth some £940 million. This “face of fusion philanthropy” is rarely seen in public without his trademark sunglasses and created his stage name in honour of a hearing aid shop. -
Nicholas "Nick" Witchell
This newscaster and royal correspondent reports for the BBC daily. He’s lesser known these days for having sat on a lesbian protestor who invaded his studio in 1988 and for having written a book, The Loch Ness Story, in which he declares his belief in the existence of the creature to be “quite unshakeable.” There’s more to him than meets the eye. -
Nicky Haslam (Nicholas Haslam)
“Britain’s ultimate interior designer” is a man of many talents and guises. Haslam flits from party to party by night, but by day writes, edits and designs. He’s performed cabaret at The Savoy and Bellamy’s and interior watercolour renderings by him are held by the Victoria & Albert Museum. This trendsetter’s life is indeed summed up by the title of one of his books: Sheer Opulence. -
Nicolas Niarchos
Born in New York in 1989 and the grandson of “The Golden Greek,” shipping tycoon Stavros Niarchos, Nicolas Niarchos writes for The Guardian, The Observer and The Huffington Post and is now based in London. He’s variously also been a DJ, editor and publisher and in his spare time he’s said to like spicy vegan food and tobogganing. His tweets @PerneInAGyre are nothing but direct. -
Céline Dion CC OQ
Dion met her husband and manager, René Angélil, when she was 12. Her rise has been meteoric and she’s now one of the richest women in showbiz. Whether she’s “Falling into You” or “Taking Chances,” however, there’s just something utterly irritating about her demeanour. Please could someone send in an iceberg? This Titanic of a voice needs to sink. -
Lord & Lady Black (Conrad Black & Barbara Amiel)
She’s a British-Canadian journalist most famous for having an “extravagance that knows no bounds.” He was a media baron who denounced his Canadian citizenship to become a British peer. Life began to unravel in 2005 when he was charged and subsequently convicted on various charges of defrauding Hollinger, the company he led. “Citizen Black” got out of jail a year early and now he and his feisty Manolo wearing sidekick are back on the rampage. Watch out. -
A fact isn’t a fact until you’ve checked it’s a fact
The case for the regulation of the UK’s property industry
Don’t get me wrong: I know many good estate agents. At the age of 15, I worked for an incredibly respectable firm based in Lancashire. My boss, a thoroughly charming individual, was one of my earliest influences and I still respect him enormously.
Equally, those who have completed the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ courses are people deserving of respect. They are individuals who are professional and knowledgeable. As their website states, over 18,000 follow them on Twitter and their expertise is second to none.
Before putting up a “to let” board, agents should check who really owns the property they are instructed on In recent days, however, after personally witnessing how one firm of agents have conducted themselves, my thoughts on the negativity that surrounds this “profession” has again been proven true. An apartment in a building I know in London has a most interesting tale. Owned by an old lady who died, it was sold on a short-lease by her executors. The subsequent owners bought this and supposedly then managed to persuade two banks to lend against fictitious longer leases on it. When, eventually, the banks repossessed, the flat remained empty for over a year but several months ago one of the individuals involved smashed down the door and effectively returned as a squatter.
The person concerned spent some time renovating the property before putting it up for rent through a local estate agent. Said agent plainly did no research into whether this person actually owned the apartment. They did not check the deeds or ask questions of their client. The reason for this, they’d argue, is that they are not required to but they were also too lazy to bother. That speaks volumes but because agents are not regulated, such conduct occurs more often than one can imagine. It should not be allowed to continue.
The River House, 435 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022. Well known residents of this block have included Nancy and Henry Kissinger and Susan and John Gutfreund. The building’s co-operative by-laws prevent it being named in real estate listings. If Prime Minister Cameron wants to boost his much dented popularity, he should act on this issue. Estate agents should be made, like in the USA, to qualify just as those working in financial services have to go through FSA authorisation. Purchasing or renting a home is something that consumes the majority of the income of any individual and such transactions should be better governed.
Equally, the owners of estates, such as Cadogan and Grosvenor, ought to become more selective about who they allow to take leases in their respective manors. In New York, many buildings operate by committee. The River House, designed by William Lawrence Bottomley, between 52nd and 53rd Street and the East River in New York, is a prime example of the power of co-op boards. The owners of apartments in this 26-storey landmark, built in 1931 and staffed by white gloved doormen, rejected Richard Nixon, Gloria Vanderbilt and Diane Keaton when they applied to live there. They rightly did their research on these personalities as they did not want to lower the tone of their residence or endure paparazzi intrusion. Similarly, here in London residents should be able to vote to stop noisy youngsters with more money than sense, criminals and so-called celebrities bringing havoc to the buildings where they reside.
A 14-room apartment currently available at The River House through Brown Harris Stevens at a price of $8,995,000 Regulating estate agents and residential buildings more effectively is a sure vote winner as most people I speak to tell of bad experiences. It is time the British government got to work.
For more information on the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, go to: http://www.rics.org
For more information on the apartment in The River House contact either Alexis Bodenheimer of Brown Harris Stevens on +1 212 906 9230 or email her at [email protected] or Cathy Franklin of the same company on +1 212 906 9236 or email her at [email protected], go to: http://www.bhsusa.com/manhattan/midtown-east/east-52nd-street/coop/1216446
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Sophie's choice
Tablecloths and bedspreads from Jaipur
It is always good to see a young friend launching a new business and Sophie Rossdale is a fine example of such.
A hand printed Adair tablecloth During a trip to India, Rossdale discovered a team of artisans who made the most appealing tablecloths and bedspreads and set about importing them into the UK.
Hand-printed in “The Pink City” of Jaipur in Rajasthan, the colourful designs she chose combine an “authentic Indian style with a modern European twist” and they certainly will enliven any dining space or bedroom.
Sophie Rossdale Prices for the cloths start at £20 and bedspreads start at £60 each. Available in small and large sizes, the tablecloths measure 2.4m x 1.7m and 2m x 2m. A large bedspread is 2.7m x 2.2m.
Another example of an Adair tablecloth Comments Rossdale:
“I picked these designs because they bring joy to any room. They are of the highest quality and are easy to wash, dry and press. They also make great gifts for friends and family.”
For more information of the Adair range, go to: http://www.adairuk.com. To purchase, contact Sophie Rossdale on +44 (0) 793 203 7547 or email her at: [email protected]