Prince Andrew’s abandoned former marital home £15m Sunninghill Park EMPTY two years after replaced by lavish newbuild
PRINCE Andrew’s former marital home has been empty for two years after being replaced by a multi-million pound newbuild.
Neighbours have described Sunninghill Park in Berkshire as an “eye sore” that resembles an out-of-town supermarket.
The Sun previously revealed it was the subject of a murky sale by the disgraced Duke to oligarch Timur Kulibayev, the son-in-law of former president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, in 2007 for £15 million.
He paid £3 million more than the asking price despite the property having been on the market for five years.
The property sits on the edge of Windsor Great Park on land owned by the Crown Estate.
FIXER
It’s understood the Duke of York acted as a fixer in Mr Kulibayev’s business deals – though the royal denies any impropriety.
The previous house – which boasted 12 bedrooms – was gifted by the Queen to her second son and Sarah Ferguson after they married in 1986.
The couple moved into the new-build four years later and it was nicknamed South York after the ranch in the 1980s TV show Dallas.
The house was put on the market in 2002 and by 2015 was demolished after falling into disrepair before a new lavish home was built in its place.
The project is reported to have cost close to £18 million, with Mr Kulibayev spending a total of £33 million acquiring and redeveloping the site.
But it has now been finished for two years and nobody has lived in it since.
Metal shutters are on the windows and iron gates at the entrance all closed – while a team of former Gurkha soldiers patrol outside.
Five gardeners remain employed to maintain the six acre grounds and a team of cleaners visit each month.
A neighbour told the MailOnline: “I don’t blame the owners for not wanting to live in it because it’s so horrible.
“I’ve heard that it’s very luxurious inside but what good is that if the outside is so revolting?”
An official who has worked at the property for five years said the cleaners are the only people going inside regularly.
They added that they’ve never seen the owner or any family or friends.
“None of them have ever stayed the night here,” they said.
“It seems like a lot of money to spend on a luxury home that you are never going to use. It’s a bit of a mystery why they’ve never come here.”
‘SUPERMARKET’
Neighbours also said they’d put up with years of “hell” amid the construction work.
One described the finished new build as “very ugly and looks like a large supermarket in an out-of-town shopping complex”.
They added it has ruined the views of the nearby park, but said it is behind a high wall and trees have been planted that “hopefully will grow tall and hide it”.
The new Sunninghill Park has a gym with steam, ice and sauna rooms, as well as a games room, library and guest bedroom.
Upstairs is split into a children’s and adults’ wings, with the building made of brick with stone cladding in an effort to create a “modern interpretation of a country house”, according to planning documents.
Outside there is a terrace for entertaining, as well as tennis courts, a four-vehicle garage and staff quarters.
It is believed to have been designed by architects HOK.
