Kim Dotcom's $24 Million Private Mansion In New Zealand

Do you remember Kim Dotcom? He was the famous young Internet tycoon of the 90s, just as Mark Zuckerberg is now. Born as Kim Schmitz, this German whiz kid was the owner of file-sharing website MegaUpload.com, which was once the 13th biggest website on the Internet. Dotcom has always been known for his lavish lifestyle, and stays at the most expensive home in New Zealand: a mansion that is priced at a huge $24 million.

Top-view of Kim Dotcom's mansion in New Zealand

Kim Dotcom’s private residence in New Zealand is situated in the town of Coatesville, about 15 miles from Auckland (the biggest city in New Zealand). It is spread over an area of 2,300 square metres, and is surrounded by stone walls and labyrinthine grounds, with lush foliage. This mansion is also available for rent at a price of $24,000 per month. This makes it the most expensive rental mansion in New Zealand.

Features of Kim Dotcom’s New Zealand Mansion

This New Zealand mansion has a large number of private bedrooms, each lavishly decorated with fine furnishings and stylish furniture. In fact, Kim Dotcom had ordered for three Hästens beds for this private mansion. Hästens is a Swedish luxury bed making company, which is famous for its ultra-soft hand-made beds that can take about 140-160 hours work to produce.

And, where does he put the beds? Well, one of these expensive Hästens beds is placed in a ‘computer room’, amidst a series of monitors, hard drives and a nest of wires…well, anyway, this is how rich computer geeks live.

Stone giraffe statues on Kim Dotcom's private property

On the gatehouse of Kim Dotcom’s private property near Auckland is a giant sign with ‘Dotcom Mansion’ written on it, in blue-black lighting. On the grounds of the real estate property are almost life-size statues of wild giraffes, roaming in the grass. In fact, the lawns of the mansion looks like a premier golf course, with manicured turf and staff driving about in golf carts. The Dotcom property also has an advanced security system, with surveillance cameras, security guards and a security outhouse.

Kim Dotcom in his giant bathtub

When Kim Dotcom moved to New Zealand to stay at this mansion, he spent more than $3.2 million on renovating the private property. During this revamping, a heated lap pool with underwater speakers was installed. This pool contains imported spring water and a custom ladder. As part of the lavish lifestyle he maintains, Kim Dotcom is also reported to have spent NZ$500,000 for a New Year’s Eve fireworks display over Auckland in 2010.

In fact, it was news about this lavish lifestyle, which attracted the attention of the authorities, and led to a raid on Kim Dotcom’s mansion by the New Zealand Special Forces, complete with helicopters, sledgehammers and automatic weapons.

Steven A Cohen - Art Collection

Steven A Cohen is a renowned figure in finance in the United States of America, and has an extensive art collection. This American hedge-fund manager has a net worth of $9.3 million, and is one of the top 50 richest people in America.

The $137.5 million 'Woman III' painting by Willem de Kooning

Steven A Cohen’s art collection is worth around $700 million, and mostly includes modern art paintings and other artwork. Some of the paintings in Steven A Cohen’s modern art collection include:

• The ‘No.8’ drip painting by Jackson Pollock, worth $52 million. This painting was painted in 1949. 
• A self portrait by Manet. 
• The ‘Superman’ painting by Andy Warhol. 
• The Balloon Dog (yellow) painting by Jeff Kon .
• The ‘Popeye’ painting by Roy Lichtenstein.
• The ‘Police Gazette’ painting by Willem de Kooning. This landscape painting was bought for $63.5 million by Steven A Cohen. 
• The ‘Woman III’ painting by Willem de Kooning, on which he reportedly spent $137.5 million dollars.

Steven A Cohen also shelled out a huge $8 million for Damien Hirst’s 14-foot tiger shark, which is submerged in a tank of formaldehyde. According to Cohen, his favourite painting is a Francis Bacon masterpiece named the ‘Screaming Pope’. This painting has been displayed on a wall outside his master bedroom.

Cohen's 'The Screaming Pope' painting by Francis Cohen

As you can see, Steven A Cohen is a sharp art collector with a significant art collection that mostly includes modern art. In fact, he is known to acquire paintings and art work in the same ruthless style as he does Wall Street trading and business.

Other Famous Art Collectors:

• Sheikha Al-Mayassa
• Carlos Slim Helu
• Francois Pinault
• Dmitry Marvommatis
• Philip Niarchos
• Ronald S.Lauder
• Pierre Chen
• Eli and Edythe Broad
• Leon Black

Leon Black - Art Collection

Leon Black is an art collector with an impressive art collection that is worth more than $750 million. He is the Chairman and Chief Executive of Apollo Global Management, a leading finance company in New York, and really rich. Leon Black chooses to spend a large part of his money on his art collection.

Leon Black owned 'The Scream' masterpiece

Leon Black’s current net worth is around $3.5 billion dollars. This billionaire New York financier likes to collect expensive masterpieces by famous artists for his art collection. In fact, he was mysterious buyer who splurged $120 million on the famous ‘The Scream’ masterpiece, painted by Edward Munch, the famous expressionist artist from Norway.

Leon Black’s art collection also reportedly includes Raphael’s chalk masterpiece, which was bought for $47.6 million in 2009. Other artists whose paintings remain in Leon Black’s art collection are Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso (the cubist painter).

Other Famous Art Collectors:

• Sheikha Al-Mayassa
• Carlos Slim Helu
• Francois Pinault
• Dmitry Marvommatis
• Philip Niarchos
• Ronald S.Lauder
• Pierre Chen
• Eli and Edythe Broad
• Steven A.Cohen

Bernard Arnault – Art Collection

French business magnate Bernard Arnault is the number one art collector in the world. Owner of Louis Vuitton, he is the richest person in Europe, and is also the 4th richest person in the world. This gives him the money to purchase some of the rarest and most beautiful art pieces, as well as other collectables and vintage items.

Bernard Arnault has plans to build a contemporary arts centre in Paris, France, which will hold his carefully accumulated art collection and other collectables. This arts centre would be named the ‘Louis Vuitton Foundation for Creation’. It will contain a range of exhibition galleries, as well as an auditorium and an indoor garden.

Bernard Arnault’s massive arts centre and museum will be designed by Frank Gehry, a renowned architect. The finished museum is expected to contain Bernard Arnault’s massive art collection, which will include:

• Classic paintings by Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Henry Moore.
• Modern paintings by Jeff Koons, Frank Serra, and Agnes Martin. 
• American artist Ellsworth Kelly’s 1968 abstract painting, Red White Blue (part of Bernard Arnault’s personal art collection).

Manhattan Estate Sold For $47 Million To Qatar Prime Minister

These billionaire Arabs are everywhere. In August 2012, a Manhattan estate was purchased for $47 million dollars by the Prime Minister of Qatar: Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani. In most countries of the world, foreigners are not allowed to purchase property, but that does not seem to be so in New York City.

However, we can’t say that Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani (Prime Minister of Qatar) had it easy while shopping for real estate in New York . He had earlier set his eyes on late copper heiress Huguette Clark’s Fifth Avenue estate that was priced at $31.5 million dollars, but his offer was rejected by the co-op board. Later he tried to buy Denise Rich’s $65 million penthouse, and the $100 million penthouse at the One57 building, but these offers were rejected as well.

The main reason why these real estate purchase offers fell through was because many people did not want the Sheikh’s entourage (which consists of two wives, over a dozen children, and security personnel licensed to carry automatic weapons) in the building area. After being snubbed by real estate owners for several high profile property listings, the Qatar Prime Minister finally bought Aby Rosen’s famous townhouse for $47 million dollars.

Location of Sheikh Hamad's New Manhattan Property

This Manhattan townhouse is situated at 22 East 71st Street, in the posh ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ neighbourhood. The seller of the Manhattan townhouse is real estate tycoon Aby Rosen, whose company owns properties like the Seagram Building and Lever House. The townhouse purchased by Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani measures 22,000 square feet, and comprises five floors.

This Italian Renaissance mansion was listed for $75 million in 2008 (becoming one of the most expensive listed properties in New York City). The price was later set to $50 million, after offers of over $60 million were rejected by the real estate company, and the real estate markets crashed. The Prime Minister of Qatar seems to have bargained well regarding the price, and managed to get the Manhattan townhouse for $3 million dollars cheaper.

Sheikh Hamad of Qatar had reportedly purchased the Manhattan mansion with a huge deal of secrecy, through Tower Management Holdings (an LLC); rather than going to a real estate broker.

Designed by renowned architect, C.P.H Gilbert, the Manhattan property purchased by Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani boasts of a majestic marble-arched entryway, and a curved staircase in the main hall. It was purchased by Aby Rosen in 2004 for just $15.65 million, through his sister-in-law, Serena Broadman of Sotheby’s International Realty. The real estate tycoon had never lived there, but had occasionally thrown lavish parties, which was attended by the elite of New York City.

Seems America is getting bought off by rich Sheikhs from the Middle-East, who have billions of oil dollars to spend, any where they want. What do you think of the Qatar Sheikh purchasing the Manhattan townhouse property?

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Sultan of Brunei

The Sultan of Brunei is so rich that it is estimated that his wealth increases by 90 euros every second! On further calculations, this means that he earns around 5400 euros per minute, 324000 euros each hour and 7776000 euros a day. All in all implying a total networth of about 54432000 euros a week (spelt as a huge 54 million and 432000 thousand euros)

The Sultan of Brunei's name is Hassanal Bolkiah, full name is Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah. He is the president of the richest country in the world - Brunei. Brunei Darasullem is located near Malaysia in South East Asia. He has married three women and divorced once - currently leaving him with two wives. The Sultan of Brunei's wives have given him five sons and seven daughters. The Brunei Sultan is known to live a real lavish lifestyle. He uses gold in almost everything - cultlery, crockery, bathrooms...even his clothes are embroidered with gold and silver thread.

Here are some photographs of his luxurious palace home. The King of Brunei's palace is the second largest and most luxurious palace in the world, with the first being the Imperial Palace in Beijing, China. It has around 1788 rooms with some being luxuriously furnished in gold and encrusted with diamonds. This includes 257 bathrooms and 650 suites, with each suite furnished at not less than 150,000 thousand euros. The Sultan of Brunei's palace garage accommodates 110 cars.

The Sultan of Brunei's plane is inlaid with gold and is the most luxurious aircraft in the world. The King also has a private Boeing 747 worth a hundred million dollars, which was refitted with expensive accessories and furnishings like a whirlpool bath of pure gold. The plane now costs a whopping one hundred and twenty million dollars. The Sulatan of Brunei also has an additional six small aircraft and two helicopters.


One of the Sultan of Brunei's cars is specially customized to his tastes. He had requested the Rolls Royce company to combine their car design with that of Porsche. This car was manufactured especially for him and is parked in London, for His Majesty's exclusive use during his stay in Britain. It is estimated that the Sultan of Brunei's cars include 531 Mercedes-Benzes, 367 Ferraris, 362 Bentleys, 185 BMWs, 177 Jaguars, 60 Porsches, 130 Rolls-Royces and 20 Lamborghinis. This brings the total number of cars owned by him to 1,932.

List of Richest Royalty Family Heads

Here is the most accurate comprehensive list of the richest heads of modern royal families, all billionaires who topped the money charts in 2008. The list includes oil and gas royalty, British queen royalty, king royalty from Asia as well as other types of billionaire family royalty.


No. 1: The numero position in the list of royalty is taken by King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand aged 80 years. He has a net worth of $35 billion. The world's longest-reigning crown royalty monarch is revered as a deity. His Crown Property Bureau, through which he holds wealth, offered public access that showed granted vast landholdings, including 3,493 acres of prime property in Bangkok. This king royalty also owns stakes in the publicly listed Siam Cement and Siam Commercial Bank. He recently increased investment in Deves Insurance in order to take it private. While the crown monarchy remains technically separate from state, the king royalty exerts enormous influence in Thailand.


No. 2: Coming a close second in the list of royalty with the most money is Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates aged 60 years. This king royalty has a net worth of $23 billion. He is president of the UAE and hereditary ruler of its capital emirate, Abu Dhabi. As UAE is home to one-tenth of world's oil reserves, petrodollars are the oil and gas royalty family's original source of wealth. His real estate also is more valuable, as property prices rose 100% from 2005 to 2007. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority recently was top news when it invested $7.5 billion in Citibank and purchased New York's Chrysler Building for $800 million.


No. 3: King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia is third in the list of royalty billionaires. This king royalty is aged 84 years and has a net worth of $21 billion. Ascended to the oil and gas royalty throne in August 2005; soon after, construction began on a $26 billion city named in his honor, which the government hopes will become the new economic epicenter of the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is now earning approximately $1 billion a day from oil exports, helping boost the oil royalty family's fortune. This modern royalty king is an avid horseman and breeds Arabian horses. The king royalty also founded the Equestrian Club in Riyadh.


No. 4: At the number four position in the list of richest royalty families is Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei aged 62 years. This modern royalty king has a net worth of $20 billion. Crowned 40 years ago after his royalty monarchy father's voluntary abdication, the 29th sultan of Brunei is heir to an unbroken 600-year-old Muslim family royalty dynasty. This oil and gas royalty rules concurrently as its prime minister, defense minister, finance minister and head of religion. The sultan's oil royalty wealth is based on oil and gas reserves. He is currently battling with family royalty Brother Prince Jefri over allegedly misappropriated assets. An arrest warrant was issued for Prince Jefri of this oil royalty family when he reportedly failed to appear in a U.K. court to address charges.


No. 5: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid stands at number five on the list of royalty families with the most cash. This king royalty is based in the city of Al Maktoum, Dubai and is aged 58 years. He has a net worth of $18 billion. Ruler of Dubai, an emirate of the UAE, prince royalty Sheikh Mohammed is a majority shareholder of Dubai Holding. He also has a major stakes in HSBC Holdings and Sony, as well as real estate holdings, including New York's Essex House Hotel. A formidable king royalty monarchy figure in horse racing, he owns a 3,800-acre farm in Kentucky and bought Australia's Ingham stud farm for reported $460 million.


No. 6: The first European on the list of billionaire royalty families is Prince Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein of Liechtenstein. This prince royalty is aged 63 years and has a net worth of $5 billion. He heads the tiny Alpine principality of Liechetenstein. His family royalties bank, LGT, its most valuable asset, is the focus of a tax scandal for allegedly helping wealthy clients hide their money. A U.S. Senate investigation claims that his prince royalty brother Prince Philipp met with suspected tax dodgers in his role as LGT chairman. Other holdings of this prince royalty monarchy include an estimated 20,000 hectares of land in Austria; several 17th-century palaces in central Vienna; RiceTec, a producer of genetically engineered rice in the U.S.; and a 400-year-old art collection.


No. 7: Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, from an oil and gas royalty family in Qatar is number 7 on the list. This king royalty is aged 56 years and has a networth of $2 billion. He became ruler of Qatar after deposing his family royalty father in a bloodless coup in 1995. Sheikh Hamad spearheaded the development of Qatar's vast oil and natural gas reserves. This oil royalty family head is currently making money from LNG commissions, with contracts with Korea, Belgium and Taiwan. The country now has the highest per-capita income in the world. A graduate of Britain's Sandhurst Military Academy, Sheikh Hamad is crown royalty that also oversaw the modernization of Qatar's armed forces and provided key start-up capital for Al Jazeera and its English sister news channel.


No. 8: King Mohammed VI of Morocco is number eight in the list of royalty billionaires. He is only 46 years old and has a net worth of $1.5 billion. This king royalty ascended to the throne in 1999. He derives his wealth from phosphate mining, agriculture and stake in Morocco's largest public company ONA. Recently, Morocco's economic growth has slowed to 2% in the face of a serious drought, putting a serious dent in the royalty monarchy families fortune. Still, the king royalty families palaces reported to have an operating budget of almost $1 million a day. The modern royalty king is currently making an effort to alleviate poverty and improve human rights. Last April, he pardoned eight Moroccan activists imprisoned for chanting anti-royalty monarchy slogans.


No. 9: Prince Albert II of Monaco is the second person from European royalty making up the list of royalty billionaires. This prince royalty member is 50 years of age and has a net worth of $1.4 billion. He took over the 700-year crown monarchy Grimaldi-family reign of Monaco in 2005. This modern royalty prince has inherited a fortune that includes real estate, art, antique cars, stamps and a stake in Monte Carlo's casino, Société des Bains de Mer. An environmentalist, the billionaire bachelor Prince Albert drives a hybrid car and has pushed for CO-2 reduction. However, a controversial expansion of Monaco, by this royalty family prince's plans to build a new district on the sea (apparently to be erected on giant pillars), has created fears of the formation of an underwater desert.


No. 10: Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman round up the top 10 on the list of royalty billionaires. This petroleum royalty king is 67 years and has a net worth of $1.1 billion. He assumed the throne in 1970 after overthrowing his royalty family father, who had kept the prince under house arrest for six years. His fortune has grown this year, thanks to an oil surplus. This oil and gas royalty prince is investing part of the surplus in tourism. The Sultan Qaboos bin Said is divorced and has donated millions to restore Oman's mosques. This oil royalty is said to be a classical music fan and he reportedly owns a 500-foot yacht.


No. 11: 71 year old Prince Karim Al Hussein of Pakistan is number 11 on the list. This modern royalty family head has a net worth of $1 billion. He is known as the Aga Khan and is the spiritual leader of the world's 15 million Ismaili Muslims. This prince royalty also chairs the Aga Khan Development Network that promotes investment in Asia and Africa. Prince Karim Al Hussein of Pakistan owns 900 thoroughbreds and has a stake in one of Britain's largest horse-auction houses. This family royalty prince is currently undergoing divorce settlement proceedings from his second wife, Inaara Aga Khan.


No. 12: The first woman on the list of rich royalty family heads is Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Though not a billionaire, this European monarchy head has a sizable net worth of $650 million. The queen royalty is aged 82 years and is the oldest living monarch in British royalty history. Elizabeth II ascended the royalty throne at age 25 and plans to keep ruling until she's physically unable, spoiling the hopes of her son, Charles, to be king royalty sooner. The queen royalties personal fortune is based on property in England and Scotland, fine art, gems and a stamp collection built by her royalty family grandfather. Buckingham Palace and the Crown Jewels do not figure in, as they are state-owned treasures.


No. 13: Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait is another person on the list of really rich royalty family members. This king royalty is aged 79 years and has a net worth of $500 million. The country's longtime foreign minister was not originally in line to the royalty throne. However, fortune favoured this modern royalty in 2006, when he was appointed by the National Assembly after the original royalty crown prince was considered too sick to rule. Unlike royals in many Gulf States, Sheikh Sabah's wealth is based on a stipend and not on oil and natural gas royalty income. He called for new elections after the resignation of Kuwaiti cabinet in March and is promoting economic reform in the petroleum rich country.