Tour The Lavish Homes of America’s Richest – and Most Cursed – Family

The palatial properties of the world's most prestigious families

They may not be royal, but descendants of many of the world's most powerful families live as if they were kings and queens. From the Kennedys, Vanderbilts and Astors to the Gettys, Trudeaus and Hancocks, these famous dynasties have accumulated staggering real estate portfolios, including some of the most fascinating homes in the world.

Click or scroll on and join us for a whistle-stop tour around these famous family seats, starting with a 'cursed' name...

The Getty family

Known for their immense wealth and litany of family tragedies – dubbed ‘the Getty curse’ – the origins of the Getty dynasty can be traced back to George Getty, who had the foresight to invest in America's burgeoning oil industry in 1903. 

George moved his family from Minnesota to Los Angeles in 1905 and commissioned a half-timbered mansion, which was completed three years later but has since been demolished.

Patriarch of the Getty dynasty

It is his son, John Paul Getty, however, who is considered the patriarch of the dynasty, founding the Getty Oil Company in 1942 and becoming the richest private citizen in the world by the 1950s.

An avid art collector, the industrialist invested shrewdly during the Great Depression and bought the Mediterranean-style William O Jenkins House on Los Angeles' Wilshire Boulevard in 1936. Ominously, it was also known as 'The Phantom House.' He had no intention of living in it, however, allowing one of his ex-wives to reside there.

Sunset Boulevard mansion

The mansion was eventually knocked down in 1957, having remained empty and neglected for some time, but not before it was immortalized on film as the dilapidated home of former silent screen star Norma Desmond, played by Gloria Swanson, in the classic Hollywood movie Sunset Boulevard.

It appeared on screen once more in Rebel Without A Cause, before being torn down to make way for an office building.

In honor of tragic son George Getty ll

George Getty's home may have been demolished, but this lookalike half-timbered mansion in the city’s Windsor Square was named in honor of his grandson, George Getty II, in 1977. 

The eldest son of John Paul Getty, George Getty II died tragically in 1973 from an overdose.

Donated to the City of Los Angeles

Built in 1921, the Tudor Revival property was owned by Getty Oil but donated to the City of Los Angeles in 1977 to serve as the official residence of the mayor.

In this 2013 photo, outgoing mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (right) and mayor-elect Eric Garcetti discuss policy in the paneled dining room. Former residents of the property also include actor John Barrymore and acting coach and theater director Lee Strasberg.  

Sutton Place

Having previously studied at the University of Oxford, John Paul Getty moved to Europe in the 1940s, where he lived out of five-star hotels.

In 1959, he purchased Sutton Place, a 16th-century Tudor country house in Surrey, England for $840,000, the equivalent of some $8.9 million today, which he filled with his priceless art collection. Notoriously frugal, the oilman installed a coin-operated telephone in the mansion to prevent guests from racking up the bills.

The home of a recluse

Following a disastrous party in 1960 that was invaded by gatecrashers, John Paul Getty became increasingly miserly and reclusive. In one infamous episode in 1973, he was initially reluctant to pay the ransom demanded by the kidnappers of his grandson, John Paul Getty lll, when he was abducted, reports The Standard.

Following John Paul Getty’s death at the house in Surrey in June 1976, the property was sold to art collector Stanley J Seeger, and is currently owned by Russian-born billionaire Alisher Usmanov.

Getty's Italian villa renovation

Perhaps to console himself after his failed stab at high-society entertaining, John Paul Getty bought La Posta Vecchia on Italy's Lazio Coast in the summer of 1960.

Despite his miserly instincts, he spent a fortune restoring the 17th-century villa to its former glory and, in the process, discovered the property’s Roman ruins.

A room with a view

The historic mansion was sold after the tycoon's death in 1976 and converted into a luxury 19-room boutique hotel, which is still decorated with antiques and artworks handpicked by its unimaginably rich former owner.

After a year-long refurbishment, the property re-opened its doors in May 2023. Guests can revel in the coffered ceilings and stunning views of the Getty Suite, once the private realm of the American billionaire, and marvel over the amazing history of this storied residence.

Photo finish for the new generation

John Paul Getty's son, the philanthropist John Paul Getty Jr., bought the 18th-century Wormsley Park mansion in 1986 and completed a sympathetic restoration of the property.

The remarkable home in Buckinghamshire in the South East of England is set in 2,700 acres of rolling grounds and dates all the way back to the 16th century. The country house is now the residence of his son, Mark Getty, the co-founder of Getty Images. According to Forbes, Mark appears to have “broken free of the dysfunction in his family.”

Loved this? Read on to go through the keyhole on more jaw-dropping homes of the world's most powerful dynasties...

The Kennedy family

One of America’s most famous families, the Kennedys have fascinated us for decades, both as glamorous society figures and political movers and shakers. The patriarch of the powerful Irish-American dynasty, Joseph “Joe” P Kennedy Sr, was a successful entrepreneur when his son, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, known by his initials JFK, was born in 1917.

At the time, the family was living in this clapboard house in Brookline, Massachusetts. The house was designated a National Historic Site in 1967, according to Architectural Digest. 

Moving on up

As the Kennedy patriarch's fortune grew, his real estate portfolio expanded accordingly. In 1927, the clan moved to this 20-room Georgian Revival mansion overlooking the Hudson River in the New York borough of the Bronx. The three-story stucco-clad residence was built in 1907, and JFK attended nearby Riverdale Country School with his siblings.

New York high society

The family moved again in 1929, this time to Crownlands, a six-acre estate in Bronxville, New York. The Georgian-style mansion had all the trappings of their upwardly mobile position in society, including a screening room and cottages for a driver and gardener.

The family lived here until 1942, after which the house was demolished and the land subdivided.

The Kennedy Compound, Cape Cod

In 1928, Joseph P Kennedy Sr also purchased a clapboard summer house for the family on Marchant Avenue in Hyannis Port, Cape Cod for $25,000, the equivalent of $450,000 today. The property was the first of three houses that form the so-called 'Kennedy Compound,' one of the most famous of the Kennedy residences. 

The White House by the sea

JFK and his brother Ted bought adjacent homes neighboring the Kennedy summer house in the 1950s. The then-senator and his fiancée Jacqueline Bouvier posed for their engagement photos at the compound in 1953.

Hyannis Port became an outpost of the White House when JFK was president in the early 60s and continues to be a haven where new generations of Kennedys can escape their busy lives and reconnect with family. Ted Kennedy lived there until his death in 2009. His home has since been donated to the Edward M Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.

The Kennedy's Palm Beach escape

JFK spent part of every winter at the family mansion in Florida’s Palm Beach, and it was nicknamed ‘The Winter White House,’ though it wasn’t quite as ostentatious as Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago.

Purchased by Joe Kennedy in 1933, the Mediterranean-style six-bedroom house was built in 1923 by iconic architect Addison Mizner for Rodman Wanamaker, heir to a department store fortune.

American royalty

Often described as ‘American royalty,’ JFK, pictured here with his wife Jackie and children John Jr and Caroline, is said to have planned his inauguration speech at the mansion.

The house stayed within the Kennedy family until 1995, when it was put up for sale. Its most recent owner, real estate billionaire Jane Goldman, is reported to have sold it in 2020 for a staggering $70 million, according to Forbes. 

JFK's Virginia home

Following JFK and Jackie's nuptials in 1953, the golden couple moved to Hickory Hill, a large brick house in McLean, Virginia. At that time, JFK was serving as a senator for Massachusetts. But after Jackie suffered a miscarriage, she found the Virginia house too depressing and the pair moved on from the property.

JFK has continued to fascinate the world and, according to reports, Netflix is developing a TV show based on his life which has been described as the American version of The Crown.

Sold to Robert and Ethel Kennedy

Hickory Hill was sold to JFK's brother Robert and his wife Ethel in 1956. The couple went on to have 11 children, while Jackie and the future president moved to a clapboard rowhouse in Georgetown, Washington, DC. By the time Ethel Kennedy offered the house for sale in 2003, it was in a state of disrepair.

It was eventually sold to a Virginia businessman for $8.2 million and the house remains one of McLean’s landmark properties.

The future of the Kennedy family

JFK spent the summer of 1963 – his last, before his assassination that November – with Jackie and their children at Brambletyde, a secluded property down the road from the official Kennedy Compound. According to Kennedy biographer Kate Storey, the couple loved the house so much that they tried to buy it, but were unsuccessful.

Today, according to the Chicago Sun Times, JFK’s nephew Christopher Kennedy owns the property and celebrated his son’s wedding there in 2021.

The Vanderbilt family

The Vanderbilts made their fortune from railroads and shipping during the 19th century. The first of the so-called robber barons, Cornelius Vanderbilt rose from rags to riches to become the wealthiest person in the US by the 1860s. The tycoon died in 1877 at 10 Washington Place, his mansion in New York. 

The Gilded Age

Although Cornelius Vanderbilt had only one property of note, his descendants built some of the most magnificent mansions of America's Gilded Age. His eldest and favourite grandson, Cornelius Vanderbilt II, kicked things off in 1883 with the construction of a château-like townhouse at 1 West 57th Street in New York City.

The largest house in the Big Apple

Spanning 90,000 square feet, the six-story house was, at the time, the largest ever built in New York City, boasting everything from a ballroom and the grand salon, seen here, to a smoking den.

Following the death of Cornelius Vanderbilt II in 1899, the mansion passed to his wife, Alice, who offloaded the property in 1926. It was subsequently demolished to make space for the Bergdorf Goodman department store.

Society destination in Massachusetts

In 1885, socialite Emily Vanderbilt Sloane, the great-granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt, oversaw the construction of Elm Court, a 105-room shingle-style summer escape in rural Massachusetts. Pictured here in its expansive glory, the house went on to host the crème de la crème of American society.

Elm Court revival

Elm Court was decorated in an opulent Louis XIV style, and after the socialite's death in 1947, the building was repurposed as an upscale boutique hotel. It was partly owned by Robert Berle, a direct descendant of the original owner, until 2005, when it was listed for $21.5 million.

It was purchased in December 2022 for $8 million by a real estate developer who plans to turn the estate into a resort, according to the New York Post.

Magnificent Marble House

Not to be outdone, William Kissam Vanderbilt, brother of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, commissioned what became America's most sumptuous summer house in 1888. Completed in 1892 for $11 million – a colossal amount of money at the time, and even more now – Marble House in Newport, Rhode Island became a social and architectural landmark that transformed the quiet neighborhood into a legendary resort of Gilded Age mansions.

Preserved for the nation

William Kissam Vanderbilt gifted Marble House – a Beaux-Arts beauty boasting 50 decadent and showy rooms – to his wife Alva on her 39th birthday. However, after the couple divorced in 1895 and Alva's second husband died, she sold Marble House to stockbroker Frederick H. Prince in 1932.

The Preservation Society of Newport County acquired the property in 1963 with financial assistance from William and Alva's son, Harold Stirling Vanderbilt. The house is now a museum.

The Breakers

The Breakers, a 70-room Italian Renaissance-style palazzo also located in Newport, Rhode Island, was built for Cornelius Vanderbilt II between 1893 and 1895. With money no object, the fabulously wealthy heir went to town on the decoration, even outclassing glitzy Marble House.

Rhode Island's number one tourist attraction

The morning room, which features wall panels made of pure platinum, is one of The Breakers' most opulent spaces. The time-warp property was passed to Cornelius Vanderbilt II's daughter, Countess Gladys Vanderbilt Széchenyi, who died in 1965.

It was then sold in 1972 to The Preservation Society of Newport County, and is now Rhode Island's number one tourist attraction.

Biltmore: America's largest house

The most majestic Vanderbilt mansion of them all – and America's largest house – Biltmore, in North Carolina, was commissioned by George Washington Vanderbilt II, grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt.

Completed in 1895, the 250-room pile is still owned by descendants of George Washington Vanderbilt II, including Bill Cecil Jr, who is the CEO of The Biltmore Company. 

The Guinness family

Across the Atlantic, the founder of the great Anglo-Irish brewing dynasty, entrepreneur Arthur Guinness, leased his first brewery in 1755 and had amassed a considerable fortune by the time of his death in 1803, as well as a fine townhouse on Dublin's elegant Mountjoy Square. 

Although the family owned some incredible houses, they were also rumored to be cursed. According to The Times, the Guinness curse began in 1944, when a member of the family was assassinated in Egypt. Lady Henrietta Guinness, who passed away in the 1970s, believed the curse to be tied to the family's immense wealth. “If I had been poor,” she once said, “I would have been happy.”

Ashford Castle

Arthur Guinness' namesake son upgraded the family's Dublin property portfolio to a larger mansion called Beaumont House, which is now a convalescent home. Then, Arthur Guinness II's son, Sir Benjamin Guinness, went even further upmarket. The baronet bagged Iveagh House, also in Dublin, as well as Ashford Castle, seen here, in County Mayo.

Playground of princes and pop stars

Sir Benjamin Guinness purchased ancient Ashford Castle in 1852 and set about enlarging the building. The Gothic country pile stayed in the Guinness family until 1939, when it was sold on and converted into a luxury hotel.

It has since been extensively refurbished and The Irish Times reports it has played host to presidents, pop stars and royalty, including Ronald Reagan, Tony Blair, John Lennon and George Harrison. 

Home of the richest man in Ireland

The family's fates were on the up – Sir Benjamin's son, Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, became the richest person in Ireland, and lived an even more pampered existence than his father.

In 1873, the future earl snapped up the palatial Farmleigh in Phoenix Park to serve as his Dublin base. The 18th-century house was extensively refurbished and reflects the style of the Edwardian period, housing important artworks and furnishings, as well as the Benjamin Iveagh Library, containing rare books, bindings and manuscripts.

The extensive grounds feature walled and sunken gardens and peaceful lakeside walks, tastefully influenced by the Guinness family.

Farmleigh: Ireland's official state guest house

After remaining in the family for generations, Farmleigh was sold in 1999 by Edward Guinness to the Irish government for €30 million, some €50 million ($53m) in today's money, and is used as a guesthouse for visiting foreign dignitaries. 

Today, Farmleigh is managed by the Office of Public Works. The estate hosts a donkey sanctuary and horses and is home to a herd of Kerry Black cows.

Kenwood House

Renowned for his philanthropic generosity, Edward also bought Kenwood House in London's Hampstead in 1925 and bequeathed the stately home to the nation upon his death two years later.

As one of the world's grandest stately homes, the Neo-classical building was remodeled by Robert Adam in the late 1700s. Kenwood opened to the public in 1928.

A generous philanthropist

The house boasts an enviable collection of paintings, which also came courtesy of Edward Guinness. Notable works on display in the North London mansion include Vermeer's The Guitar Player and Self-Portrait with Two Circles by Rembrandt.

A generous philanthropist, Edward established a dispensary and pensions for his brewery workforce, which was unheard of in the late-19th century.

Fairytale Luggala estate

Continuing the family tradition of buying large houses, in 1937, Edward’s second son, Arthur Ernest Guinness, bought Luggala, a romantic County Wicklow hunting lodge. It was a gift for his daughter Oonagh to mark her engagement to Philip Kindersley, who would become her first husband. But it wasn’t until she married her second husband, Dominick Browne, 4th Baron Oranmore and Browne, in 1936, that she really settled into life at Luggala.

The house was inherited by Oonagh's son, the late art collector Garech Browne, who founded record label Claddagh Records, based in Dublin's Temple Bar area, and was a key supporter of Irish folk group, The Chieftains.

A haven for artists and musicians

Together with his wife, Princess Harshad Purna Devi of Morvi, Garech decorated the interiors in an eclectic Indian-influenced style, and welcomed famous guests such as Mick Jagger, U2 and Sinead O'Connor over the years.

The property was listed for €28 million ($30m) in 2017 and, following Browne's death in March 2018, was eventually sold in 2019 for significantly less, reports The Irish Times.

Raising the roof

While other scions of the vast Guinness family have relinquished their ancestral properties, or succumbed to 'the curse,' the current Earl of Iveagh, Edward Guinness, remains custodian of his line's English seat.

He owns the sprawling Elveden Hall, which his namesake great-great-grandfather, the 1st Earl, acquired in 1894. Times may be a little harder now, however, as the present Lord Iveagh auctioned off hundreds of heirlooms in September 2023 to raise funds to fix the roof, reports The Times. curse

The Rockefeller family

While the Rockefeller family is considered American royalty, the clan's origins are anything but regal. Progenitor of the dynasty, William Rockefeller Sr was a con artist implicated in a number of serious scandals during his lifetime who, according to The Mirror, boasted: "I cheat my boys every chance I get. I want to make 'em sharp."

The family lived in this modest farmhouse in the appropriately named Richford, New York, which he bought around 1833.

Regal Rockwood Hall

From humble beginnings, Rockefeller's entrepreneurial sons, John Davison Sr and William Jr, went on to found Standard Oil in 1870. By the 1880s, the brothers were among the richest people in the US.

In 1886, William Jr splashed $150,000 on the splendid Rockwood Hall in Mount Pleasant, New York. That's around $3.3 million in today's money. 

Wrecking ball victim

The younger Rockefeller sibling spent millions revamping the Neo-Gothic pile, transforming it into an extravagant 240-room palace. Although dark, this picture shows the detailed décor the brothers were fans of.

William Jr died at the house in 1922 and the property subsequently served as a country club for a time, before finally succumbing to the wrecking ball in 1941.

A mansion for the world's first billionaire

John Davison Rockefeller Sr, who would go on to become the world's first billionaire, was a frequent guest at his brother's country estate, and bought land and property in nearby Pocantico Hills in 1893.

Kykuit, the tycoon's famous 40-room Neo-classical mansion (pictured here), is set high above the Hudson with views of the river and Palisades. Completed in 1915, its name is apt as it's derived from the Dutch word for “look-out.”

Home to four generations of Rockefellers

The industrialist spared no expense on the interiors, packing the rooms with exquisite antiques and paintings. After housing four generations of the family, the mansion was bequeathed by Nelson Rockefeller to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1979 and is now a museum.

New York’s most desirable apartment

Like his billionaire father, philanthropist John Davison Rockefeller Jr acquired a number of wow-factor properties in his lifetime, including the incomparable 15B, 740 Park Avenue, one of New York City's most desirable apartments according to CNN. He bought the property in 1937 and filled it with valuable furnishings and art. 

Noteworthy neighbours

The fabled 24-room apartment was sold to financier Saul Steinberg in 1971 and is now owned by private equity billionaire Stephen Schwarzman. Other notable residents of the exclusive Upper East Side cooperative include David Koch and wedding dress designer Vera Wang.

Hudson Pines jewel estate

The son of John Davison Rockefeller Jr, and one of the five Rockefeller brothers – John, Nelson, Laurance, Winthrop and David – banker David died in 2017 at the ripe old age of 101. A major philanthropist, David once donated $150 million to New York's Museum of Modern Art, which his mother co-founded, and left behind a slew of premium real estate.

His heirs have already sold off several properties, including Hudson Pines in Pocantico Hills, pictured here, which sold for $33 million in March 2018. 

Selling off the family treasures

Nestled in the Rockefeller family estate, the 75-acre property has 11 bedrooms and 15 bathrooms and was designed by Mott Schmidt in 1938. Christie's auctioned off treasures from the elegant home in May 2018, with funds going to selected charities.

Other homes that belonged to the late centenarian have also been put up for sale, including a New York townhouse, which went for $27 million, and a retreat in Maine.

A tradition of philanthropy

Kykuit and Hudson Pines no longer belong to the family, but several prominent Rockefellers still live in grand houses on the vast Pocantico Hills estate, including the fourth child of David Rockefeller, Margaret Dulany "Peggy" Rockefeller, who carries on her father's work.

The late philanthropist said in his 2002 memoir that his forefathers believed "the art of giving" money was as important as making it. 

The Astor family

Rising to prominence during the 19th century, the Astor family has been hugely influential in business, politics and society on both sides of the Atlantic. Born in Walldorf, Germany, in 1763, patriarch John Jacob Astor emigrated to America at the age of 21, where he made a fortune in the fur trade and acquired the long-demolished Hellgate mansion in New York.

The 13-acre estate was a far less flamboyant showpiece than those owned by later Astor generations, but was known for its impressive literary and musical associations. For example, Washington Irving penned his novel Astoria here. The dynasty's founding father also had a mansion on New York's Broadway, which later became Astor House, the city's first luxury hotel.

Romantic Rokeby

In 1836, John Jacob Astor's son and heir, William Backhouse Astor Sr, purchased Rokeby mansion in Barrytown, New York, for $50,000, which equates to $1.6 million in today's money. He bought it from his father-in-law, John Armstrong Jr, after marrying Armstrong’s daughter Margaret.

Initially named 'La Bergerie' (the sheepfold) for the Merino sheep that grazed here – a gift from Emperor Napoleon to Mrs Armstrong – Armstrong changed the name of the house to Rokeby at Margaret's request, in honor of the Sir Walter Scott poem of the same name. 

Astor made several additions to Rokeby, including the tower, but most notably the magnificent octagonal Gothic-Revival library.

Earning its keep

The 43-room mansion passed to William's granddaughter, Margaret Astor Ward, and her husband John Winthrop Chandler, who both died tragically young, leaving behind 11 children, the so-called 'Astor Orphans.' The children were brought up at Rokeby by a cousin and numerous tutors and governesses.

One of the orphans became the artist Robert Winthrop Chanler, and several of his painted murals now hang in the home's halls. Steeped in faded grandeur, the mansion is still owned by a (relatively hard-up) branch of the family and is rented out for weddings and photo shoots.

High-society Beechwood

In 1881, William Backhouse Astor's namesake son acquired the Italianate Beechwood mansion in Newport, Rhode Island for $190,000.

The 39-room oceanfront property fast became a magnet for America's high society. It is said that Cole Porter wrote 'Night and Day' on a visit here, and the property even made an appearance in the 1956 film High Society, according to The Guardian. 

Multi-million dollar restoration

Beechwood was inherited by William Backhouse Astor's son, John Jacob Astor IV, who married his wife Madeleine in the ballroom. Tragically, he died aboard the ill-fated Titanic in 1912, though his new wife made it to safety. After Madeleine Astor's death, Beechwood was sold to a theater company.

In 2010, the mansion was purchased for $10.5 million by billionaire Larry Ellison, who has spent ten times that amount, according to GoLocalProv, to restore the house and other buildings. Luckily, he had deep pockets.

Classy Cliveden House

William Backhouse Astor's grandson, William Waldorf Astor, moved to the UK in 1891 and snapped up the sublime Cliveden House in Buckinghamshire.

The expat, who also managed to bag an aristocratic title, gifted the 19th-century Italianate mansion to his son, Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount, in 1906.

Scene of the Profumo Affair

Viscount Astor and his wife Nancy, the UK's first sitting female MP, hosted legendary parties at the mansion for high-profile guests, including Charlie Chaplin, Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi.

The last Astor moved out in 1968 after the house became the focus of the notorious Profumo Affair, which brought down the British government in the 1960s. The estate was handed over to the National Trust and is now a luxury hotel. Meghan Markle and her mother Doria Ragland stayed there the night before her royal wedding. 

Hever Castle and royal connections

But the Astors have other royal links. In 1903, William Waldorf Astor purchased the 13th-century Hever Castle in Kent, which had been the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. He moved to England in 1891, claiming America was "no longer a fit place for a gentleman to live."

Kingsize bed

The uber-wealthy philanthropist moved into the castle after letting go of Cliveden in 1906, and embarked on an extensive renovation project, which included restoring a bedroom once used by King Henry VIII. The castle remained in the family until 1983 and is now a popular tourist attraction.

Grand Ginge Manor

Though some Astors have fallen on hard times, the aristocratic branch is doing just fine.

According to Vanity Fair, the current Viscount Astor, Conservative peer William Astor, resides at Ginge Manor, a 17th-century redbrick mansion in Oxfordshire, with his wife Annabel Astor. Annabel is the owner of home furnishings brand OKA and the mother of Samantha Cameron – wife of former UK Prime Minister David Cameron.

The Rothschild family

The patriarch of the illustrious Rothschild banking dynasty and the founding father of international finance, Mayer Amschel Rothschild was born in Frankfurt's Jewish ghetto in 1744, and rose to become Europe's leading banker.

During the 19th century, the Rothschild family possessed one of the largest private fortunes in the world, which was subsequently divided among many descendants. Today, the family is involved in a diverse range of fields, including financial services, real estate, mining, energy, agriculture, winemaking and nonprofits.

Château de Ferrières

Mayer Amschel Rothschild sent his sons abroad to expand the family banking business. Jacob was packed off to France, where he picked up a title and changed his name, becoming Baron James de Rothschild.

In 1855, the baron commissioned the Château de Ferrières, now considered the largest and most luxurious 19th-century French château of its kind.

Goût Rothschild

Located near Paris, Château de Ferrières exemplifies the 'Goût Rothschild': the family's elaborate signature style that was copied by other leading families, including the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and Astors.

The château eventually passed to Guy de Rothschild, who donated it to the University of Paris in 1975. It is now an event location and haute gastronomy school.

Waddesdon Manor

Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, England was built between 1874 and 1889 as a weekend retreat for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, great-grandson of Mayer Amschel Rothschild and a descendent of the Austrian branch of the dynasty.

Sadly, he was widowed after just a year of marriage when his wife Evelina died in childbirth in 1866. He never married again but went on to have a successful political career in the UK.

Exceptional art collection

The Renaissance-style country estate was the setting of numerous swish balls in its heyday, even hosting Queen Victoria in 1890, who was said to have been taken aback by the manor's beauty and luxuriousness.

Waddesdon, which houses an exceptional art collection, was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1957 by James de Rothschild, and is now open to the public so you can witness the opulence for yourself.

Hôtel de Pontalba

In 1876, Baron Edmond James de Rothschild, son of Baron James de Rothschild, bought Paris's most sought-after townhouse, the Hôtel de Pontalba on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.

Already possessing a visually stunning façade, Baron commissioned Félix Langlais to carry out extensive interior alterations on the 60,000-square-foot property, decorating it in the Goût Rothschild style.

Confiscated by the Nazis

The detached house passed to Maurice de Rothschild but was confiscated by the Nazis during the Second World War, when Hermann Göring requisitioned the house to serve as his Luftwaffe officers' club.

Rented by the Allies after the war, it was sold to the US government in 1948. Today, the stylish Hôtel de Pontalba is the official residence of the US ambassador to France and Monaco.

A family gem on the French Riviera

Elsewhere in Europe, Baroness Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild, granddaughter of Baron James de Rothschild, constructed Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, a beautiful rose-hued property in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat on the French Riviera. Built between 1905 and 1912, it is said to have the most beautiful views on the Côte d'Azur.

A treasure chest of art and antiquities

The villa was crammed with rare antiques and art, collected during the baroness's travels around the world, and even had its very own zoo, with antelopes, gazelles, flamingos and other exotic animals.

Upon the death of the baroness in 1934, the property was bequeathed to the Académie des Beaux-Arts and turned into a museum. Today, it is open to the public and boasts nine themed gardens: French, Spanish, Florentine, stone, Japanese, exotic, Provençal, Sèvres and rose.

Passing on the properites

After the property was acquired by his great-great-uncle, Baron Mayer Amschel de Rothschild, in 1873, financier Sir Evelyn de Rothschild continued to reside at the family's Tudor Revival Ascott House in Buckinghamshire until he died in November 2022. 

According to the Daily Mail, the tycoon left control of his $227 million fortune to his widow and third wife, Lynn Forester de Rothschild, who will continue to live at the family estate. He is also survived by his three adult children from his second marriage. The dynasty lives on.

The Trudeau family

The political Trudeau dynasty can trace its roots to Étienne Truteau, a soldier and carpenter from La Rochelle in France, whose descendants became leading members of the ruling elite of America and Canada.

Charles Laveau Trudeau served as acting mayor of New Orleans in 1812, while his brother, Zénon Trudeau, served as Lieutenant Governor of Upper Louisiana. Pierre Trudeau, pictured here, served as Canadian prime minister for almost 16 years in the 70s and 80s.

His son Justin, Canada’s current prime minister, spent the first eight years of his life at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa (pictured), home to Canadian premiers since 1951.

A national disgrace

But the once-opulent residence has become a national source of shame since it fell into uninhabitable disrepair. Having hosted some of the world’s most illustrious figures, from John F Kennedy to Princess Diana, the historic property now sits empty, a fire trap rife with asbestos, lead and mold, its rusted water pipes near “catastrophic collapse,” according to the BBC.

Its latest problem includes a rat infestation, with excrement and carcasses between the walls and in the attic and basement. Renovations could allegedly amount to an eye-watering CA$36 million ($26.2m). 

Distinguished guests

Justin Trudeau will have mixed memories of living here when his father was prime minister. Guests included the late Queen Elizabeth ll and President Nixon, whose wife Pat is seen here with baby Justin and his mother Margaret Trudeau, who tried to make the house as cozy as possible.

Margaret eventually separated from Pierre Trudeau in 1977, and Justin and his brothers moved back into 24 Sussex Drive with their father in 1980, following the divorce and Pierre’s re-election. The house has been vacant since 2015.

Happy memories at Harrington Lake

Happier memories were to be had at Harrington Lake, the Canadian prime minister’s official summer residence across the Ottawa River in the Gatineau Hills, Quebec.

Justin Trudeau recalls his father taking him and his brothers on hikes through the wilderness and on snowshoeing expeditions. “It was when we paddled or hiked together back then that we felt closest as a family,” he told The Star.  

Family tradition

Trudeau has continued the tradition with his own family and they decamp to the isolated spot together every summer.

The décor is more relaxed than you might expect from an official residence. The stone fireplaces and open verandas add to the home’s informal ambiance and are typical of the cottage revival style of the 1920s, where good craftsmanship and functionality were prized.

Maison Cormier

Justin Trudeau’s parents bought separate homes following their divorce, with Pierre Trudeau moving into this austere Art Deco mansion, known as Maison Cormier, in Montreal, when he was briefly out of office after losing an election.

Originally designed in 1930 by Canadian architect Ernest Cormier, the political icon set about renovating the landmark property after his retirement from politics in 1984.

Trudeau's Art Deco mansion

The living quarters were located below ground and included an indoor swimming pool which, according to Justin Trudeau’s childhood friend and now ex-wife Sophie, had a trapeze and ropes. “We could play Tarzan for hours,” she told Canadian publication Macleans.

The couple announced their separation via Instagram in August, after 18 years of marriage. The country is still reeling from the news of the split of the golden couple, who had been married since 2005.

The former first lady has already moved into another property in Ottawa, and while the couple says the split is amicable and they will continue to enjoy family time together, Sophie will no longer carry out official engagements. However, she will still live at Rideau Cottage when the PM is traveling.

Rideau Cottage

Following the split, Justin Trudeau is said to be living alone with the couple’s three children at Rideau Cottage, where they had previously been living as a family.

It feels as if history is repeating itself, as Trudeau lived here with his father for a short period after his own parents separated in 1977. Trudeau and his family originally moved into Rideau Cottage when he took office in 2015, avoiding 24 Sussex Drive due to its state of disrepair. 

Kitchen dramas

Built in 1867, the 22-room Georgian Revival building is owned by the Canadian Crown, meaning it technically belongs to King Charles lll. The prime minister has shared glimpses inside Rideau Cottage in his regular Instagram posts, including views of his tasteful kitchen and dining room, seen here during a meeting regarding Climate Action Incentive rebates.

The kitchen doesn’t get as much use as you might expect, however, as meals are typically prepared externally and delivered by messenger, reports Refinery29.

The Bush family

Born in 1863 and starting out in this modest house in Delaware, New Jersey, the patriarch of the all-American political Bush dynasty, Samuel Prescott Bush, would see his family rise to lofty heights.

The businessman and industrialist’s son, Prescott Sheldon Bush, became a US senator, while his grandson George H W Bush and great-grandson George W Bush became the 41st and 43rd Presidents of the United States. The clan dabbled in everything from oil and fashion to banking and steel and are said to be worth $400 million.

Childhood home of George W Bush

Years before either George became president, they lived at this modest one-frame suburban house in Midland, Texas. George H W Bush, aka Bush Senior, relocated his wife Barbara and family to the town to establish himself in the oil business in 1951, when George W Bush was just five. The childhood home of the former president is now open to the public. 

George W Bush's childhood bedroom

You can even see the pine-clad bedroom, complete with hockey sticks and school desk, where the future 43rd president swotted up on his history of the Constitution.

The Bush family lived in the house for four years before upgrading to a fancier home as Bush Senior’s business flourished. In 2001, a local board of realtors bought the house, restored it and opened it to the public in 2006.

Bush Senior after the White House

After he lost to President Clinton in 1992, one-term president Bush Senior decamped to the family vacation compound of Walker’s Point, in Kennebunkport, Maine, while his retirement home in Houston was being completed.

Nicknamed the ‘Summer White House’ during his time as president from 1989 to 1993, the New England shingle-style main house has been in the Bush family for more than 100 years.

The laid-back holiday home

While Bush Senior hosted many world leaders here during his time in power, including Vladimir Putin and Margaret Thatcher, the nine-bedroom home had a laid-back vibe. Even the master bedroom, where the former president is seen here on the phone, is refreshingly ordinary, with built-in shelving and simple bed linen.

The former First Lady Barbara Bush once described the home’s décor as “hodgepodge.” We like it!

George W Bush's little house on the prairie

George W Bush’s two-term presidency, which was overshadowed by the 9/11 attacks and the Iraq War, ended on January 20, 2009. After leaving the White House, the former leader and his wife Laura moved to their cherished weekend and summer house, Prairie Chapel Ranch, in Crawford, Texas, while their current home in Dallas was being built.

Dubbed the ‘Western White House’ while Bush was in office, the eco-friendly single-level ranch house of their dreams features three bedrooms and plenty of open-plan entertaining space, along with swaths of windows and doors to create a sense of indoor-outdoor living.

Western White House

The ‘Western White House’ hosted a succession of foreign dignitaries, including former UK prime minister Tony Blair and Spain’s former King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, as well as members of his own administration.

George is seen here with Colin Powell, who became the first African-American secretary of state in US history. The former leader and his wife still make regular trips to their 'little house on the prairie,' where Bush likes to unwind with a fishing rod or a paintbrush, says Architectural Digest. 

The Hancock / Rinehart family

Better known these days for their bitter feuds and legal battles over the family fortune, Australia’s richest family can thank clan patriarch Langley George Hancock for its vast wealth.

The mining magnate, who passed away in 1992, began prospecting while managing his family’s sheep station in the Hamersley Range in Western Australia. Hancock unearthed some of the largest iron ore reserves in the world in 1952. He made the discovery when he was forced to fly his private plane low in bad weather.

As well as making him one of the nation’s richest citizens, Hancock's mining empire helped finance his campaign to form a right-wing political party and fight for Western Australian independence.

Gone with the Wind mansion

Hancock’s only child, Gina Rinehart, is Australia’s richest citizen and is said to be worth AUD$41 billion ($26bn). Father and daughter fell out after Rinehart's mother Hope died in 1983 and her father married his much younger housekeeper, Rose Lacson (now Porteous), in 1985. 

The industrialist set about building a lavish Georgian mansion, Prix D’Amour, for his new wife in Perth, which was modeled on the Tara Plantation from the classic movie Gone with the Wind.

Death and the housemaid

Despite their fall out, Gina was devastated when her father died in 1992 and, according to The Independent, allegedly hired detectives to try to prove that her father's second wife was to blame for his death.

Meanwhile, Langley's widow, who was later declared innocent of any crime, married one of her husband’s closest friends, real estate tycoon William Porteous, just 151 days after Hancock’s death, reported The Guardian.

As for the lavish Prix D’Amour mansion, it was demolished in 2006, seemingly because nobody wanted to fork out the AUS$47m million ($30m) the couple asked for the landmark.

Rose Porteous sells Mini-Amour

While the remaining sprawling site was later subdivided into ten plots and sold off, Rose and her new husband had planned to build a new, smaller house on the site. “I told her I would call it Mini-Amour,” Mr Porteous told reporters.

However, they ended up moving to an imposing mansion in the swanky suburb of Nedlands. The property was remarkably similar to Prix D’Amour, and the couple later listed it in 2022 for AUS$9 million ($5.7m).

Legal battle with Gina Rinehart

The house has all the hallmarks of a miniature version of the original Gone With the Wind-inspired property in Perth, including a sweeping stairway in the entrance hallway.

Rose Porteous found herself in the midst of a media storm when she was involved in a protracted legal battle with Hancock’s daughter, not just over the circumstances of Gina's father’s death, but the distribution of his estate. 

Bitter family feuds

The family feuds do not end there. Gina Rinehart is being sued by two of her four children, John Hancock and Bianca Rinehart, who allege that she has committed “calculated and deliberate fraud,” according to ABC News.

Her children claim she has engaged in transactions to “devalue and destroy” the family trust at the expense of her children. Meanwhile, youngest daughter Ginia has sided with her mother, and has reportedly been tapped to take over the vast minerals empire. It reads like a plot from Succession...

Australian soap opera

While the so-called ‘Iron Lady’ has built her wealth from inheritance and mining, Gina Rinehart also owns Australia’s second-largest cattle empire. However, she sold off a swath of land the size of Denmark in Spring 2023, according to the Daily Mail, prompting questions about the new direction she appears to be taking the business. 

Rinehart owns a vast portfolio of properties and was reported to have bought this AU$34 million ($21.8m) beach pad on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland in 2021. Yet for all her wealth, her family affairs are the stuff of an Australian soap opera.

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