A floating mansion at sea and a literal mansion on land are the two reasons why the son of Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani has been making headlines. After the stunning superyacht Amadea, the scion is now nearing a deal to purchase one of London’s priciest mansions for about $251 million. No ordinary home, and a celebrity in its own right, the Regent’s Park property known as The Holme is the mansion in question.
It is being sold to Abbas Sajwani, reported the Financial Times, and is already being touted as one of London’s most expensive house purchases ever. This is not the first time The Holme has made headlines. Back in 2023, the owners were asking $331 million for it. So even if the house does sell at a reduced $251 million, after a staggering $79 million price cut, it will still be major news.
It is not every day that a home comes with stamp duty alone of roughly $35 million. This incredible estate was once owned by Saudi royals, and it is believed that a secretive U.S. tech billionaire later bought the London mansion nicknamed “mini-Buckingham Palace.” Now, the owners of the Amadea superyacht are eyeing the 40-bedroom residence, complete with a four-acre private garden.
The Damac billionaires are known for creating some of Dubai’s most impressive real estate, so it is hardly surprising that they would choose something equally exceptional for themselves in London. Their ultra-luxury real estate company has also acquired Dubai’s Shangri-La five-star hotel for $300 million.
The Holme
The 207-year-old property, built by English builder James Burton and designed by his son, Decimus Burton, in 1818, had been owned by Saudi royal Prince Khaled bin Sultan al-Saud and other members of the Saudi royal family since the 1990s. The Holme is held on a long lease from the Crown Estate, which makes it more interesting than a straightforward freehold mansion. It is also a Grade II* listed property, so it is as much a heritage asset as it is a luxury home.
The mansion spreads across 30,000 square feet and has not ten or twenty but 40 bedrooms, along with eight garages, a tennis court, and four acres of private gardens running down to the park’s boating lake. It is a vision standing in one of London’s poshest enclaves, with a pristine white stucco façade, Ionic portico, bow-fronted rotunda, and cupola, all of which help earn it the nickname “London’s White House.”
Their beautiful floating paradise at sea, Amadea-
Dubai’s Sajwani family, namely billionaire Hussain Sajwani and his son Abbas Sajwani, gave the 348-foot Lürssen beauty Amadea a new lease of life this year. A glorious vessel, she spent years in legal limbo while moored in San Diego. But that sabbatical finally ended, and there was once again use for her incredible features, including the 10-meter mosaic pool, Jacuzzi, helipad, two spas, and private cinema.
Once valued a staggering $325 million, Amadea underwent a massive overhaul before sailing to the Sajwani clan in the UAE in April this year. The ship is currently cruising in Ibiza and soaking in the Mediterranean sun.
The Sajwanis favor trophy assets with story value, much like their own.
Not merely the heir to a Dubai billionaire, Hussain Sajwani is the son of a watch-selling souk shop owner and a mother who sold textiles and household goods door to door. He made it big through education, ambition, and work ethic. The journey began in the U.S., where he studied on a government scholarship. After a year at a medical college in Baghdad, he switched to the University of Washington in Seattle, graduating in 1981 with a degree in industrial engineering and economics.
He made the first leg of his fortune feeding American troops. That led to the creation of his catering company in 1982, now Global Logistics Services, which supplied U.S. military forces during the Gulf wars and conflicts in Bosnia, Somalia, and Afghanistan, as well as clients like Bechtel. The catering profits later flowed into Dubai property and hotels in the 1990s, followed by the launch of DAMAC Properties in 2002. The rest, as they say, is history.
