World's most valuable palaces

Imagine if Buckingham Palace or Beijing's Forbidden City were put on the market. How much do you think they would cost? Get ready for your jaw to drop as we reveal the (guesstimated) value of the world's 08 most opulent palaces.
 

Blenheim Palace – $219 million

The only non-royal, non-ecclesiastical palace in England, the 18th-century Blenheim estate in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, is the grandest country house of them all and a UNESCO World Heritage Site to boot. The baroque palace was built by John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, between 1705 and 1722, and is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. While Blenheim is open to the public these days, the current Duke and his family still reside there, albeit in a modest farmhouse on the estate. The palace is brimming with antiques and sits in eight square kilometers of iconic parklands designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. All this of course comes at a price – property expert Henry Pryor estimates the Blenheim estate is worth in the region of $219 million.

Windsor Castle – $219 million+

The longest occupied palace in the world, Windsor Castle dates from the 11th century and has survived 41 monarchs. Located in Berkshire's Windsor Great Park, the residence itself sprawls over 53,000 square meters and is a mishmash of Gothic, Georgian and Victorian styles. The castle is renowned for its magnificent state apartments, considered by many experts to be some of the finest examples of Georgian style. Other highlights include the medieval St George's Chapel and a wealth of treasures, from priceless artworks to King Charles II's bed. A fire that damaged a small section of the castle in 1992 caused a hefty $44.5 million worth of damage, so it's hardly surprising the entire royal palace is thought be worth more than $219 million.

Ak Saray Palace – $615 million

Turkey's new presidential palace in the capital Ankara was completed in 2014 at a cost of $615 million. Dubbed 'Ak Saray' (the 'White House'), the gargantuan 1,150-room complex is four times larger than France's Palace of Versailles.The pet project of President Tayyip Erdoğan, Ak Saray has been mired in controversy since its conception. Critics have lambasted the government for its extravagant spending on the palace interiors, which are packed with fine marble, lavish furnishings and expensive artworks. Initially projected to cost $300 million, the palace went well over budget, coming in at more than double the estimate at a massive $615 million – the glass alone is estimated to have cost $225 million.

Istana Nurul Iman Palace – $3.5 billion

The Istana Nural Iman Palace is the official residence of Brunei's mega-rich Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. At a humongous 200,000 square meters, it is the largest palace in the world that is still in use as a royal residence.Built in 1984, the blinged-out palace contains 1,788 rooms, a banqueting hall seating 5,000 guests and a mosque that can accommodate 1,500 worshippers. Luxury amenities include five swimming pools and a swish nightclub. In total, the palace cost $1.4 billion to construct back in 1984. Taking into account inflation, it's likely to be worth about $3.5 billion today, a fairly significant chunk of the Sultan's estimated $20 billion net worth.

Buckingham Palace – $4.68bn

Queen Elizabeth II's London residence dates from the 17th century and boasts 775 opulent rooms, 40 acres of grounds and plenty of luxury amenities, which include a swimming pool and stable block.Sumptuous and suitably palatial, the fantastically ornate state rooms are decorated with antique furnishings and objets d'art, while the Queen's Gallery exhibits 450 super-valuable paintings at any one time. Earlier this year, top real estate firm Foxtons valued Buckingham Palace at $2.68bn based on its size alone. If you factor in $2 billion for the artworks, antique furniture, luxury amenities, and so on, the palace is likely to be worth around $4.68b..

Winter Palace – $6.44 billion

Now part of the colossal Hermitage Museum, the Winter Palace in St Petersburg was the official residence of the ill-fated Russian royal family. The most recent incarnation was built between 1730 and 1837, and sprawls over 60,000 square meters.The Winter Palace contains 1,500 rooms, which are decorated in baroque and neoclassical styles, and brimming with treasures, from Egyptian mummies and classical Greek sculptures to Old Master paintings and diamond-encrusted Fabergé eggs. The average land price in St Petersburg's most upscale neighborhood pushes $24,000 per square meter so, based on land alone, the Winter Palace is worth $1.44 billion. An additional $5 billion should just about cover its many treasures. So, in total, the palace and its contents could be worth upwards of $6.44 billion.

Tokyo Imperial Palace – $12.25 billion

The home of Japanese Emperor Akihito, Tokyo's Imperial Palace comprises the main palace structure, various museums, administrative buildings and gardens totaling 3.41 square kilometers, slap bang in the middle of Chiyoda, one of the capital's prime real estate areas.Built in 1888 on the site of the ancient Edo Castle, the palace and its grounds were estimated to be worth more than all the real estate in the State of California during the height of the Japanese property bubble in the late 80s. While not as ridiculously valuable nowadays, the palace is still worth an astronomical amount of money. According to official 2016 figures, premium Chiyoda properties command $33,000 per square meter, so the palace and its grounds are worth $11.25 billion based on the land alone, and you can add a further $1 billion to cover everything else.

Louvre Palace – $45.5 billion+

A former royal residence dating from the 14th century, the Louvre Palace was converted into a museum following the French Revolution. The palace complex occupies 210,000 square meters in the center of Paris.The Louvre counts some of the world's most famous, and valuable, works of art in its collection, including Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, which is said to be worth up to $1.5 billion, as well as a vast array of priceless antiquities. According to French historian Patrice de Moncan, the Louvre minus its contents is worth a staggering $10.5 billion. The museum's 35,000 artworks and 380,000 objects have a likely minimum value of $35 billion. So, in total, the Louvre and its contents would set you back $45.5 billion+.