This $32 Million London Mansion Was Originally Built for Royal Mistress Maria Fitzherbert

What would a historic London home be without a little royal scandal?

In Mayfair, a five-bedroom mansion with ties to King George IV, a British tobacco tycoon, and the Cypriot government is up for grabs. Asking a hefty £25 million ($32 million), the posh Hyde Park pad doesn’t just come with a steep price tag. For that sum, you’re getting a whole lot of history, too.

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Dating back to 1778, the original Georgian-style home that once stood on the property belonged to Maria Fitzherbert, most famously known as George IV’s mistress. Fitzherbert inherited the Park Street residence from her second husband, who died in 1781. She soon attracted the romantic passions of the Prince of Wales (later King George IV), and in 1785, the two tied the knot in a secret ceremony conducted in the townhouse’s first-floor reception room. The marriage, however, was not legal as the prince’s father, George III, would not provide royal consent. Their tumultuous, on-again, off-again relationship lasted until about 1808, and following her passing in 1837, Fitzherbert’s Park Street home was demolished.

It wasn’t until 1913 that a new Edwardian-style building was erected on the site of Fitzherbert’s old house. The six-floor spread was acquired in 1931 by Sir Louis Bernhard Baron, managing director of the Carreras Tobacco Company. He lived there with his wife and daughter. Following his death in 1934, his wife Elise remarried art dealer Robert Tritton. In 1958, the home was handed over to the newly formed Government of Cyprus for use as an embassy. When the embassy relocated, the building was given a major overhaul and returned to use as a lavish private residence.

“With its grand and beautiful reception rooms, access to the Green Street gardens, and spacious bedroom suites, this mansion is perfect for an affluent discerning family wanting a London base or a successful tycoon seeking a trophy home in Mayfair to show the global business community he has arrived in London,” says Peter Wetherell, founder and chairman of Wetherell.

Today, the 8,435-square-foot dwelling sports a ton of period-appropriate features like super-tall ornate ceilings, parquet flooring, and multiple stone fireplaces. There are also modern amenities such as an elevator, two kitchens, and a ton of wine storage. And though there’s not much outdoor space aside from a private terrace off the main bedroom, the sumptuous property does offer access to a pretty amazing secret garden.

Click here to see all the photos of this Mayfair mansion on Park Street. 

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