Since 1982 2 – 8a Rutland Gate has been owned by Yunak Corporation , registered in the Dutch Antilles tax haven of Curaçao . The house was the London residence of the former Prime Minister of Lebanon and billionaire businessman Rafic Hariri , until his assassination in 2005 . Following Hariri 's death , the house was given as a gift to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia , Sultan bin Abdulaziz , who had business links with Hariri . Prince Sultan died in 2011 . In 2012 2 – 8a Rutland Gate was reported to be for sale at an asking price of £ 300 million , which would have made it the most expensive house in Britain if realized , surpassing the £ 140 million paid for Park Place in Berkshire by the Russian banker Andrey Borodin
his assassination in 2005
Assassination of Rafic Hariri
2–8a Rutland Gate