The scheming villains of the James Bond films always seem to live in extravagant and magnificent homes — but how much would they cost in real life? Carla Passino takes a look, with the help of some new research.
Being a Bond villain has a distinct advantage: the job usually comes with a magnificent property, tucked away in a remote corner of the world and equipped with the latest technology.
Some dens of iniquity, however, are more opulent than others, according to property portal OpenBrix, which has ranked nine of them by price.
Topping the charts is Monsoon Palace, the Rajasthan home of Octopussy’s backgammon-obsessed Kamal Khan. Vast, perched on top of a hill and bordered by water on one side, it would cost about £33.6 million.
It’s a massive £11 million more than the runner up, the Drax Estate, the grandiose, château-like Californian property of billionaire Hugo Drax in Moonraker, which would be worth £22.5 million.
By comparison, Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s Moroccan lair is a steal at £3.4 million.
Nor does Goldfinger live up to his name: his Kentucky stud farm is the second cheapest property on the list at £2.5 million, barely ahead of Elektra King’s £2.2 million Azerbaijan manor in The World is Not Enough.
£33.6 million — Kamal Khan’s Monsoon Palace in India, Octopussy
Just make sure you arrive by crocodile submarine.
£22.5 million — Hugo Drax’s estate in California, Moonraker
If it looks suspiciously French, that’s because Drax had it moved brick-by-brick across the Atlantic.
£19 million — Francisco Scaramanga’s private island in Thailand, The Man with the Golden Gun
The island isn’t actually for sale, of course; real name Khao Phing Kan, it’s part of a National Park in Thailand.
£13.7 million — Emilio Largo’s Palmyra estate in the Bahamas, Thunderball
You’ll probably get it at a big discount off that theoretical price — a visitor earlier in 2020 found the place in a sorry state.
£9.6 million — Dr Julius No’s Crab Key in Jamaica, Dr No
Not included in the price is the harpoon gun hidden beneath the inordinately long dining table.
£7.6 million — Raoul Silva’s abandoned island lair in Japan, Skyfall (requires renovation)
It’s a bit of a fixer-upper.
£3.4 million — Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s desert lair in Morocco, Spectre
This one seems like something of a bargain — and it’s even eco-friendly with solar panels.
£2.5 million — Auric Goldfinger’s stud farm in Kentucky, USA, Goldfinger
The horses would bump up the price, of course….
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