Confusion reigns supreme in stories on ownership of Meghan and Harry's luxury Saanich digs
Credit to Author: David Carrigg| Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2020 04:21:30 +0000
When it was learned late last year that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry would be spending their Christmas break on Vancouver Island, the British press were quick to react.
The Sunday Mirror dispatched their Los Angeles correspondent, who through sleuthing was able to determine the Royals were staying at a multi-million dollar estate on the west-side waterfront in North Saanich — and would be leaving on Jan. 3.
The paper did not disclose the exact whereabouts, due to their regards for the Royals security and safety. However, on Dec. 29, 2019, in a splashy two-page spread the Sunday Mirror reported “Harry and Meghan stay in €10m Mega Mansion — Luxury Estate Owned by Russian.”
The pair and son Archie were joined by Meghan’s mom and a security team that stayed in a cottage on the grounds.
The article went on to say the mansion was “understood to belong to a Russian oligarch” — “a businessman who is so secretive that he insisted the estate agent handling his purchase sign a non-disclosure agreement.”
One source — an unnamed “local, who runs a deli close to the sprawling home,” said “We know that it’s owned by a Russian businessman, but he’s never around.”
In this file photo taken on May 08, 2019 Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (R), and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, pose for a photo with their newborn baby son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle in Windsor, west of London.
And so the story sat, until a few days later on Jan. 3 when the Daily Mail reported the stay had in fact been arranged by Canadian musical icon David Foster, who knows the owner but wouldn’t identify them. Foster’s wife is a friend of Meghan Markle’s and that’s how he came to know they needed a place to stay.
In that article, it was also reported that Foster had once arranged for “Russian oligarch Yuri Milner, who at one time owned more than eight per cent of Facebook and five per cent of Twitter, to rent the property around 2014, but that the California-based tech magnate did not own the house.”
It went on to state that an unnamed realtor had told the Daily Mail that the home was sold in 2014 to a billionaire who was “neither Canadian or American.”
So the Russian angle sat there, and so did the story, until it was learned that baby Archie had remained in the mansion and that Meghan may have returned late last week to what has now been reported as a €10m, €11m, €14m and €15m mansion by the British press. This came a few days after the Royal couple revealed they would be stepping aside from Royal duties and would live in North America and Britain.
This prompted a fresh take on the mansion’s ownership from the Daily Mail, reporting now that it was in fact owned by a “mystery billionaire, who is reportedly Frank Giustra, a businessman whose close ties to the Clintons has caused controversy in the past.”
The story goes on to state that Giustra, a Canadian, “is said to” have loaned the home to the Royal couple, and he “is understood” to have loaned the home for free.
However, a few short hours later, Giustra via Twitter stated “The original @nypost story is completely false. Do your homework, folks @dailymailuk @foxnews.”
The original @nypost story is completely false. Do your homework, folks @DailyMailUK @FoxNews https://t.co/fRCUTanwqe
The Vancouver Sun and The Province has known the address of the property since last month but has not reported it, basically to give the Royals a fair chance at privacy.
But will report that a simple land title search of the property shows that it is owned by Towner Bay Country Club Ltd, that has 24 directors — all but one of whom live in Victoria. And the company has held the property for many years.