Roman Abramovich’s picturesque French property is reported to be worth $117 million.

No Roman Holiday

A 32,000-square-foot château on the French Riviera once lived in by Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson is another property that Abramovich can’t access

By Dominic Midgley

When Roman Abramovich first laid eyes on Château de la Croë it bore little resemblance to the palatial mansion it is today.

After three decades of abandonment following a fire in 1970 that had reduced the once-magnificent Riviera villa to a burned-out shell, its scorched exterior was beyond dilapidated.