A £400million superyacht, a French chateau described as the world’s most expensive home and alleged links to a record-breaking £340million painting have all helped define the image of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince as a figure of extraordinary extravagance.

Yet Mohammed bin Salman, 41, is now reportedly taking refuge in heavily guarded palaces fitted with bunkers as Houthi rebels launch bombardments against Riyadh, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The reported move highlights the contrast between the kingdom’s de facto ruler’s lavish lifestyle and the dangers now confronting him. His purchases have included a floating palace with two helipads and a mansion featuring iPhone-controlled fountains, while his high-profile connections have included Johnny Depp and Lindsay Lohan.

Known widely as MBS, the prince is facing a growing domestic crisis as Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen step up attacks on Saudi airports and oil infrastructure, while also threatening crucial shipping routes through the Red Sea.

The renewed violence in Yemen is a stark reminder that even a world built around MBS’s wealth, palaces and superyachts cannot be fully insulated from the instability on Saudi Arabia’s doorstep.

His fortune reportedly funded the purchase of the 439ft superyacht Serene in 2015, after he had spent only half a day aboard. He paid Russian vodka tycoon Yuri Shefler €429million—then approximately £383million—for the vessel, about twice its original price.

The yacht has two helicopter pads, an underwater viewing chamber, a cinema, a large jacuzzi and a sweeping spiral staircase overlooking a grand piano.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates had previously chartered the yacht for a reported $5million, then around £3.8million, per week.

Bradley Hope and Justin Scheck’s book Blood and Oil says a former helicopter hangar was converted into a nightclub equipped with poles for dancers.

According to the authors, crew members are forbidden from entering the nightclub. Multimedia equipment enables the yacht to be transformed from a venue for political summits into a setting for private parties.

MBS’s reported spending spree that year also extended to Chateau Louis XIV near Versailles, which he bought for more than $300million—then around £230million.

The property was described at the time as the world’s most expensive home. Although it resembles a 17th-century palace, it is a modern mansion built after a developer demolished the 19th-century building that previously stood on the site.

Spread across 57 acres of landscaped grounds, the estate includes gilded interiors, frescoed ceilings, a cinema and a swimming pool.

An underwater chamber built into the moat allows guests to watch fish swimming above them, while the fountains, lighting and air-conditioning can all be controlled using an iPhone.

The grounds also feature a maze and lavish fountains. Kim Kardashian reportedly considered the chateau as a possible venue for her wedding to Kanye West.

The New York Times reported that royal advisers confirmed MBS was its ultimate owner, although the purchase was concealed through shell companies. Saudi officials declined to comment.

His French property interests also reportedly included Le Rouvray, a 620-acre estate, where he later sought permission to build a hunting compound.

Satellite images obtained by Business Insider have also revealed a lavish palace complex on the Red Sea coast within Saudi Arabia’s $2trillion Neom megacity project, featuring private beaches, sprawling gardens, a golf course and 10 helipads.

The outlet identified the sprawling development as likely belonging to Mohammed bin Salman, citing public data and a 2018 Reuters report detailing plans for five royal palaces with Moroccan-style architecture, a marina and a golf course.

The prince has also been linked to Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, which fetched a record $450.3million, then around £340million, at auction in 2017.

Reports identified another Saudi prince as a buyer acting on his behalf, although Abu Dhabi’s department of culture and tourism subsequently said it had acquired the work.

The painting depicts Christ with one hand raised in blessing and the other holding a glass orb. Its sale achieved the highest price ever paid for an artwork at auction. 

Beyond the trophy purchases, Blood and Oil details an extravagant private getaway in the Maldives in July 2015.

The authors claim MBS spent $50million, then around £38million, hiring the island resort of Velaa for a month, with around 150 women flown in to join a few dozen male guests.

Performers included Pitbull, Psy and DJ Afrojack, while the resort offered private pools, butlers and even a snow machine.

The island had around four dozen private villas, many built on stilts over the Indian Ocean, allowing the prince and his entourage to holiday away from public view. 

Staff were banned from carrying smartphones and given $5,000 bonuses, according to the book.

The authors say two employees were fired for breaking the phone rule. Parties continued until dawn, with the men sleeping through much of the day before emerging again in the afternoon. 

On one evening, MBS reportedly climbed on stage during Afrojack’s performance and took over the DJ decks to play his own choice of records. 

But the gathering reportedly broke up within a week after news of the prince’s presence leaked. 

His international connections have extended well beyond his private island parties.

During a 2018 visit to Britain he met the late Queen, while his aides spent billions on billboard space featuring his image and positive slogans.

He also cultivated ties with Donald Trump, whose first foreign trip as a US president in 2017 included a welcome at Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton featuring a 50ft-high projection of his face. 

MBS has also been photographed smiling alongside Jeffrey Epstein in an ornate room displaying portraits and a flag. 

According to the files, the picture was shared in a 2016 group text exchange involving Epstein, a contact identified as ‘Terje’ and an unnamed sender.

The messages do not establish when or where the photograph was taken, or who took it. The image does not suggest any wrongdoing.

On his 2018 tour, MBS met technology figures including Mark Zuckerberg, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and Elon Musk.

His Hollywood encounters included Oprah Winfrey, while a dinner hosted by Rupert Murdoch introduced him to actors Michael Douglas and Morgan Freeman.

His relationship with Mean Girls actress Lindsay Lohan also attracted attention, with reports claiming the pair were regularly texting and that he had showered her with gifts, including a credit card. Lohan denied those claims.

Her father Michael later told Page Six they were ‘just friends’, saying they had met through her work in the Middle East, particularly helping refugees.

‘She has a platonic and respectful relationship with MbS, nothing more,’ he said.

More recently, a report described a friendship with Johnny Depp, who spent more than seven weeks in Saudi Arabia in 2024, staying in royal palaces and camps and travelling by yacht and helicopter.

The actor also reportedly used MBS’s personal Boeing 747 to travel to London and back for the Jeff Beck memorial concert at the Royal Albert Hall. 

His lavish spending later drew scrutiny alongside his 2017 anti-corruption crackdown, which saw princes, ministers and businessmen detained at Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton hotel.

Some detainees subsequently agreed to hand over allegedly ill-gotten gains in exchange for their freedom, according to Saudi Arabia’s then attorney general, Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb.

MBS rejected suggestions that the operation was a political purge, describing them as ‘ludicrous’.

The prince has been guarded when addressing his own wealth.

In a 2018 interview with CBS, he admitted owning ‘large lots of land’ but insisted he donated heavily to charitable causes.

‘My personal life is something I’d like to keep to myself and I don’t try to draw attention to it,’ he said.

‘As far as my private expenses, I’m a rich person and not a poor person. I’m not Gandhi or Mandela. I’m a member of the ruling family that existed for hundreds of years before the founding of Saudi Arabia.’

Kendall Jenner and Jacob Elordi offered a rare glimpse of their romance Saturday night, appearing close at the star-studded Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles.

The 30-year-old model held hands with the 29-year-old Oscar-nominated actor as they sat beside one another during the glamorous event.

Jenner and Elordi, who were first romantically linked in February, smiled warmly as they posed for a rare photo together before sitting down to a steak dinner.

Jenner commanded attention in a strapless, custom Valentino gown covered in polka dots, while Elordi cut a polished figure in a black tuxedo paired with sunglasses.

Across the gala, Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter shared a warm embrace as the longtime friends caught up during the evening.

The 14-time Grammy winner, 36, stood noticeably taller than the 4ft 11in Carpenter, 27, who is known for her hit “Espresso.” Swift drew attention in a glittering strapless navy Dior gown and debuted a shorter hairstyle.

Carpenter highlighted her toned midriff in a daring blue cut-out gown as she posed with Swift, who attended without her husband, Travis Kelce.

Model Cara Delevingne later joined the pair, bringing her own edge to the gathering in a bold black leather ensemble.

Taylor Swift helped launch the night’s entertainment by taking the stage, where she performed several fan favorites, including “Love Story” and “Blank Space.”

She also delivered “The Fate of Ophelia” for the first time, along with “I Knew It, I Knew You,” a song from Toy Story 5.

After her performance, the singer appeared thrilled to reunite with her Toy Story 5 co-stars Joan Cusack and Conan O’Brien.

Swift also avoided a potentially uncomfortable encounter with Kim Kardashian, with whom she has been involved in a very public feud for more than a decade.

The dispute dates back to 2016, when Kardashian’s former husband, Kanye West, released “Famous.” Kardashian later shared edited recordings of a phone conversation that appeared to cast Swift as dishonest, prompting the infamous snake emoji backlash, furious fan reactions and renewed inspiration for Swift’s Reputation era.

Kardashian, 45, made a dramatic entrance in a frilled strapless dress, finished with a baby-pink bow at the back that extended into a train.

The mother of four leaned into Old Hollywood glamour with her hair swept into a sculpted updo and a striking collection of diamonds, including an eye-catching choker necklace.

Kardashian appeared in high spirits as she reunited with Kristen Wiig, following their appearance together at the 50th-anniversary celebration of Saturday Night Live last year.

Elsewhere Chrissy Teigen, 40, couldn’t keep her hands off husband John Legend, 47, as she sat on his knee during the dinner. 

The couple, who tied the knot in 2013, held hands as they posed for photos and Chrissy, who wowed in a plunging strapless gown, sweetly held John’s face. 

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It was a family affair for Kate Hudson, 47, who joined mum Goldie Hawn, 80, and step-dad Kurt Russell, 75, inside the gala. 

The mother-daughter duo looked the double of each other as they beamed for photos. 

Elsewhere Emily Bader and Lili Reinhart turned heads as they took their seats next to each other for the extravagant dinner. 

Emily Ratajkowski, 35, looked loved-up with her French director boyfriend Romain Gavras, 45, as they cosied up during the drinks reception. 

The actress wowed in a vibrant red figure-hugging dress as she placed a hand on Romain’s chest.  

Keeping cool, Jamie Lee Curtis, 67, who stunned in a glittering long-sleeved dress, held up a peace sign at the dinner table. 

Hailey Bieber, 29, made a solo appearance without husband Justin as she beamed alongside Alexa Demie. 

The Rhode founder looked nothing short of sensational in a pink floor-length dress which boasted dazzling gold edging. 

Demi Moore, 63, reunited with Tyrant co-star Charlize Theron, 51, during the gala evening. 

It wouldn’t be a night out without a selfie and it was actor Eli Roth, 54, who made sure to snap one with Cruel Summer singer Taylor. 

The sixth annual soiree is held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and serves as the museum’s biggest fundraiser for its film exhibitions, screenings and other programmes offered to members and the public.

Academy Museum president Amy Homma hailed Swift, 36, as ‘an extraordinary talent whose work resonates around the world’, in a statement announcing her booking.

‘We are thrilled to welcome her to this year’s gala and look forward to her performance to close a wonderful evening of honoring three extraordinary filmmakers and supporting the Academy Museum’s mission to celebrate and preserve cinema.’

This year’s Academy Museum Gala is honoring Oscar winner Charlize Theron, Oscar nominee Colman Domingo and Halloween director John Carpenter.

Theron will be given the Icon Award for global impact, which at past ceremonies has gone to Julia Roberts, Penelope Cruz, Meryl Streep and Rita Moreno.

Domingo is being bequeathed the Vantage Award, a tip of the hat to artists who fly in the face of the prevailing narratives in cinema.

His predecessors in receiving the gong include Michael B Jordan, Paul Mescal, 12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen and Saturday Night Live alumnus Bowen Yang.

Sabrina, who is also a noted composer, is being garlanded with the Luminary Award for those whose work has broadened the scope of creativity in cinema. 

A mural in the Welsh Valleys town of Blaina depicts a young girl clutching a daffodil beneath the words: “A small town with a big Welsh heart”.

The former mining community in Gwent has long been known for its tight-knit spirit. With fewer than 5,000 residents, Blaina is the sort of place where people know one another — and local news spreads quickly.

That close community rallied when 14-year-old Lilly Jones failed to come home on a Saturday evening in June. Neighbours joined the search almost immediately.

Two days later, Lilly’s body was discovered in woodland at Duffryn Park, a nine-acre area featuring sports pitches and nature trails beside the Ebbw Fach river.

Relatives described Lilly as a “beautiful, kind and caring” girl who had an “eclectic taste in music”. She had suffered multiple stab wounds. Days later, a 14-year-old boy was charged with her murder.

The killing has devastated Blaina. As residents mourned one of their own, detectives were also dealing with a much broader crisis across the region.

Police chiefs say the number of killings in Gwent has risen by an “unprecedented” 270 per cent over the past year.

The rural county north-east of Cardiff typically records two or three murders annually. Yet 11 killings were reported during the first 10 months of 2026.

Gwent Police Chief Constable Mark Hobrough said he was concerned that his 1,535 officers could suffer burnout. He also warned that record overtime bills were putting severe pressure on the force’s finances.

Mr Hobrough warned that, if the rise in killings continues into next year, he may have to consider cheaper options — including bringing in specialist investigators on temporary “zero-hours type” contracts.

The young age of many of the victims has been among the most disturbing features of the killings.

They included 17-year-old rugby player Tristan Kerr, who was fatally stabbed with a zombie knife in the village of Abertridwr, near Caerphilly, in February.

In Newport, only a short drive away, 19-year-old Jaydon Bowyer died in May alongside his best friend, 16-year-old Ta-Shay Canoville. The pair were thrown from a motorbike in what police suspect was a hit-and-run.

The oldest victim was 74-year-old Brian Parfitt, who died a month earlier after being attacked inside his home in Pontypool, a town of around 30,000 people north of Newport.

Several other deaths occurred in public places.

Tony Jones, a 56-year-old father of two, was killed during a violent brawl in nearby Pontnewynydd on August 7.

Police believe the violence involved two rival motorcycle clubs, the Hells Angels and the Vikings. Witnesses reportedly saw people wielding knives and hammers.

As part of the murder investigation, officers have made 45 arrests and preserved 55 scenes.

Mr Hobrough said the spike in homicides has been accompanied by other horrifying incidents, including the death of a nine-month-old baby in a dog attack. 

He said there was no link between the 11 killings and that many stemmed from domestic violence and substance misuse.

Others appear to have been sparked by trivial disputes.

On February 20, Kyle O’Callaghan, 30, punched 37-year-old Marcus Carpenter in the head outside a Wetherspoons because he felt ‘disrespected’.

Both men were in the pub with separate groups of friends when O’Callaghan asked Mr Carpenter to come outside after hearing he ‘had been saying things about him’.

After throwing a first punch, O’Callaghan continued trying to argue with Mr Carpenter before landing a second ‘fatal, sickening blow’ while his victim had his arms down by his side, Newport Crown Court heard.

The cowardly killer admitted manslaughter and was jailed for ten-and-a-half years.

While everyone acknowledges the police are under pressure, locals in Blaina criticised the idea of employing investigators on a ‘zero-hours’ basis.

Since Mr Hobrough’s comments to Monmouthshire councillors, Gwent Police has clarified that it does not employ anyone on zero-hours contracts.

The force said any new staff it recruits in would be on short-term temporary contracts, a similar arrangement to agency staff. It said these individuals could assist detectives during ‘future periods of high demand’.

Nonetheless, many in Blaina fear the force is already struggling to cope.

Brian Jones, a 62-year-old retired scaffolder, pointed out that Lilly’s body was found by two boys shortly after officers called off their search at dusk. 

Gwent Police were alerted but it was another 12 minutes before officers returned to the scene. 

‘We all know the resources aren’t there. We saw that when the young girl went missing and was found dead,’ he said.

On Blaina’s high street, many of the shops are closed and shuttered, while those that have survived tend to be takeaways and Turkish barbers.

A recurring complaint was the shortage of officers on the beat and a dearth of community police stations.

Retired dementia carer Jonathan Williams, 60, said: ‘It’s all falling apart. Growing up there was a police station and courtroom in every town in the Valleys, but not anymore.

‘This is one of the most poverty-hit areas in the UK.’

Other residents complained of masked gangs of youths riding quad bikes, motorbikes and electric scooters through Blaina and the neighbouring towns of Abertillery, Ebbw Vale and Brynmawr. 

Grandmother Angela Thomas, 69, who was walking her dog Tilly along Blaina’s high street, called for a return to traditional policing. 

She said: ‘Police officers should start as constables and work their way up.

‘If we need more police officers the Government should put up the money and they should be recruited and trained in the normal way.’

While Gwent has not seen any further murders since the Pontypool brawl in August, residents fear the violence is far from over. 

Businesswoman Cara Davies, 43, who runs a street food business in Blaina called Smash’d, said: ‘It’s a frightening place to live and work at the moment.

‘I’ve been close to two murders in the area, Lilly here in Blaina and the biker gang murder in Pontypool where I live.

‘There’s been a big increase in murders and serious crime in Gwent but you don’t see police on the streets.

‘There were plenty here when Lilly died, but after that it went back to normal.’

Harry and Meghan were accompanied during their walkabout in Nottingham by a former Kensington Palace aide who once appeared as a stripper in a soap-opera spin-off, the Daily Mail can reveal.

As the couple greeted members of the public, Beth Herlihy followed discreetly a few steps behind, helping to carry the flowers and balloons presented by supporters.

Ms Herlihy, who earns $155,000 a year as a programme coordinator for the Sussexes, co-founded the public relations boutique Herlihy Loughran. She previously worked for the Royal Family before becoming one of Harry and Meghan’s most trusted aides.

She travelled to Nottingham with the couple yesterday after helping organise their engagements in the city, walking behind them as they greeted a crowd of around 100 people.

Video footage also showed her directing schoolchildren into position shortly before Harry and Meghan arrived to cheers.

Before moving into royal circles, however, Ms Herlihy pursued a different career as a soap actress. Her roles included playing a stripper in a racy Hollyoaks spin-off.

Using the stage name Bethan Coundley, she played Honey in two episodes of Channel 4’s Hollyoaks Later in 2011.

In the storyline, her character slept with a man before drugging him and making him hallucinate that he had killed her with an axe.

The deception was exposed when a supposed burial site was found to contain a pig’s body rather than a human corpse.

Ms Herlihy also appeared in several racy photoshoots, including one in 2012 in which she wore a PVC bodysuit.

Away from acting, she built a career in public relations and joined Kensington Palace within a few years. She now works with Harry and Meghan after establishing an advisory firm serving prominent figures and organisations in the philanthropic sector.

Ms Herlihy founded the firm with Clara Loughran, another former royal aide who served as Harry’s programme manager. Ms Loughran is married to Nick Loughran, Harry’s former assistant communications secretary.

She was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order by the Queen on Harry’s recommendation. The honour is awarded to people who have served the monarchy with dedication in a personal capacity.

The organisation describes itself as “a small, high-trust advisory working with high-profile individuals, founders and organisations to build and deliver meaningful philanthropic work.”

Its “bespoke” services include “advice, positioning and delivery”, with the stated aim of helping “good people do meaningful things, exceptionally well”. Retaining the firm, however, comes at a considerable cost.

A tax return filed by Harry and Meghan’s charity, Archewell Philanthropies, shows that the couple paid Herlihy Loughran $155,000 for strategic advisory services. The firm received $127,807 in 2022.

The six-figure payment may reflect the time Ms Herlihy and Ms Loughran spend working for the Sussexes. As the Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English has written: “Both have been trained in the ‘royal way’.”

‘Even the walkabout undertaken by the couple – just hours after their own team pointedly insisted they wouldn’t do one because they didn’t have the security to manage it, despite the exact timings of their visit being publicly released, presumably in an effort to drum up interest – was royal in all but name.’ 

Ms Herlihy was hired as an events manager at the Royal Foundation, the joint charitable vehicle for the now-Prince and Princess of Wales and the Sussexes, in 2016. 

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After the Sussexes split from the foundation in 2018, she remained with Harry and Meghan but was laid off by Kensington Palace after the Sussexes stepped down as senior royals and relocated to the US. 

She set up Herlihy Loughran in 2020 and has followed the Sussexes across the pond. 

In September 2023, she was seen talking with the Prince at the Invictus Games in Germany. The pair chatted in the stands as they watched a wheelchair basketball match between Team UK and Ukraine in Düsseldorf. 

And it would seem that Ms Herlihy has remained loyal to the Sussexes after they decided to return to the UK after six years living in Montecito, California. 

Dressed in black trousers, a beige sweater and suede boots, Ms Beth was close at hand as Harry and Meghan carried out a series of charity visits in Nottingham – nine years after their first royal visit to the city. 

The scenes looked identical to their walkabout almost a decade ago – although the crowds appeared smaller in 2026.

Around 100 royal fans and well-wishers gathered to greet Harry and Meghan. The duchess beamed as she shook hands and took selfies with fans, including one boy who asked if she lived in a mansion and another who wanted to know whether she had a Bentley.

The visit came after the Sussexes were described as ‘private citizens’ by the King, who was in Wales with the Queen for an official engagement at the same time.

One of the Duchess’ friends said Meghan does not see herself as a working royal and is instead more of a ‘full-time mum and entrepreneur’, adding that public events like this with her husband will be ‘rare’ for her.

The Sussexes were supporting a number of charities, including a community food project established in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and a recording studio where Meghan took part in an acting workshop.

In keeping with traditional royal engagements, the scores of photographers and journalists gathered outside were kept behind barriers, as were the crowds of well-wishers, some clutching flowers, with one youngster holding a unicorn balloon, while media access inside the event was pooled.

Harry and Meghan are waiting to hear whether they will be granted taxpayer-funded security, with the duke said to fear a delay after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced a review of security measures for the royal family and public figures in the wake of the death of Reform UK’s justice spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe.

The duke and duchess are said to consider themselves ‘public figures’ and were caught off-guard by the letter, authorised by the King, outlining their position.

Meghan is hoping to launch As Ever in the UK by the end of this year.

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