Saudi royal exes in spat over their massive Beverly Hills estate

A Saudi prince wants to get his money back for the 2-mansion property

Part of the 2.3-acre estate
Part of the 2.3-acre estate

It’s a game of thobes in Beverly Hills.

A Saudi royal and his ex-wife are in court over the fate of a massive 18-bedroom compound. Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is suing ex-wife Fahdah Husain Abdulrahman Al-Athel over the 2.3-acre estate, which includes two mansions. The lawsuit, filed in a Delaware court, seeks to stop Al-Athel from selling the property and collect all the proceeds, according to Bloomberg.

The couple bought the massive estate in 2011 through a Delaware entity for $16.8 million, and the prince reportedly sunk $41 million worth of work into it. That included new “audio-visual systems” and $1.3 million worth of lighting, furnishings and accessories.

The couple divorced in 2016 and Prince Faisal — a son of King Abdullah, who died in 2015 — wants to recover his investment.

He also accused his ex-wife of being “grossly negligent in failing to maintain the property,” and for failing to pay taxes on it, which damaged its value.

The Beverly Park Homeowners Association also placed a $14,450 lien on the property in early 2017, citing five months of unpaid dues. That came out to $2,500-$2,800 per month, according to property records.

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Hilton & Hyland has a listing for the property at $20 million.

Agent David Kramer said in a listing the property is 29,000 square feet over 3 acres. Kramer said each of the two homes opens with a “grand two-story foyer,” and that a plan exists to convert the property into a single-family residence.

There’s little public info about Al-Athel, but Prince Faisal’s most recent government post in Saudi Arabia was as chief of the Saudi Red Crescent, a position he left in 2016.

They aren’t the only Saudi royals active in Los Angeles.

The Beverly Hills estate of late Saudi Prince Saud al-Faisal and his widow Princess Johara bint Faisal hit the market in March for $110 million.

Another Saudi prince is in the center of a suit over square footage at a Burbank office space. Prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd is the absentee landlord of the property. A tenant said the property manager fudged the square footage of the property on its lease and is overcharging it rent.  [Bloomberg] – Dennis Lynch