Royal couple buys sprawling Southampton mansion

It’s a home fit for a princess and after a decade on and off the market, it finally found one.

Marie-Chantal Miller, the Crown Princess of Greece, and her husband Pavlos, the Crown Prince, are the buyers of a 13,000-square-foot estate in Southampton that recently closed after multiple price adjustments, a source familiar with the matter told The Real Deal.

The royals closed on the home for $16.5 million. That was nearly 40 percent below its original $27 million listing in 2009, according to Zillow. It was later relisted for $25.8 million in 2012, and dropped to $19 million in 2017, before rising to $22 million in 2018. 

The 10-bedroom, eight-bathroom estate is set on lush grounds and includes a tennis court and swimming pool. A pathway leading to the entrance is lined with a collection of sculpted, spherical hedges — one of many regal touches.

The seller named in property records is socialite Ulla Parker. She did not respond to requests for comment.

Broker Djida Oppenheim, of Saunders & Associates, had the listing. She declined to comment. Andrea Ackerman of Brown Harris Stevens brought the buyer. She also declined to comment, citing confidentiality.

Susan Breitenbach of Corcoran Group said she brokered the sale of the undeveloped property to Parker and her ex-husband in the early 2000s. The couple built the house before they divorced, she said.

It took many years for Parker to find the right buyer for her home, despite price cuts. She cycled through a string of brokers and rented out the mansion at various points over the past decade. 

The prince of Greece, who is the eldest son of King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie, married Marie-Chantal Miller, daughter of billionaire Robert Warren Miller, in London in 1995. The couple, who have five children, reportedly own multiple homes across the world.

Luxury sales in the Hamptons have struggled in recent years, echoing the Manhattan market. But Breitenbach said last month saw a flurry of sales, which was no surprise.

“The prices have come down about 30 percent and things are trading,” she said. “Owners are getting realistic and buyers are feeling that it’s a good time to buy.”

Write to Sylvia Varnham O’Regan at so@therealdeal.com