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The ex-wife of the Russian oligarch who formerly owned Meghan and Harry's new house has said he 'destroyed' her life. It emerged earlier this week that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex bought a palatial nine-bedroom Californian estate from Russian investor Sergey Grishin.
Grishin and his ex-wife Anna Fedoseeva are currently embroiled in an intense legal battle. He denies her claims that he held a gun to her head and knocked her teeth out. Now Fedoseeva has spoken out against her former partner, calling him a 'dangerous man'. “Meghan struggles for women’s rights, but in my case, that means just to be alive," she told The Sun on Sunday.
Fedoseeva said she did not think that Harry and Meghan were aware of Grishin when they bought the property, but suggested that their advisors might have done more due diligence before the purchase. The 38-year-old said: “He put me through hell, with domestic violence, assaults and threats to me and all my loved ones. She added: "I do not think it wise for anyone to surround themselves with Sergey Grishin."
Billionaire Grishin is the former owner of another nearby home, known as the Scarface mansion after it appeared in the 1983 Al Pacino movie. In court documents it is alleged that he "sent numerous death threats, violent images, and pornographic images to his wife and (her new partner Jennifer) Sulkess in text and video messages", the Sun reported. It is alleged he texted Fedoseeva claiming he had a "Glock" for her.
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The same documents include allegations that he pointed a gun with a silencer at her head and forced her to strip. Grishin denies the claims. A spokesperson for the Russian said he was the 'victim of a fraud' and claimed his ex-wife planned to defraud him of millions of dollars to fund her life with her new partner, MailOnline reported. Grishin later claimed, in a lawsuit filed in California, that his wife and her new partner Sulkess were lovers and they were trying to trick him out of millions of dollars.
When that failed she Fedoseeva began making 'false' claims against Grishin, the spokesperson added. Fedoseeva told MailOnline: "I keep reading articles which say that Harry and Meghan have 'quietly' bought this house. Regardless of the home's former owners, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will now need to find almost £50,000 per month over the next 30 years to cover the repayments, property taxes and insurances.
The couple managed to secure a mortgage despite still owing the British taxpayer £2.4million for the renovation of Frogmore Cottage, their former home near Windsor Castle. It was previously agreed the former senior royals would pay £18,000 a month to repay the cost of refurbishing the cottage which they left when they left the UK in November last year. A source said: "All combined, Harry and Meghan need to find around £68,000 per month to meet their financial commitments. It is a staggering amount.
"No wonder they want to get working."
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The couple had faced paying much more for their new home, but after haggling over the price for the 14,563-square-foot house, they managed to knock more than £7.5 million of the asking price. Harry, 35, and Meghan, 39, eventually landed the mansion which boasts a rose garden, pool, theatre, arcade, children's play area and guest house, for £11.1 million after putting down a £3.8 million deposit.
It also has a stripper pole installed in its gym. Pictures previously taken inside the home show high beamed ceilings, mock real fires, a library, ten-seater dining room, spa with a separate dry and wet sauna, theatre and a wine cellar. Guests can be entertained in the games room complete with poker table, pinball machines, bar and pool table.
Photographs of the interior found in old listings show one of the bedrooms has a children's bedroom shaped like a pink princess castle. Outside, the sprawling estate is hedged and gated from the street and reached by a winding drive paved with hand-cut, locally sourced stone.
Beyond the entrance are tiered English rose gardens, 100-year-old olive trees and tall Italian cypress trees, five-car garage manicured laws and large swimming pool. Other features include a tennis court, a children's cottage, a tea house, and on the south end of the grounds sits a two bed/two bath guest house should they invite any of the royals to visit.
