Indian billionaire buys £2-m mansion for daughter

An unnamed Indian billionaire has acquired a £2-billion mansion in the Scottish countryside as a home for his daughter who is set to begin her course at the University of St Andrews in Scotland next week, according to a media report on Saturday.

The Eden Mansion, which was built in 1860 as a peaceful retreat for former First World War field marshal Earl Haig and his family – one of Scotland's oldest whisky distillers – is now set to welcome its Indian owners, 'The Times' reported.

The eight-bedroom Victorian country house, which features a private cinema, a wine cellar, stables and five acres of land, was also viewed by Prince William and then-girlfriend Kate Middleton as a potential Scottish home in 2003, during their final year at the University of St Andrews. But they chose a cottage on the nearby Strathtyrum Estate in the end.

A sales brochure of the Eden Mansion describes the property as a "beautifully restored eight-bedroom grand period country mansion set in mature grounds overlooking the Eden estuary towards the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews".

A spokesperson for Savills, the estate agency marketing the property, told the newspaper that "all I am at liberty to say is that Eden Mansion is not on the market", indicating that the deal may have been finalised for the Indian family to move in.

Anonymity may not be possible for long

Andrew Sinclair, editor of the local The Saint student newspaper, warned that it may prove impossible for the new "posh" student to maintain anonymity in a town with fewer than 20,000 residents.

"Everyone knows everyone in St Andrews. You can't fly under the radar like you can in a big city university," said Sinclair.

"If you are tucked away in a house with 12 staff you won't have the full student experience that makes St Andrews so special," he said, in reference to reports from earlier this week which revealed that the family had advertised for 12 staff to cater to their daughter's needs during her university life.

The first-year student at the University of St Andrew, on the east coast of Scotland, will have a house manager, three housekeepers, a gardener, a lady's maid and a butler on hand to help her, along with three footmen, a chauffeur, and a private chef, who must specialise in "south Indian cuisine like Dosa", the report said.

Recruitment agency Silver Swan had described the family as "ultra-high net worth" and revealed that successful applicants would be expected to hold doors open for their young mistress and wake her in the morning while displaying a "cheerful" disposition.

"The house will be a full-time residence for the daughter who will be attending university there," the online advert noted.

"Having servants in the 21st century is so not cool," said a fellow student from the campus, with another adding that it would be "bloody amazing" to get invited to any parties that the new billionaire student plans on throwing.