Belgravia townhouse once home to exiled Greek princess for sale ‘for the first time in a generation’ at £39.5 million

The palatial Eaton Square townhouse was once home to Prince Philip’s cousin, Princess Katherine of Greece, who lived in London as Lady Katherine Brandram
The townhouse is one of 12 garden-facing freehold houses on Eaton Square
Alex Winship Photography
Cat Olley21 March 2023

It has been called home by three prime ministers, two James Bonds and enough Russian oligarchs to earn it the easy prefix ‘Red’, but Belgravia’s Eaton Square has intriguing royal ties to boot — and we don’t mean Fergie’s pied-à-terre.

In 1947, once exiled Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark quietly moved into a 10,000 square foot, six-bedroom townhouse, which is now up for sale for £39.5 million with Beauchamp Estates.

Born a few weeks after her paternal grandfather King George I was assassinated in Thessaloniki, Katherine faced a unsettled childhood between Greece, Switzerland, Sicily and Florence, before being educated near Broadstairs in Kent.

Princess Katherine and Queen Elizabeth II as young bridesmaids for Prince George and Princess Marina
Archive

She returned to Greece in 1935 when her brother George was reinstated as king, but soon fled to South Africa after the country was overrun by Axis forces in the Second World War.

It was on the last leg of her 1946 voyage to England that Princess Katherine met (and soon married) Major Richard Campbell Brandram MC, with King George VI granting her the British title of Lady Katherine Brandram. The couple settled in Eaton Square in 1947, before moving on to Marlowe in Buckinghamshire.

Lady Brandram remained in the orbit of the British royal family, attending the Queen’s wedding to Prince Philip — her first cousin — and a service to mark his 80th birthday in 2001.

The reception hall features an inlaid marble floor and Corinthian columns
Alex Winship Photography

Refurbished some 30 years ago by socalite interior designer Nicky Haslam, once declared by Tatler as “the most well-connected man in Britain”, the former royal residence is one of only 12 freehold houses facing the square.

Its deep-pocketed buyer will find little lacking among the Grade II-listed property’s 10,000 square feet of living space, which is split across the main house and a connecting mews home.

There’s the suitably stately full width entrance hall, with its inlaid marble floor, chandelier and Corinthian columns, and the cluster of grand reception rooms which offer a dizzying range of hosting options.

The interiors feature gilt edged wall panelling, cornicing and mouldings
Alex Winship Photography

The lower ground floor has been configured to sequester staff quarters from the rest of the house, and it’s here you’ll find the chef’s kitchen, wine cellar, utility, laundry and several vaults.

An elevator has been installed to deliver the owners swiftly between all six floors, beside a separate lift for funneling food from the kitchen to the formal dining room — and possibly the odd room service request.

The mews house, which connects to the main house on the lower ground floor, has five bedrooms, three ensuite shower rooms, multiple receptions, a garage and a storeroom.

According to Marcus O’Brien, Head of Beauchamp Estates Private Office, the square is the “jewel in the crown of the Grosvenor Estate and regarded as one of the best addresses in London”.

He anticipates “significant domestic and international interest” in the former royal residence.

The conservatory connects the house to a private garden square
Alex Winship Photography

A former home to such disparate figures as Neville Chamberlain, Margaret Thatcher, Vivien Leigh, Roman Abramovich and George Soros, Eaton Square is the largest garden square in London.

It was named in 2016 as the most expensive street in England and Wales, with a then-average price tag of £16.9 million. It has since been overtaken by Kensington’s Phillimore Gardens, where properties command an average price of £23.8 million.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in