Billionaire William Lauder is the mysterious buyer of Rush Limbaugh’s lavish Palm Beach estate

Billionaire William Lauder and heir to Estée Lauder has been revealed as the mysterious buyer of Rush Limbaugh’s $155 million Palm Beach waterfront estate.

Kathryn Adams Limbaugh, 46, quietly listed the lavish waterfront property for between $150 million and $175 million last year.

It sets a new record for Palm Beach, with the last largest sale, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), being $129.6 million for four parcels in 2013 by hedge fund Ken Griffin.

Rush, who died of lung cancer in 2021, purchased the property in 1998 for $3.9 million, acquired through a trust tied to Kathryn. He also bought four adjacent lots to build a 2.7 hectare estate.

Billionaire William Lauder and heir to Estée Lauder has been revealed as the mysterious buyer of Rush Limbaugh’s $155 million Palm Beach waterfront estate

Kathryn Adams Limbaugh, 46, quietly listed the lavish waterfront property for between $150 million and $175 million last year

The mansion also includes a view of the sea as well as a pool and putting green for golf

Rush, who died of lung cancer in 2021, bought the property in 1998 for $3.9 million — it was acquired through a trust tied to Kathryn. He also bought up four neighboring lots to build a 2.7-acre estate

The mansion has its own private beach and a huge salon in the style of the Palace of Versailles.

Meanwhile, the main guest suite was modeled after the Presidential Suite at the Hotel George V in Paris.

Real estate experts last year suggested buyers might view the property as more of a “demolition” for those looking for less dates and a modern home.

Limbaugh — a man with a net worth of around $600 million when he died — paid $3.9 million for the principal estate in 1998.

His ex-wife Marta paid $2.3 million for the home at 108 Mediterranean Road in 2000, and Limbaugh’s Trust paid $450,000 for the home next door at 1501 North Ocean Boulevard in 1999.

The book An Army of One, which portrays Limbaugh, details how the conservative icon decorated most of the property himself.

“It reflects the things and places he saw and admired,” wrote Zev Chafets, the book’s author.

“The house had a huge drawing room designed to evoke Versailles, he wrote, and a massive chandelier in the dining room was a replica of the chandelier in New York’s Plaza Hotel.”

The main house has seven bedrooms, a dozen bathrooms, and a two-story library inspired by North Carolina’s Biltmore Estate, which features wood-painted walls and “angels dancing on the ceiling,” according to Chafet’s book. The library also has an elevator.

The house has a sandy path that leads to the beach (pictured)

The home also has an expansive backyard with a brick walkway

The villa, which has its own private beach, was largely decorated by Rush. It features a huge salon in the style of the Palace of Versailles and a main guest suite modeled after the Presidential Suite at the Hotel George V in Paris

The main house has seven bedrooms, a dozen bathrooms, and a two-story library inspired by North Carolina’s Biltmore Estate, which featured wood-painted walls and dancing cherubs on the ceiling.

The home has a 24-hour guard station and also includes a studio where Limbaugh has broadcast live for more than two decades.

It was one of several properties owned by Limbaugh, who also owned a condo on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Limbaugh, the radio icon and “voice of American conservatism,” died in February 2021 at the age of 70 after years of battling lung cancer.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom winner was diagnosed with advanced stage IV lung cancer in February 2020.

He hosted his last radio show on February 2, in which he announced that another host was on call should his health deteriorate.

“Well, my friends, that’s it. Another foray into broadcast excellence in a can. I enjoyed being with you today, I always do. And look forward to next time,” he said at the end of the show.

In the early 1980s, Limbaugh first gained an audience, broadcasting shows filled with sarcasm and bravado.

Limbaugh began national broadcasting of WABC in New York in 1988.

While his know-it-all comment quickly gained traction, he was dismayed at his reception there and thought he would be greeted by Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather.

“I came to New York,” he wrote, “and immediately became a nothing, a zero.”

Ultimately, Limbaugh moved his radio show to Palm Beach and bought his vast estate.

According to Talkers Magazine, which covers the industry, Limbaugh had the largest audience in the country in 2019 with 15 million unique listeners per week.