Wealthy Americans living in luxe California mansions and New York penthouses are now snatching up historic homes abroad. Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire CEO of Meta, just added a 196-year-old Gothic castle in Ireland to his growing property portfolio.
Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, recently bought the Strancally Castle in Waterford, Ireland: a 19th-century, Gothic-style mansion overlooking the River Blackwater in the southeast.
The three-story home was built in 1830 and later extensively renovated in 2003, reportedly featuring 11 main bedrooms, a cut-stone Gothic Revival facade, 16,000 square feet of living space, and sprawling green lawns across its 440 acres. While the transaction was not listed on the Irish state property price register, the Irish Times estimates that the billionaire couple’s new home could be worth between €20 million (around $23.3 million) and €30 million (roughly $35 million).
Beyond luxury and historic appeal, there could also be a practical purpose behind Zuckerberg’s purchase. Meta’s international headquarters are nestled in Dublin, about 125 miles from Strancally Castle. The family won’t reside in the Emerald Isle full-time, but the estate will serve as a European home base for the highly influential family. The Waterford City and County Council also emphasized the area’s rugged coastlines and picturesque towns when asked about the billionaire’s castle purchase.
“Mark and his family are excited to continue caring for this historic home and look forward to spending time in Ireland, where Meta maintains its international headquarters,” Brian Baker, a spokesperson for Zuckerberg, tells Fortune.
Wealthy Americans are buying up million-dollar mansions in Europe
Zuckerberg is just one of many wealthy Americans adding foreign postcodes to their property portfolios.
In 2019, hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin bought a $122 million Georgian mansion near Buckingham Palace—which, at the time, was London’s most expensive sale in over a decade. The 16,000-square-foot mansion located at 3 Carlton Gardens boasts a spa and indoor swimming pool, as well as a historic backstory, having previously served as Charles de Gaulle’s wartime headquarters.
Other ultrarich Americans including George Clooney, Tom Ford, and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt have all added European homes to their portfolios.
More wealthy, non-famous Americans have been eyeing up U.K. homes as well, chasing stability as the U.S. grapples with soaring cost of living, political polarization, and economic uncertainty.
This year, London witnessed a staggering jump in the number of sales valued above £15 million ($20 million), and it’s largely being driven by Americans with deep pockets, according to luxury real estate company Beauchamp Estates. An estimated £1.24 billion ($1.66 billion) worth of property was sold across 34 deals between January and June 2026, compared with the £694.1 million ($928 million) sales across 27 properties in the same period of 2025. And in the first half of this year, Americans accounted for 30% of all home sales above $20 million—up from 20% at the end of 2025—helping fuel the £546 million ($730 million) rise within just six months.
The real estate firm says that newly minted tech wealth, favorable buying conditions, and uncertainty surrounding the Trump administration are driving more Americans to the city’s luxury housing market.
“The U.S. economy and booming tech sector are generating significant wealth, but unease over Trump has helped to generate a 10% rise in American buyers transferring some of their money offshore into London property purchases,” Rosy Khalastchy, the director and head of St John’s Wood Office at Beauchamp Estates, shared in a press release with Fortune earlier this year.
The real estate company also points to a preferential exchange rate, opportunities for deals and discounts, and the city being viewed as “a good European business base” to grow their success. And beyond the financial incentives, Americans are choosing London for its social scene and quality education system. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, also recently enrolled their children in British schools upon their move back to the U.K. from California.
