Nick Clegg swaps Putney townhouse for £7million California mansion ahead of new Facebook role
Former deputy Prime Minister Sir Nick Clegg has relocated to a £7million home in California as he prepares to start his new executive role at Facebook, it has been revealed.
The former Lib Dem leader, 52, and his wife, lawyer Miriam Gonzalez Durantez, 50, bought the "luxurious" new home in December.
The five-bedroom property, worth a reported fee of $9million (£7million) stands in almost an acre of land, and was described by its estate agent as "a timeless classic".
The house boasts a roomy kitchen with marble worktops and an island seating area, as well as a separate dining room and a library.
Among the "luxurious amenities" for Sir Nick and his family to enjoy are a hot tub, a swimming pool, and a large patio with an outdoor log-burning fire.
The sprawling home is situated in the Silicon Valley town of Atherton, near San Francisco, which was last year named "the most expensive zip code in the country" by Forbes magazine.
And the area is just three miles away from Facebook HQ in Menlo Park, where Sir Nick will be working as Vice-President of Global Affairs.
The couple have now moved into their new home with their three sons, aged 16, 14 and nine.
Sir Nick is believed to have kept his townhouse in Putney in south-west London, reportedly worth £2million.
His lavish new home is thought to reflect his new bumper pay packet, rumoured to be worth up to £7million including bonuses.
Sir Nick's appointment in Octoberwas met with criticism, with some accusing him of hypocrisy owing to his previous scorn towards Facebook for paying too little tax.
Less than three years ago, he described the social media giant's 'messianic Californian new-worldy-touchy-feely culture’ as ‘a little grating’.
Sir Nick, who lost his Sheffield Hallam seat in the 2015 general election, can now count former Google chairman Eric Schmidt, and Facebook deputy Sheryl Sandberg, among his new neighbours.
In an interview this month Ms Gonzalez Durantez said of the family’s move to the US: "California is the more European of all the states. They are constantly looking to the future."
This week she shared a picture on Instagram of a trip to the beach, writing: "It could be Dorset but it is the Pacific."
Facebook declined to comment.
