Prior to the 'sale that never was' in July of that year, Christie's pre-sale estimate for an array of primary provenanced Chippendale and other rococo furniture belonging to the Marquess of Bute was £11m-17.4m.
However, according to an investigation into the finances of the Prince of Wales' Trust, the real cost of stopping the sale was £40m – £10m for the house and £30m for the contents that had been priced conservatively for auction. The Prince borrowed £20m to boost the fund designed to keep the house and contents together.
Christie's (who produced a two-volume catalogue for the sale of 634 lots) and the estate agent Savills are understood to have been paid fees in the region of £3m.
