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Lionel Richie flies into Inverness airport


By Gregor White

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Lionel Richie. Picture: Wikimedia Commons
Lionel Richie. Picture: Wikimedia Commons

Scotland’s wealthiest man had superstar Lionel Richie flown in to perform at his belated 50th birthday bash over the weekend.

Anders Holch Povlsen, who's also the UK's largest private landowner, put on the glitzy party at Aldourie Castle on the eastern banks of Loch Ness.

The event was also a launch party to celebrate his expensive revamp of the castle which he bought for £15million nearly a decade ago.

Richie performed his many hits, including Easy, Penny Lover, Running With the Night, Hello and Dancing on the Ceiling.

He then flew back out the same day, with Inverness Airport apparently kept open for his late-night departure.

As well as the US singer, the party's 300 or so guests were also treated to a flypast by a Spitfire.

One insider said a plane had been chartered from Mr Povlsen’s native Denmark to bring over around 200 friends and family members.

They were then ferried to the castle in a constant stream of Mercedes people carriers.

Anders Holch Povlsen
Anders Holch Povlsen

Mr Povlsen, who was 50 in November, plans to turn Aldourie into Scotland's "greatest hotel".

Exclusive use will cost upwards of £60,000 for a week, while the minimum stay of three nights will be around £30,000 at peak times.

A planning application was submitted in 2020 to restore boathouses, which were part of the 19th century expansion of the castle and were typical of a Scottish country estate.

More than £1million has also been spent on creating a show-piece garden which includes an 82ft steel and iron suspension bridge.

An aerial shot of Aldourie Castle and the marquee reportedly set up for the party.
An aerial shot of Aldourie Castle and the marquee reportedly set up for the party.

The tycoon is CEO of the international clothing chain Bestseller which includes Vero Moda and Jack&Jones.

He is also the largest shareholder in the British internet fashion retailer ASOS.

A terrorist bomb attack on a hotel in Sri Lanka during a family holiday in 2019 claimed the lives three of his four children.

However he and his wife have since had three more, including a pair of twins.

According to the Sunday Times Rich List for 2023, Mr Povlsen is said to be worth £8.5 billion.


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