But now the entire empire of property mogul Pan Sutong – including Asia‘s tallest building, a 117-storey tower standing 1,957ft or twice the height of The Shard in London – is imploding, amid a slew of legal battles, prompting distress about the ease with which Sutong, 61, was able to ingratiate himself with the royal princes.
‘We were all shocked that he was allowed anywhere near the royals,’ a polo aficionado tells me, explaining that many in the sport had longstanding doubts about the brash billionaire.
‘We didn’t want anything to do with him because he seemed like a questionable character,’ adds the insider, whose misgivings appeared justified.
Alarm: Sources are uneasy about the ease with which property mogul Pan Sutong, 61, was able to ingratiate himself with Prince William and Prince Harry
Rise and fall: Pan Sutong amassed a £9.5billion fortune and acquired trophy properties in London, Los Angeles , Hong Kong and Shanghai, dropping in on them by private jet — a Gulfstream G550, which comes with a £48million price tag – but now his empire is imploding
In 2005, the Hong Kong authorities found that the owners of nearly a third of the shares in Sutong’s company, Goldin Financial, could not be identified.
Sutong, who owned 70 per cent of the company, calmly said that he had no idea who they were.
In another rare interview, Sutong, who’d shelled out £10million for three vineyards in Bordeaux and £39million for a prized winery in California’s Napa Valley, radiated unassailable confidence.
‘In line with our group’s motto, “Go Beyond”, I like the idea of reaching for something that might look unreachable,’ he explained.
By then, he’d reached William and Harry, courtesy of his sponsorship at Beaufort Polo Club, just over a mile from Highgrove, King Charles’s Gloucestershire retreat.
Troubled: Pan Sutong’s company Goldin Financial has been laid to rest — de-listed from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange after liquidators were called in
The club was where William had received expert polo instruction from Claire Tomlinson, one of the world’s greatest players. He was among the mourners at her funeral in 2022.
Since then, Goldin Financial has also been laid to rest – de-listed from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange after liquidators were called in.
Sutong’s monumental tower stands empty and unlikely ever to be finished – arguably the most eloquent commentary on his affairs.
‘There’s no question that he milked his royal connections,’ muses my polo informant. ‘It’s disgraceful that he was given the opportunity to do so.’
