Petra Ecclestone and Ekaterina Rybolovleva both havehomes in US worth over $80m

By Daily Mail Reporter

Updated: 19:07 GMT, 22 December 2011

They are born just months apart, own two of America's most expensive homes and have two of theworld's wealthiest men as fathers.

That Ekaterina Rybolovleva and Petra Ecclestone are some of the world's most privileged heiressesthere is no doubt - but while their backgrounds may appear strikingly similar at first glance, the twoheiresses lead very different lives.

While both have taken the real estate world by storm, Ekaterina remains a modest and relativelyunknown character. Her peer, Petra, has an image that is rather more in keeping with her flashy$175million property portfolio.

Chalk and cheese: Privileged real-estate owners they may be, heiresses Ekaterina Rybolovleva, left,and Petra Ecclestone lead different lifestyles. Petra courts the media, while little is known aboutEkaterina

Ekaterina is the daughter of well-known oligarch Dmitriy Rybolovlev, the 'potash king' and formerowner of fertilizer business Uralkali. Petra's father is Bernie Ecclestone, 81, the British F1 racingmogul.

No doubt the ladies' paths have crossed on the well-heeled, doorman-staffed sidewalks of Monaco, oron the beaches of St Tropez - but whether they'll bump into each other Stateside is another question.

While 22-year-old Russian heiress, Ekaterina, is the new owner of New York City's most expensivehome, she lives largely out of the spotlight, reportedly studying at Harvard University, according tothe New York Post.

In what was the single largest real estate transaction ever recorded in the city, the ten-room,wraparound-terraced apartment has propelled the horse-mad socialite into the high-rolling annals ofNew York property history.

Russian rider: Ekaterina is a competitive equestrian and is said to have made only $2,370 from thehorse trial circuit last year. She seems to shun media attention, and studies at an undisclosed U.S.university

Ifmoney were edible: Petra, meanwhile, has appeared in numerous interviews, here pictured forFlaunt magazine 'eating' $100 bills. The bombshell maintains she is not spoilt but merely privileged

There are no reports of the oligarch's daughter in designer labels, collecting designer handbags ordriving top-of-the-range cars, in the manner of Petra, who is said to have a collection of HermesBirkin bags, valued at around $50,000 each.

She has not, as far as we know, been to the shops by helicopter - as Petra's older sister Tamara didin the Cote d'Azur this summer - nor does she own a second London home valued at $90million.

Her move does however follow that of Petra, 23, who in July shot to fame in the U.S. for paying theprincely sum of $85million in cash for the Spelling mansion in LA.

The 56,500 sq-foot pile in Holmby Hills is a relative bargain in comparison to Ekaterina's new UpperWest Side pad, costing just over $1,500 per sq-foot compared to a record-breaking $13,500 per sq-foot.

Born in Russia, Ekaterina has for the last fifteen years lived between Monaco and Switzerland. Akeen horse woman, she competes at trials across Europe.

There is no doubt that Ekaterina's millions were not made by her - she is reported to have made just$2,370 in competition wins last year, according to equestrian website, Global Champions Tour, citesthe New York Observer.

Roomwith a view: Ekaterina bought the 15 Central Park South apartment for a staggering $88million thisweek. It boasts ten rooms, a wraparound terrace and stunning views across New York

Plentyof reading room: Ekaterina's new penthouse home has a wood-panelled library and two fire places

Commanding: The purchase is the single largest real estate transaction ever recorded in the city,propelling the horse-mad socialite into the high-rolling annals of New York property temporary hairchalk history

The new Petra? Though little is known about the new owner of 15 Central Park West's penthouse,the student is a keen horsewoman who has so far stayed out of the media spotlight

Photos of the young woman show her with horses, sporting a pared-down, girl-next-door style.

But while the equestrian leads a life far out of public eye, apparently not courting media attention,Petra is something of a media darling.

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Born and raised in London, Petra moved to her new Californian pile, complete with bowling alley,swimming pool, tennis courts, 14 bedrooms and acres of lawns, just months ago.

In a recent interview and photoshoot for Flaunt magazine, the blonde bombshell, labels-obsessedbombshell held a wad of $100 bills up to her scarlet lips.

The shoot did nothing to quell opinions of the heiress - who did not attend university - as spoilt andostentatious with her cash.

While her father is reported to have spent close to$20million on her August nuptials in Italy, the fashiondesigner - who went from menswear design tolaunching a range of eye-wateringly expensivehandbags under her new label, Stark, recently -maintains that she is from hard-working stock.

To a manor born: Petra's rambling $85million LA mansion, bought in July, has 14 bedrooms and abowling alley

Sweeping stairs: The majestic Holmby Hills manor is Petra's second home and was bought in cash inJuly

Recession, what recession? The two heiresses are unabashedly bucking the national trend, usingtheir family fortunes to snap up homes fit for princesses in an uncertain housing market

Daddy's girl: F1 mogul, Bernie Ecclestone, gave his daughter Petra away at her $20million Augustnuptials

'With time, people will get to know the real me and realize that I'm not going to parties and fallingout of my dress and getting drunk and all that.

'I realize I am very privileged. But there's a difference between being spoiled and privileged,' shetold the fashion magazine, echoing a phrase she used in the summer when speaking with GoodMorning America.

'I realise I am very privileged. But there's a difference between being spoiled and privileged'

In the meantime, Ekaterina is studying at university.

While her subject choice is not known, it is likely that she is undertaking a post-grad course.

In a statement by a representative of Ekaterina, it was revealed that the student would only use theapartment when visiting New York.

While Petra bought her LA home as an investment, reportedly borrowing a staggering $82.4millionfrom her Croatian mother, former Armani model, Slavica, to purchase the pile, it has beenspeculated that the Russian heiress' new pied-a-terre purchase may have other motives.

Daddy's dollars: Russian oligarch Dmitriy Rybolovleva, left, and Bernie Ecclestone, right, are two ofthe world's richest men, their daughters standing to inherit many billions of dollars between them

An ongoing and highly acrimonious divorce battle between Mr Rybolovleva and wife of 23 years,Elena, stands to see the magnate losing $3.5billion - and the apartment is a convenient way to

channel funds to the safety of his daughter's name.

It is also thought that the purchase may be related to income tax liability in the famously high-taxcity, reports the Observer. The home's former owner, Citigroup CEO Sandy Weill, has pledged togive all of the proceeds of the record-breaking sale to charity.

Given the buzz surrounding the Central Park property, it may only be a matter of time for the prettytemporary hair chalk young Russian to hit the New York social pages - with or without a Birkinhandbag in tow.

PETRA VS EKATERINA: A TALE OF TWO BILLIONAIRE HEIRESSES

PETRA ECCLESTONE

EKATERINA RYBOLOVOLA

AGE

23

22

FATHER'S FORTUNE

$4.2billion

$7billion

SCHOOL

Francis Holland, London

Unknown

UNIVERSITY

None

Harvard, according to the New York Post

SIBLINGS

Sister Tamara, 27, and half-sister Deborah, 56

One, name and age unknown

HOBBIES

Fashion and shopping

Horse riding

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