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The grand property at 33 Portland Place is one of the finest houses in London. A vast spread in the exclusive heart of the West End, it has played host to some of the most glamourous and best-known faces in the world, becoming a social setting unmatched in the city with spectacular scenery and a unique atmosphere.

Edward Davenport is equally unique. Davenport is one of Britain’s most flamboyant entrepreneurs, a businessman renowned for taking chances and living a life of adventure. A man who has earned his own wealth, Davenport enjoys the rewards his successes bring while remaining utterly dedicated to his businesses.

He lives the high life in Monaco and London, rubbing shoulders with celebrity friends such as Jean-Claude Van Damme, Pink and Fifty Cent. He has a jet, beautiful homes and a collection of sports cars which would make any man jealous – including a Ferrari 360 Spider, an Aston Martin Virage Volante, a Rolls Royce Phantom and a Lamborghini.

A regular feature on the social pages and in the Rich Lists of newspapers and magazines, Davenport was recently the subject of a profile published by the London Evening Standard, which described him as “tall, slim and Draculine…with a constant tan…and a penchant for sharp suits and Rolex watches”.

His reputation is enhanced by the kind of visitors and events 33 Portland Place attracts. It has hosted parties for the likes of Cher and Boy George while guests have included Kate Moss, Gisele and Naomi Campbell. And there is more: Johnny Depp has filmed there; Vogue threw a party in Davenport’s house; the BBC have used it for filming with Rupert Everett; and it has been the venue for photoshoots by endless cutting-edge magazines, among them Arena, GQ, Playboy, FHM, Esquire, ES, Vogue, Harpers & Queen, Dazed and Confused and Vanity Fair to name but a few. Annie Leibovitz has even shot for Vivienne Westwood at 33 Portland Place. But there is more to Davenport than a series of parties and celebrity associations. One friend, model Jenny Sutcliffe, had this to say about him: “Eddie will always take you for a night out and be damned if you pay for anything. He’s got fantastic manners. He’ll never take a telephone call while he’s eating; he’ll never get up in the middle of a meal or shout across the table. He can talk to anyone and just be Eddie. His laugh is contagious. He’s lovely to chat to, such a happy character and always makes you smile; he has an amazing sense of humour.”

Despite his financial success and the luxurious life it affords him, Davenport remains as hungry and motivated as he has ever been. He is a businessman to his bones, simply addicted to the deals which brought him to where he is today. He is determined to continue building up his companies and so always has his eyes open for a new opportunity and another chance to test himself.

This is how Davenport has achieved so much already – by setting himself challenges and overcoming them. Yes, he takes risks and some more traditional investors are not used to this approach. But every risk Edward Davenport ever takes is calculated right down to the most tiny detail: he does not gamble when he cannot win which is why he is known as one of the shrewdest investors around. Davenport studies a stream of business plans which are put to him every week; he relishes investing in start-up businesses and funding up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Such things are his passion and explain why Davenport never relaxes. Even though he enjoys his enviable bachelor lifestyle, Davenport’s mind is always on business.

His reputation is of the utmost importance and Davenport goes to extremes to ensure he is scrupulously fair in all his dealings. He is polite and respectful at all times but accepts that in business one cannot always be friends with everyone because someone has to win and someone has to lose. Davenport is hard but fair, pushes his companies’ interests as far as he can and likes to win every time. But if he loses, Davenport learns his lesson and moves on – there is no point looking back as you cannot change the past. A quiet life is not for him.

He is known as “Lord” Davenport by the media – a moniker given as a term of endearment in reference to his high class life. But what is not so well known is that Davenport really is a Lord. His correct manorial title, which he inherited aged 28, is Lord of Giffords, but this is something he chooses not to use.

Davenport was born 1966 in London’s Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. His eye for a business opportunity emerged early in his life: at the age of fifteen he was already making money selling fashionable clothes from a market stall in Portobello Road while being educated at the prestigious Frensham Heights School in Surrey.

Aged 16 he moved onto organising parties – the legendary Gatecrasher Balls – and had made his first million by his early twenties, becoming a familiar face all over the British media in the process. By then Davenport had moved on to owning and running some of London’s best nightclubs, including SW1 on Victoria Street which is now Pacha.

Building on those achievements, Davenport used his profits to invest in property and has now built up a portfolio worth over £100 million. He has also expanded into business investments, using his expertise to select companies worth backing, helping them to success and sharing in the rich dividends his decisions reap. He is currently involved in substantial equity transactions related to property, telecoms in Asia, bio fuels and the film business, including a prestigious film studio in Covent Garden.

Davenport is based in London and Monaco, from where the Davenport Trust is administered. In Monaco, Davenport has made such an impression that he now helps the Government of Monaco with their property deals. He recently facilitated the setting up of a Consulate in London on their behalf.