Wendi Deng and Rupert Murdoch could split property empire

Rupert could lose some of the multimillion-dollar portfolio of homes he owns around the world. Photograph: Phil McCarten/Reuters

When they quit their loft apartment in New York's bohemian SoHo for the conservative Upper East Side in 2005, it was a wrench for Wendi Deng but a return home for Rupert Murdoch.
In a rare interview designed to help sell the SoHo property, the differences, perhaps caused by their 38-year age difference, were there to see. At 36, Deng loved the vibrant and arty atmosphere of lower Manhattan and talked of all the friends her daughters had made. "I love downtown. It is casual and my children have all kinds of friends here," she told the New York Times.
Murdoch, on the other hand, said he definitely had no interest in holding on the apartment and was keen to move to the $44m penthouse triplex once home to billionaire Laurance Rockefeller overlooking Central Park. The SoHo apartment sold for less than the asking price at $25m in 2005, more than tripling the $7.4m purchase price.
Murdoch lived in the same Upper East Side block when married to his second wife, Anna Torv, and had his eye on the trophy triplex for decades. "It was your American dream," said Deng, as Rupert explained how he had once told Rockefeller he would buy the Fifth Avenue apartment if he could ever afford it.
It is one of seven residences around the world that Murdoch is thought to own, which are now expected to feature in the settlement after the News Corporation founder filed for divorce on Thursday.

Fifth Avenue, New York

This majestic 20-room top-floor apartment at 834 Fifth Avenue boasts 4,000 sq ft of space over three floors, each with its own terrace overlooking Central Park zoo. Described as the "most pedigreed building on the snobbiest street in the more real-estate-obsessed city" in the world, Deng reportedly spent £5m refurbishing the home and creating a £300,000 gym. When Murdoch bought it in 2005, the $44m he paid made it the most expensive apartment in New York, although this has since been eclipsed.

Moraga Vineyard, Los Angeles

This 16-acre estate in the Moraga Canyon in upscale Bel Air, California, once played host to Hollywood stars including Clark Gable, Vivian Leigh and Spencer Tracy.
Murdoch bought the house in May 2013 after spotting an advert in his Wall Street Journal for the property advertised at $29.5m. "About to celebrate buying beautiful small vineyard right in LA. Great wine, Moraga, owned by great Angelino Tom Jones. Time cover, 1961!", he tweeted in May.

Rosehearty, Oyster Bay, New York State

Bought in 2003, this £10m beachside home is a jewel on the Centre Island shoreline. It was sometimes rented out, but not just to anybody. Angelina Jolie took it for $100,000 a month during the filming of Salt. The house boasts 11 bedrooms and seven bathrooms, plus a 50-foot pool, large garage, tennis court and a 950-square-foot guest house on the 4.6-acre grounds. It was on the market for $14.8m in September 2011, but it is not known if it was actually sold.

Beverly Hills, Los Angeles

This 11-bed and nine-bathroom semi-circular villa in Beverly Hills is on an 8,700 sq ft plot tucked away in the hills, far from prying eyes