HEATHER MILLS PAYS £1.5m FOR FAIRYTALE TWO-BED FLAT IN A CONVERD AUSTRIAN CASTLE

• Adds to £6million property portfolio in England and Austria
• Recently bought a chalet for £1.4m in Austria as a base for her Paralympic training
• Awarded £24million in divorce from Sir Paul McCartney in 2008

Paul's ex-wife Heather Mills has splashed out nearly £1.5 million on an eye-popping property that was once a royal castle.

The two-bedroom apartment is inside the grounds of the five-star, 400-year-old Schlosshotel Velden in Austria - once the haunt of European royalty before to was turned into a luxury spa.

The castle - which has even starred in its own TV soap - is now a lakeside home to a host of billionaires, VIPs and stars.

Five-star living: The Schlosshotel Velden in Austria, and the ultra-modern apartments that have been built in the grounds. The 400-year-old castle was turned into a spa for the rich and famous - of which Heather Mills is both

Aerial view: The castle and its vast grounds lie on the shore of Lake Worthersee, Austria. Mills has paid a reported £1.5m for a two-bed flat after falling in love with the area

Beautiful setting: It's not hard to see why Ms Mills was so delighted with finding a property in the Schlosshotel Velden development

Ms Mills is understood to have fallen in love with the apartment while staying in Austria as part of her training campaign to represent Britain at the disabled Winter Olympics.

And, by the sounds of things, she won't be upset by the standard of her neighbours either.

An estate agent's listing on the castle flats describes the flat as a 'magical hideaway' beside Lake Worthersee, adding: 'From the living room and the canopied terrace, you enjoy a breath-taking view on the crystal clear lake.'

Modern convenience meets historical opulence: Inside of of the Velden apartments, like the one bought by Ms Mills.The spa and surrounding area is dripping with billionaires and stars

Plenty of room: While the style of the apartments vary, they are characterised by wood floors, large windows for natural light, and everything a millionaire might want

Room with a view: Agents for the properties say that owners can relax on their canopied terrace and enjoy the spectacular landscape

Property portfolio: The latest Austrian property is added to a £1.4m chalet she bought near Goldeck am Millstätter See, in the Austrian Alps, to use as a base for her bid to become a Paralympic skier in 2014

It is unclear whether Ms Mills will now try to sell a ski ­chalet that she bought for £1.4m near Goldeck am Millstätter See, in the Austrian Alps. She said at the time that she would use that property as a base for her Winter Paralympic Games training.

She also has homes in Robertsbridge, worth £3.2million, and Hove (£1.5million) in England.

She recently sold a condominium in the West Village, Manhattan, for around £4miilon, and an apartment on The Bishops Avenue, Hampstead, for £3.75million.

Ms Mills was awarded more than £24 million in payments and assets after her divorce from former Beatle Sir Paul in 2008.

She had originally asked for £125million, claiming that Sir Paul had assets worth £800million.

Sir Paul offered a payment of £15.8million, which was later raised to £16.5million, along with assets valuing £7.8million. 

She was awarded £200,000 in 1993 after being hit by a police motorcycle while crossing Kensington Road, London, in 1993. It is estimated that she made a further £180,000 through selling her story to newspapers.

Ms Mills's attempts to become a medal hopeful at the 2014 Paralympics in Sochi, Russia, have seen a fair share of agony and ecstasy.

On 17 December 2010, it was announced that Mills has been offered a trial in the British disabled ski team's development squad for the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games to be held in Sochi, Russia.

On 12 May last year, she had to be airlifted to hospital after fracturing her shoulder in a skiing accident in Austria. She collided with a pole while training with the British Disabled Ski Team’s development squad.

Six months later she suffered another accident, this time injuring her partly amputated left leg and breaking her thumb.

But three months later, showing both her determination and skill, she won the Gold Medal at the Austria Cup Super G Ski Speed Race at Innerkrems, competing for the British disabled ski team despite her injuries. The following month she won four gold medals at the U.S. Adaptive Alpine Skiing National Championships in Aspen, Colorado.(dailymail)