The purchase price is no obstacle for Mr Gates. It would take him little more than five hours to earn enough to buy Palmyra. But what Mr Gates prizes most is privacy. Last month he suffered the indignity of being pelted with cream tarts in Belgium. The 11,500 square foot home features a special gallery for the Leonardo Codex -one of his most prized possessions.
Guests wear electronic sensors as they move from room to room.
Palmyra has no such comforts, although a brochure shows azure waters and picture postcard beaches. The horseshoe-shaped island is nearly two hours by plane from Hawaii. It has no running water or electricity. During the Second World War it was home to nearly 6,000 US Navy personnel, who converted it into an air base for a Marine fighter squadron. Navy engineers constructed two fighter runways in the shallow lagoon and dug a channel for seaplanes.