How Hugh Hefner is worth more than Shakespeare

If you've ever wondered how much it would cost to live like royalty, then a new study has the answer. Apparently if you wanted to spend a night in Buckingham Palace - with all 52 luxury bedrooms at your disposal - it would set you back an incredible £1 million.

The figures aren't part of some bizarre launch of the world's most unexpected family B&B business, they have been put together by posh property rental firm Elysian Estates, which has come up with some unexpected results in a study of what it would cost to rent a number of landmark properties.

There are four things we have learned about posh properties from the study.

1. Royalty can never have too many bedrooms.
Windsor Castle was the most expensive property in the study. The 'per person' price is cheaper than Buckingham Palace - at £5,000 each, but the property is so much bigger that it will set you back a total of £2.25 million in 225 bedrooms. Buckingham Palace is the second priciest on the list and boasts 52 bedrooms.

2. The Beckhams are worth more than Darwin - in property terms at least.
The former home of Charles Darwin, Down House, was quoted at £1,500 per night. Meanwhile, Beckingham Palace would cost £8,000 per night. Well, what would you expect? The former home of the Beckhams does have seven bedrooms, a recording studio and a gym after all.

3. Sex sells.
Apparently Shakespeare's 16th century three-bedroom home in Stratford would only cost £500 a night to rent. By contrast, the Playboy Mansion would cost £115,000 per night - for 29 bedrooms, the zoo, and grotto. Of course, given that Hugh Hefner has stated that he wants to stay there until he dies, you'll also have to make some room for the elderly playboy in your party.

4. 10 Downing Street would make a decent wedding venue if Osborne needs to raise cash.
The site calculated that 10 Downing Street would cost £62,000 a night. For this money, you could have a meal of 60, and then eight of you could stay over in the property's four bedrooms. Ideal wedding arrangement, and handy for a Chancellor looking for ways to balance the books

Posh rentals

Of course, the study overlooks the fact that none of these properties are actually available to rent, and that given their celebrity connections, in some cases, these estimates are a drop in the ocean. If the Queen was looking to make a quick buck by renting her pad out on AirBNB for one night only, it's fair to say there are plenty of oligarchs who would be prepared to stretch to tens of millions for a night - not just a paltry £1 million.

However, there are a surprising number of incredibly posh properties on the rental market, so if you fancied a slice of the high life for a night, it is perfectly possible to arrange. Through Elysian Estates, Pennsylvania Castle can be rented for 20 to stay - from £6,000 a night, and Aldourie Castle sleeps 26 - and will set you back £15,000 a night.

But what do you think? is it worth it? And has this study got its sums right, or would you rather stay in Shakespeare's house than Hugh Hefner's Let us know in the comments.