When Kate Moss spotted the £6million villa with garden studio and a gaggle of celebrity neighbours, she was quick to reach for her chequebook.

Unfortunately for her, however, another famous face was even more taken with the seven-bedroom property.

Adam Clayton, bass player with the rock band U2, decided to rule out any chance of a bidding war by putting in an astonishing offer of £12.5million - more than twice the asking price.

Not surprisingly Miss Moss declined to match it and the 47-year-old musician is said to be “delighted” with his purchase.

The property in north-west London has a rear lawn in the shape of a keyhole, with paving leading to the 1,200-square-foot studio.

Despite its hefty price tag, it is described as “in need of modernisation” by estate agents Knight Frank.

It was the home of royal courtier Lieutenant Colonel Sir Edward William Spencer Ford, who died in November last year aged 96.

He was assistant private secretary to George VI from 1946 to 1952 and performed the same role for the Queen until his retirement in 1967.

He was credited as supplying the Queen with the phrase “annus horribilis” to describe 1992, following the breakdown of family marriages and the devastating fire at Windsor Castle.

The celebrity auction started in July shortly after 33-year-old Miss Moss was shown the property with her then boyfriend, Pete Doherty, in tow.

Immediately taken with the 4,000-square-foot villa, the studio of which once belonged to Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, she put in an offer matching the £6million asking price.

With a flustered estate agent playing piggy in the middle, Clayton, a former fiance of Miss Moss’s rival supermodel Naomi Campbell, responded with his offer of more than twice that figure.

“The house is truly spectacular, very spacious and homely,” said a property source.

“Both Kate and Adam were shown the glossy prospectus and then given viewings, and both made all the right noises, saying how much they loved it.

“It’s on a really quiet, desirable residential street which is crammed with celebrities so Kate and Adam were told they wouldn’t get bothered if they did live there. “For the pair of them the main selling point was the garden studio. Kate initially hoped she and Pete could use it as a creative den. Adam, of course, simply saw it as a recording studio.

“As a result they put in offers within a week of one another. It was only then that things began to spiral out of control, with Adam, in particular, making it clear that money was no object.

“With several projects on the go, the last thing Adam wanted was to become embroiled in a catty bidding war. By offering way above the asking price, he wanted to get the purchase wrapped up.”

The property, which has a garage and off-road parking, has neighbours including Lulu, Chrissie Hynde, Sir Richard Branson and Annie Lennox.

Adam Clayton was born in Oxfordshire but moved to Ireland with his parents at the age of five.

At a comprehensive school in Dublin he got together with Paul ‘Bono’ Hewson, Larry Mullen Jr and Dave ‘The Edge’ Evans to form the band which would eventually become U2.

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