Opened in 1849 in a single room with two assistants and a messenger boy, Harrods has become a luxurious brand and iconic shopping destination in Knightsbridge. Especially famous for its Christmas department and Food Halls, former customers include Charles Chaplin, Oscar Wilde, Sigmung Freud and most (if not all) of the Royal Family. It featured the first escalator in London in 1898, when customers were give brandy to calm the nerves after the ride. It was sold in 2010 for 1.5 billion pounds (2.3 billion US dollars) to a Qatari fund.