Is this the Middletons’ new £5m mansion? Rumours are rife about Prince William’s in-laws closing the deal on this Georgian manor house…with plenty of room for grandchildren
Their eldest daughter is making preparations to move into her sumptuous marital home in Kensington Palace.
And it seems Carole Middleton and her husband Michael are also planning a change of scenery – to a manor with its own slice of Royal history.
Neighbours have revealed that the couple have bought a Grade II listed Georgian house in Berkshire worth around £4.7 million.
Secluded: The back of the Grade II listed Georgian manor in Berkshire that looks set to be the Middleton’s new family home
The beautiful Berkshire property has a stunning conservatory overlooking its rolling gardens
The property, which boasts seven bedrooms and 18 acres of land, has plenty of room should the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – and any future grandchildren – wish to visit them.
Estate agent Savills, which marketed the property, has refused to identify the buyers.
But neighbours said the current owners – a senior banker and his wife – have confided that they have sold their home to the Middletons. One neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: ‘They told us that the Middletons had bought it, but I don’t know when they will be moving in. It’s all very exciting.’
A friend of the current owners added: ‘I saw them the other day and they were thrilled that the place had been sold.
‘In the end there were four parties bidding for it, including the Middletons, which pushed the price right up from the guide of £4 million, so they were very pleased.
‘They said the Middletons were planning to move into the house in mid-July if everything goes according to plan.’
Some rooms in the Grade II listed property are adorned with luxury hand-painted silk wallpaper
One estate agent, who had clients also interested in the property, said: ‘This place is perfect for the Middletons. It’s just around the corner from where they live now, but it offers far more security and privacy.
‘It’s a quiet, secluded property along a country lane, and last came on the market about ten years ago.
‘The Georgian manor is in a splendid rural position with fantastic views. Everyone in the industry is talking about the fact that the Middletons have bought it.
‘I believe it went for upwards of £4.7million, because that’s when one of the interested parties had to drop out.’
The property’s gardens are a combination of informal lawns, beautiful planted beds and topiary shrubs
The property – which is just a few miles from the Middletons’ present home – also boasts appropriate Royal connections.
King Henry I originally bestowed the land on the monks of Reading Abbey, who created fishponds in the grounds – three of which still exist.
In 1540, following the dissolution of the monasteries including Reading Abbey, Henry VIII granted it to John Winchcombe, the wealthy son of a local wool merchant, who became an MP four years later. The house later passed to the Hartley family, descendants of a female branch of the Winchcombe family.
The property - just a few miles away from the Middleton’s present home - also boasts appropriate Royal connections, with its land originally bestowed on the monks of Reading Abbey by King Henry I
However, the Hartleys still retain the title of Lord and Lady of the Manor – dashing any hopes that the Middletons might have had of inheriting it with the house.
The last remaining heir is William Hartley Russell, who moved to nearby Bucklebury House in 1957.
The house, which is set amid stunning gardens and parkland with views across the Pang Valley, boasts a tennis court and swimming pool.
As well as an en-suite master bedroom, it contains an elegant drawing room, dining room with a 17th Century fireplace, library, sitting room and an impressive entrance hall.
Some rooms are adorned with hand-painted silk wallpaper.
The gardens are a combination of informal lawns, beautiful planted beds and topiary shrubs.
In April, the Middletons signalled they were looking for more space after being given the go-ahead to extend their current £1.5 million country home by building an annexe.
The application caused uproar among local residents, who claimed the couple were receiving preferential treatment by hiding the plans from public view.
The parents of Kate Middleton, Michael and Carole, pictured outside their home near the Berkshire village of Bucklebury, could soon be on the move
However, at their prospective new property, planning permission has already been granted for an outbuilding to be erected, providing a flat and garage on the ground floor, and a storage area and workshop above it.
The extra space is likely to prove ideal for expanding Party Pieces, the mail order firm the Middletons set up in 1987 and which now employs around 30 staff.
The online retailer, which provides a range of party items from paper plates to patriotic bunting, aims to help parents create ‘magical’ events for their children at home.
Kate’s younger sister Pippa has already signed a lucrative book deal about how to organise the perfect party, with the step-by-step guide due out this autumn.
The Middletons’ fortune is estimated at around £30 million by analysts, who say the couple’s link to the Royal Family could boost the value of their business even further by opening up lucrative new markets in the United States.
However, the family was not always wealthy. Mrs Middleton, a builder’s daughter who spent her early years in a council flat in Southall, West London, first began making children’s party bags in 1981 when she was pregnant with her eldest daughter Kate and unable to continue working as a British Airways air hostess.
With newlyweds Prince William and Kate Middleton set to move into Kensington Palace, the Duchess’s family are also upgrading their surroundings
She and her husband Michael, a former flight dispatcher at Heathrow Airport, then formalised the hobby into a business six years later. Their income from Party Pieces helped them to send their children – Kate, Pippa and son James – to expensive private schools.
The Middletons also contributed towards the cost of last year’s Royal Wedding.
They reportedly paid £97,000 for Kate’s dress, which was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Pippa’s maid of honour gown, hotel rooms and the couple’s honeymoon in the Seychelles.
Research also suggests that money has trickled down to the Middletons from ancestors on at least one side of the family. While Mrs Middleton is descended from a family of penniless Durham coal miners, Mr Middleton comes from a wealthier background that includes an 18th Century wool manufacturer and merchant from Leeds, who left the equivalent of £33 million in his will.
Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expected to move into Princess Margaret’s former apartment at Kensington Palace next year after extensive renovation work is completed.
Around £1 million is being spent refurbishing the lavish four-storey, 20-room apartment – which comes complete with its own private, walled garden.
The couple currently divide their time between Nottingham Cottage, a two-bedroom home in the grounds of the Palace, and their house in Anglesey, North Wales, where the Prince, an RAF search and rescue pilot, is currently based.
In an interview last week, William spoke of his hope that he would soon start a family with Kate. The Mail on Sunday first contacted the property’s current owner a fortnight ago to ask whether the Middletons had made an offer on his house.
The man replied: ‘I can’t help you I’m afraid, the process is ongoing. No comment.’
Along with his wife, he refused to comment again when contacted last week. The Middletons were also unavailable for comment.
The Queen has made it clear that she is keen to welcome the Middletons into the Royal circle.
Both Carole and Michael have been invited to today’s Jubilee Pageant and will sail on The Elizabethan, a replica of a 19th Century Mississippi paddle steamer.
Royal observers stress that the fact they will be among the Royal Squadron – which includes just a handful of boats sailing directly behind the Queen – is a sign of the Monarch’s good relationship with the Duchess’s family.
Shortly before last year’s Royal Wedding, the Queen invited the Middletons to dine privately with her at Windsor Castle and subsequently included them in her carriage procession at Royal Ascot.
Haven’t we seen Kate’s pageant dress somewhere before? Kim Kardashian and Tulisa have BOTH worn Duchess of Cambridge’s Alexander McQueen dress (though theirs were a lot racier)
The Duchess of Cambridge is never afraid to wear something that might not be bang up to the minute.
The majority of the clothes she wears are classic pieces that might be from one or two, even three seasons ago. But they are united in the fact that they suit Kate to a tee.
So it is no surprise that Kate chose a piece from Alexander McQueen’s 2011 collection for her appearance on board the royal barge in the Queen’s Jubilee pageant today.
What is surprising though, is that the Duchess seemed to have taken style inspiration from two most unlikely celebrities.
De-ja vu: The Duchess of Cambridge’s Alexander McQueen dress has previously been worn in sleeveless form by Kim Kardashian, centre, and Tulisa Contostavlos, right, though 5ft 10in Kate had her version made longer to suit the occasion
Kate’s red Alexander McQueen dress, which she accessorised with her trusty LK Bennett nude heels and a Lock & Co hat - has been worn on two occasions in the past year since it made its debut on the spring/summer 2011 catwalk back in February 2010.
The first was X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos, who wore a sleeveless version of the dress for the reality show’s auditions last July.
She wore the piece, with its flattering pleated skirt and neat peplum, with minimal accessories - just black stilettos and a slick of red lipstick finished off the look for Tulisa.
The long and short of it: The original Alexander McQueen version was sleeveless, and much shorter than the one Kate wore today
An even less likely style twin for Kate is Kim Kardashian, who the Sarah Burton-designed dress for a night out in New York in August.
Her personal take on the piece was a world away from Kate’s demure interpretation.
Like Tulisa, Kim’s dress was sleeveless, and the skirt even shorter - which is how the design looked when it was unveiled in the collection last year.
Early reports suggest that Kate, who at 5ft 10in is a full eight inches taller than 5ft 2in Kim - had her own bespoke version of the dress custom made for today’s appearance.
Kate’s pageant take on the dress had a longer hemline, taking it to just above the knee, long sleeves and a boat neckline.
6,000 police put on terror watch to protect Royal Family during Jubilee Thames Pageant
One of the largest-ever security operations will be mounted on the Thames today – with 6,000 police and 7,000 stewards on call to protect the Royal Family.
At its heart will be the barge carrying the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
They will be protected by Royal Navy vessels, marines and armed police in speed boats.
On call: The Met Police will be patrolling on land and river during one of the largest-ever security operations will be mounted on the Thames
Scotland Yard has committed all 21 of its patrol craft along with a further two from Essex Police.
SAS teams will also operate from the riverside.
The operation is bigger than last year’s Royal Wedding.
Measures have been drawn up to combat potential threats from Al Qaeda-inspired extremists, dissident Irish republican terrorists, anarchists and even lone stalkers.
More than 30,000 individual security checks have been carried out on flotilla participants and anyone with access to boats and bridges.
Action stations: A river police team patrol the River Thames during the build up to one of the largest security operations ever mounted on the Thames to protect the Royal flotilla of 1,000 boats from possible terrorist attack
Canadian contingent present at Queen’s Jubilee flotilla
More than 1,000 boats sailed down the River Thames in London on Sunday, including a marked Canadian presence, in a flotilla tribute to Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 years on the throne.
The Queen and members of her family lead the river pageant, the largest in some 350 years, aboard a flower-bedecked royal barge, accompanied by skiffs, barges, narrowboats, motor launches, row boats and sailing vessels from around the world.
Included in the contingent of vessels was a Canadian war canoe as well as a Dragon Boat, dubbed “Abreast from the west” — piloted by a team of breast cancer survivors from British Columbia.
The spectacle is a tribute to Britain’s past —monarchs used the river as their main highway for centuries, and naval power built the island nation’s once-great empire — as well as its abiding love of boats and the sea.
“This spectacle we will not see the like of anything like this in our lifetimes again. This is only the second diamond jubilee in the country’s history and there is particular affection for Elizabeth II so I think all of these reasons and the spectacle is the reason why so many people are going to be heading down there,” CTV News’ London Bureau Chief Tom Kennedy said from London.
Despite the cool and wet weather, crowds lined the banks and bridges between Hammersmith and Tower Bridge in London, feting the British monarch whose longevity has given her the status of the nation’s favorite grandmother.
“We in Britain are experts at not letting the weather spoil our fun,” said Adrian Evans, pageant master for Sunday’s flotilla. “The London Philharmonic Orchestra will be playing `Singin’ In The Rain’ as they travel down the river, and the crowd can sing along with them.”
Hundreds camped out overnight to secure prime riverside spots.
“It would have been wonderful if it had been sunny like last Sunday but we have come prepared,” said 57-year-old Christine Steele. “We have got blankets, brollies (umbrellas), flags and bunting. We even got our glittery Union Jack hats and wigs, and the Champagne is on ice.”
The four-day Diamond Jubilee celebrations include thousands of street parties across the country on Sunday and a Monday pop concert in front of Buckingham Palace featuring Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney.
Kennedy said the celebrations have given the Brits a chance to show off their national pride while providing a grand excuse for a party.
“It is pride. It is nationalism. It is affection for the Queen,” Kennedy said. “This country really really is in the mood for a party right now. I think the Queen is right now providing the perfect excuse for it. So get ready.”
Four days of Diamond Jubilee festivities began Saturday with the Queen taking in a 41-gun salute by the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery at Horse Guards Parade in central London.
The 86-year-old monarch was then whisked away to the Epsom Derby, one of Britain’s most prestigious horse races. An open-topped car drove the Queen around the racecourse before she emerged to shake hands with waiting dignitaries.
The Queen, accompanied by her husband Prince Philip and other members of the royal family, were treated to an aerial display by members of the British Army’s Red Devils parachute team before the main event — the racing — where a horse with the regal name of Camelot won the featured race.
Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to arrive in London later on Sunday where he will attend the televised concert at Buckingham Palace on Monday, a Tuesday service at St. Paul’s Cathedral with the Queen and the Royal Family and a luncheon on Wednesday where he will be on hand for the unveiling of a new portrait of the Queen.
Our Diamond Queen! Monarch shines in white crystal-studded coat and dress handmade by loyal couturier Angela Kelly for royal pageant
Billions of people across the world will be focused on the Queen today as she celebrates her Diamond Jubilee with a majestic 1,000-strong river pageant.
As the star of the show, the Queen made sure to live up to the expectations of her loyal subjects and fans as she stepped on to the Britannia launch today to take her to the royal barge wearing a stunning silver and white coat and hat trimmed with dozens of Swarovski crystals.
The Queen’s resplendent outfit has been a year in the planning and was designed by her Majesty’s long-serving in-house couturier, Angela Kelly.
The coat, its matching dress and the hat were made by Angela Kelly’s small in-house Buckingham Palace team.
The colour scheme was chosen to stand out against the red, gold and purple hues of the royal barge, The Spirit of Chartwell, on which the Queen will enjoy an hour and a half long voyage today.
The outfit, created from white bouclé and threaded throughout with silk ribbon, is embroidered with gold, silver and ivory paillettes and embellished with Swarovski crystals to reflect the sparkling water of the River Thames. The neckline of the outfit is finished with a silk organza frill which also runs the length of the garment.
The Queen’s hat featured a sculptural brim with a sweeping upward curve, echoing the waves of the water, with the crown of the hat made of the same material as the coat. Details on the beautiful headpiece include feathers han- dyed in Buckingham Palace by one of Miss Kelly’s team, a sprinkling of yet more crystals and swathes of pleated ivory organza.
The Queen joined her family on board the lavishly decorated Spirit of Chartwell after a short journey on board the Britannia Launch to reach the spot where the royal barge was moored.
Pageant Master Adrian Evans, the man who has organised much of the event, greeted the royals in turn as they arrived on the upper deck.
Plush red velvet seats with a canopy were in place for the royal party to use.
The first squadron of the flotilla, made up of boats powered by oars or paddles, sped past the royal barge to take up their place ahead of the royal squadron followed by boats carrying flags of all the Commonwealth nations.
Leading the flotilla was a floating belfry sounding a peal of its eight bells, which will be answered by bell towers along the route.
In its wake, the man-powered boats led by royal row barge the Gloriana, with Sirs Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent leading the oarsmen, the Diamond Jubilee river pageant began its majestic journey down the Thames just after 2pm today.
Each has been named after a senior member of the Royal Family with the tenor - the largest - christened Elizabeth and the smallest - the treble - called Henry.
The rowed vessels saluted the Queen by tossing oars - raising their oars in the air - as they passed.
The 1,000 crafts set off at a steady rate of four knots in wave after wave of tugs, steamers, pleasure cruisers, dragon boats and kayaks with the Queen travelling at its heart.
Prince Harry, the one-man boy band
You don’t want to be late for a meeting with Prince Harry.
At least I didn’t. Not the first time, anyway.
Later, I could perhaps allow myself ten minutes leeway, and pretend I was fashionably late (after all, Royal protocol determines that Princes are always fashionably late, whether they like it or not). But I didn’t want to be late on our first date.
I’d landed at Heathrow half an hour behind schedule, having taken the red eye from New York. My nightcap was two large glasses of box-fresh red and a dodgy romcom.
And I’d arrived feeling as though I needed a bath rather than a meeting with a Prince. But beggars – or commoners, come to that – can’t be choosers.
And so I leapt into the back of the car, promptly fell asleep, and then woke up in the middle of the countryside. For my date with Harry.
I’d been in a room with the princes before, of course, but then so had several thousand other people at the Royal premiere of A Quantum of Solace, so it wasn’t exactly an intimate affair.
I’d also been in the same room as William and Harry at other times, but there was always a velvet rope between me and them, which in this day and age is tantamount to being on the other side of the world.
This was an actual meeting.
This was over a year ago, and we were shooting Harry, along with several of his Walking With The Wounded buddies, to help publicise his involvement with the charity.
We had asked David Bailey to shoot him, and as I walked into the makeshift studio in what looked like an old Nissen hut in the middle of Chilbolton in Hampshire, their session had just finished.
‘Was Bailey rude to you?’ I asked Harry, as we were introduced. ‘He can be a bit challenging when you first meet him.’
‘Was he rude?’ replied Harry. ‘Well, yes, he tried to be. But it didn’t work! I got there first!’
When we were offered Prince Harry for the cover of GQ it was always Bailey who I wanted to photograph him, always Bailey who I wanted to try to define him.
Harry has been photographed by many people, but never for the cover of a magazine like ours, and rarely by someone of Bailey’s calibre. And as Bailey has quite a combative personality – to put it, er, mildly – I thought the dynamics would be fascinating.
And they were.
Bailey likes to test his subjects by being confrontational, and – no stranger to profanity – often tries to intimidate them by simply swearing at them. Repeatedly.
He also likes to touch you, especially if you’re a man, to the point where it becomes uncomfortable.
He’ll grab your arm in a public place, and leave his hand there, almost as though you were lovers. Which if it’s your arm he’s holding, can be extremely disconcerting.
I don’t think Bailey has a gay bone in his body, so the intimacy means nothing to him. But it can matter to other men.
Although not Harry, apparently, who took Bailey’s attentions in his stride.
‘So, did he swear at you?’ I asked the Prince.
‘Oh yeah,’ said Harry. ‘But then we swore back. A lot.’
‘And did he grab your arm?’
‘Oh yes,’ said Harry, smiling. ‘Old trick!’
Anyway, Harry not only survived the ordeal, his cover became one of the best sellers of last year, even though it was in black and white (colour covers tending to usually sell better), proving that the prince is actually more popular than many Hollywood celebrities.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, he has also become something of a style icon over the last few years, even though that is a much-abused term (and one that he himself I think finds rather farcical).
Four times in the last six years he’s featured on our best-dressed list, and last year he was even in the top ten, prompting this citation from the editor of Tatler, Kate Reardon: ‘Oh the uniforms! Ah, the well-cut suits! Yum, the dishevelled, tumbling-out-of-a-nightclub jeans! Prince Harry is no fashion plate, but blimey he looks good.’
Again unsurprisingly, this is an opinion that appears to be shared by most single, heterosexual women in the Western hemisphere, as Harry is currently even more eligible than the members of One Direction.
In fact, I think it’s fair to say that Harry is his own one-man boy band.
According to music industry lore, in order to succeed in the marketplace, a boy band needs a cute one, a funny one, a huggable one, and a difficult one.
The commercial ramifications of having a Royal one are not known, but I think we all know the answer.
Take that, Wills!
Princes William And Harry’s Wardrobe Dilemma
Princes William and Harry are facing a dilemma over what to wear to the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on Sunday (03.06.12).
Princes William and Harry are facing a wardrobe dilemma over the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.
Although the pair are currently serving as pilots - RAF search-and-rescue and Apache helicopter respectively - they are being encouraged to wear their rarely used naval uniforms when they accompany their grandmother on her river pageant on Sunday (03.06.12).
Harry is Commodore-in-Chief of Small Ships and Diving, while William is Commodore-in-Chief, Scotland, and Commodore-in-Chief, Submarines.
A St James’s Palace spokesman told the Daily Telegraph newspaper the princes will wear military uniforms, but declined to say which.
William has previously revealed his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, chose the red Irish Guards uniform which he wore for his wedding to Duchess Catherine in April 2011.
William said: “I wanted to decide what to wear for the wedding. But the queen would have none of it.
“I was given a categorical: ‘No, you’ll wear this!’”
William and Harry are among just seven senior royals who will take part in the major events at the Diamond Jubilee this weekend.
Queen Elizabeth has requested just she, her husband the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William, Duchess Catherine and Prince Harry attend the balcony appearance and RAF flypast on Tuesday (05.06.12) so as to focus only on those in the direct line of succession.
They will also be the only senior royals to travel on the royal barge during the river pageant.
Prince William and Prince Harry’s dilemma over Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant
Prince William and Prince Harry must decide whether to put on their rarely worn naval attire for the celebration of Britain’s maritime history.
The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry face a dilemma over what to wear for the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.
Although Prince William is a serving RAF search-and-rescue pilot, and his brother is an Apache pilot, the pressure will be on to dust down their rarely worn naval attire for the celebration of Britain’s maritime history.
Harry is Commodore-in-Chief of Small Ships and Diving, while William is Commodore-in-Chief, Scotland, and Commodore-in-Chief, Submarines.
Both Princes were appointed six years ago to their naval positions following a move by The Queen and First Sea Lord to strengthen links between the Royal Navy and the Royal Family.
In 2007, Harry took a diving course at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst and completed dives in Cyprus and Plymouth during his officer training.
William caused some surprise on his wedding day when he did not marry in RAF uniform, instead choosing that of the Irish Guards. He had only been appointed as the regiment’s Royal Colonel a couple of months earlier by the Queen.
A St James’s Palace spokesman says the Princes will wear military uniforms, but declines to say which.
Bard move
Amanda Holden, who picked up a gong at the Glamour Women of the Year awards, tells me she would love to tackle a Shakespearean role.
“My thing with theatre is that I always need to top the last part I played, so with Princess Fiona in Shrek that is really difficult,” chortles Holden.
“One of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays is Measure for Measure and I’d love to play the main part in that. The only problem is that I’ll never get cast as her because no one would ever take me seriously as a nun.”
