Carole and Michael’s £4.7m 18-Acre Home: A Private Family Haven

With the Princess of Wales undertaking “preventative” chemotherapy at home following her cancer diagnosis in early 2024, she values the support of her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, more than ever.

Kate has moved from Kensington Palace in London to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Home Park, along with her husband Prince William and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. This new residence is conveniently close to Kate’s former home in Berkshire.

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Bucklebury Manor, where Kate’s parents reside, is less than an hour’s drive from the new royal residence, which means Kate can easily visit the place that holds many special memories for her. The expansive £4.7 million property is where Kate and Prince William stayed for several months following the birth of Prince George in 2013. Furthermore, it was the venue for her sister Pippa’s wedding reception in May 2017.

Bucklebury Manor itself is a seven-bedroom, grade II-listed Georgian property outfitted with five reception rooms, like a drawing room and a library. It also boasts a swimming pool, a tennis court, and 18 acres of land.

Despite its size, Carole Middleton insists it’s not a mansion. She loves to have multiple Christmas trees during the festive season, including ones in her grandchildren’s rooms so they can decorate them themselves. “That makes me sound as though I live in a mansion, doesn’t it?” she mused.

The Middleton family has kept their home life relatively private. However, an Instagram post shared by a fan account (@kensingtonfamily) provided a look at the interior of the house before the Middletons moved in back in 2012.

The living room features a muted color scheme and has enough space to accommodate multiple sofas and armchairs, along with a traditional log fireplace.

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The open-plan kitchen is decorated with white walls and wooden furniture, including a dining table, an island unit, and a dresser. A white Aga oven sits between two black cupboards, while spotlights and patio doors offer plenty of natural light.

The conservatory features enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, making it a bright and welcoming space.

Carole Middleton revealed to Good Housekeeping that her favorite room in the house is the kitchen. “It’s a kitchen/dining/sitting room, and it’s the heart of the house,” she explained. The open-plan area is perfect for hosting guests. “I love a kitchen supper,” she said. “Where I have a small number of guests, I’ll cook something delicious, then we’ll finish with a kitchen disco.”

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Kate’s brother James Middleton also gave a glimpse of the garden when he posted a video of himself shaving his beard. The clip inadvertently showed the patio, a grey outdoor dining table, various bushes, and creeper plants on the building’s rear walls.

In total, the property includes extensive grounds that cover 18 acres and feature both a tennis court and an outdoor swimming pool. Kate offered a glimpse of this expansive area in her first official family portrait with baby George.

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Before moving to Bucklebury Manor, Carole and Michael lived in a five-bedroom house called Oak Acre, but they relocated due to security concerns following Kate’s wedding to Prince William in 2011. Carole said they replicated Oak Acre’s interiors in their new manor house, explaining, “If you choose your house wisely, you don’t have to do too much. We almost just replicated what we did before. Farrow & Ball Cord and Hay [both shades of beige] – you can’t go wrong.”

Their former home is also where Kate first introduced Prince William to her family. Michael Middleton humorously recalled in his wedding speech how William once landed a Chinook helicopter in their garden while training with the RAF. “I knew things were getting serious when I found a helicopter in my garden. I thought, gosh, he must like my daughter,” he reportedly said.

“I did wonder then how William was going to top this if they ever got engaged,” he continued. “I just thought, ‘What will he do?’ You can’t get much better than that and we are certainly not used to Princes landing helicopters in the garden.”

Source: Particlenews, Getty Images, Shutterstock