IT may not be a royal palace, but Kate Middleton’s parents’ £4.2million home is also very impressive.
Carole and Michael Middleton bought the grand Bucklebury Manor in 2012 and it has a number of impressive features.
The grade-II listed Georgian property boasts seven bedrooms, five reception rooms – including a drawing room and library – and 18 acres of land complete with a tenniscourt and outdoor swimmingpool.
Traditional log fireplaces, a kitchen with a large wooden dining table, and a conservatory with enormous floor-to-ceiling windows have previously been shown in rare pictures shared from inside the house.
DISCO ROOM
With such a beautiful home, it would understandably be hard to pick a favourite feature, but Carole revealed that their kitchen is a focal feature.
In an interview with Good Housekeeping, Kate’s mum said: “It’s a kitchen/dining/sitting room and it’s the heart of the house. I love a kitchen supper.
“Where I have a small number of guests. I’ll cook something delicious and make it look lovely, then we’ll finish with a kitchen disco.”
JAMES’ SNEAK PEEK
During the pandemic, James Middleton gave royal fans a sneak peek at the home while he was staying there with partner Alizee, and showed the kitchen has a traditional aga.
The entrepreneur also captured Alizee’s reaction as she sat with his two parents in the garden of Bucklebury, giving a rare insight into the Middleton family home.
As Carole was seen enjoying a glass of wine and Michael a Peroni, Alizee leaped up in surprise from the patio table that is surrounded by perfectly manicured lawns and beds of wildflowers.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Michael and Carole do not have any type of royal title, despite Michael being descended from the landed gentry.
Carole had a modest upbringing, being born and raised in a council flat in Southall, London and was the daughter of a sales assistant and a builder-decorator.
The couple met while they were working for British Airways as ground crew.
In 1987 the Middletons launched their own business, Party Pieces, after Carole realised she could make some money from creating party bags.
After growing the firm into a multi-million-pound business, Party Pieces was badly hit by Covid restrictions and in April 2023, the company called in advisers at restructuring firm Interpath to try to raise fresh funds for the business.
However, the family decided to move on from the company and in May 2023 the business sold in a pre-package deal to the Essex-based entrepreneur James Sinclair.
Inside the Middleton family tree - with Michael and Carole at the head
MICHAEL and Carole Middleton are now the proud grandparents to second-in-line to the throne Prince George, his sister Princess Charlotte, and Prince William and Princess Kate’s third child, Louis.
They also have three more grandchildren through their second daughter Pippa, who is married to hedge-fund manager James Matthews.
James and Pippa share two daughters, Grace and Rose, and have one son called Arthur.
Michael and Carole’s son James Middleton married French financial analyst Alizée Thevenet on September 11, 2021.
They had their first son Inigo in October 2023.
The name Inigo is of Spanish and Basque origin, and means “fiery”.
ROYAL VISITORS
Kate and William are still regular visitors to the Middleton family home and are known to take trips to the local boozer the Boot Inn.
In fact Prince George spent his first few weeks in Bucklebury rather than Kensington Palace.
When the Wales family visit Kate’s parents, royal protection officers and cars are said to be a common sight around the picturesque village.
Carole and Michael are said to have added sleeping quarters onto their £4.7million home for when the couple come to stay.
And with seven grandkids, the Middleton grandparents certainly keep busy.
Carole added to Good Housekeeping: “I want to run down the hills, climb the trees, and go through the tunnel at the playground.
“As long as I am able to, that’s what I’ll be doing. I cook with them, I muck around dancing, we go on bike rides.”
