“We weren’t going to buy a castle, but it happened,” says Ann as she invites hello! to join her behind the ornate doors of the pair’s new pad: the medieval Lympne Castle in Kent.
The Canadian TV star and entrepreneur, along with her world-renowned plastic surgeon husband, a l ready own ten residences in the world’s most exclusive places, from Hawaii to the British Virgin Islands, but even they didn’t expect to end up as king and queen of their own castle.
The couple, who starred in 2017 and were previously based in Las Vegas, had been looking for a bolthole in Britain after the youngest of their six children flew the nest.
“Our youngest son was 17 and went off to university. The next day, we said: ‘We’re out of here,’” says businesswoman, author and public speaker Ann. “When we started looking for flats in London, it got me curious. When an apartment is so expensive, I wondered what a house costs. Then it was: ‘I wonder what a castle costs?’”
The rest is history, and now Ann and Stephen, both 62, are delighted to call the £11m castle home.
Boasting turrets and fortified towers, a wood-panelled Great Hall and 20 bedrooms, the grade I-listed building is surrounded by beautiful stone-walled gardens, a vineyard, an orchard, stables and 139 acres of land.
The panoramic views take in Kent’s rol l ing countrys ide, Romney Marsh, the English Channel and, on a clear day, the French coast.
FIT FOR A KING
The heady scent of wood smoke emanating from the fireplaces harks back to the castle’s medieval history as Ann shows us around the maze of lavish rooms.
This story is from the August 14, 2023 edition of HELLO! UK.
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This story is from the August 14, 2023 edition of HELLO! UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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