A house once rumoured to be Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s future home is still selling for £5m.
Luckington Court’s first claim to fame was as the set for the BBC’s 1995 Pride and Prejudice adaptation with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.
The country pile 30 minutes from Swindon is being sold by Mountgrange Heritage, having been relisted in September after the royal pair presumably passed it over.
The rumours of the royal relocation to the near-suburbs of Swindon “swirled” in 2017 when the pair became engaged.
Penny Churchill wrote in Country Life: “Rumours are now swirling that it will become the family home of HRH Prince Harry and his bride-to-be Meghan Markle after their wedding next May.
“The house had been on the market for a few months, but was swiftly removed as the engagement was announced.”
Prince Harry grew up not far from Luckington, near Malmesbury, with his childhood home in Highgrove 15 minutes away where King Charles still lived until recently.
Luckington has a population of 630 in 2011. The Daily Mail reported one anonymous local as saying: ”Obviously we saw a lot of Harry when he was growing up.
“It's lovely news to hear he's getting married, and it would be really nice if he came back here to live.
“We're very protective of our neighbours here, so it would be very private for him.”
However, the Grade II house is still on the market with Harry and Meghan opting for a life in the States over the south-west.
The agent writes: “The property is approached through impressive gates and down a gravel driveway.
“The main house provides flexible living accommodation with a combination of naturally lit and open flowing areas that make it an excellent property for entertaining.”
Fans of the BBC drama might recognise the dining room with open fire, or “large drawing room” with “decorative panelling, a stone fireplace and doors into the music room”, as the inside as well as the outside of Luckington Court was used as the Bennet’s family home.
Stars and royals are not the house’s only claim to fame. Mountgrange claims: “The extensive lawns approaching Luckington Court are dominated by a 400-year-old Lebanese Cedar, which has one of the largest girths ever recorded in Great Britain.”
The house has eight beds and the same number of baths. It was once recorded as being for sale for £7.7 million.
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