When the Prince and Princess of Wales announced they were moving their family to the Royal County of Berkshire this summer, estate agents reported a ‘flurry’ of enquiries about properties around Windsor and the village of Bucklebury, 50 minutes west on the M4.
The Middleton family had already been increasing their interests in and around Bucklebury, where they have lived since Kate was young. James Middleton and his French wife, Alizée, own a farmhouse there, and Pippa Middleton’s husband, James Matthews, has acquired Bucklebury Farm Park. Pippa and her husband also bought a £15 million mansion nearby this year.
And where royals and their relatives lead, it seems others follow. In 2019, 12,610 Londoners moved to Berkshire, according to the Office for National Statistics – the highest rate for nine years. According to estate agent Savills, buyers from London have remained at a ‘very steady’ 30 per cent of purchasers in Berkshire.
‘The typical buyer moves from south-west London and spends £1-2 million on a family home.
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