A newly pregnant Pippa Middleton may be planning to buy a popular deer park and glamping site — yes, “glam camping” — in Berkshire, England.
Middleton and her husband James Matthews are rumored to be interested in Bucklebury Farm at Reading RG7 6RR in Berkshire, two hours west of London for £1.5 million, or about $2 million. Minutes from the £5 million Middleton family home, the 72-acre farm has been the site of Middleton family visits for its nature trails, tractor rides and 44-acre deer park.
Agents confirmed that the property has gone under offer to an anonymous buyer, and a spokesperson for the couple called the potential purchase a “business opportunity,” according to the Daily Mail.
Seller Rupert Hartley Russel opened the farm as a pick-your-own strawberry farm in 1986. But today, the farm is better known for its Berkshire pigs, goats, alpacas, donkeys, Shetland ponies, baby lambs and guinea pigs.
Bucklebury also boasts a popular “adventure playground,” which has go-karts, an obstacle course and a double-decker “play bus” with a slide and soft play area. Grown-ups snack on pastries at the Honesty Cafe and buy farm-made honey, eggs, bread, jam and meats at the Farm Shop.
And for upward of $200 per night, the “glamping” tents offer running water, a wood stove, a small refrigerator and an en-suite shower. Affiliated with the UK-based Feather Down camping company, the canvas lodges are filled with candles, lanterns and other rustic touches, according to the website.
The farm was on the market for only a week in October, and several neighbors said rumors of the Middletons’ purchase were circulating the town, according to reports. The listing is held by London-based brokerage Knight Frank, which told the Daily Mail that the attraction “offers scope for ‘redevelopment.’”
It is unclear whether the buyers have plans to redevelop the site, but the farm is not offering 2021 memberships or animal adoptions at this time. A spokesperson for Matthews told the Daily Mail that the potential purchase was only a “business opportunity” and would not become the couple’s new residence.