The Princess of Wales may be well acquainted with palace life now, but she lived a relatively ordinary childhood. The royal’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, raised her in West View in Bradfield, Berkshire. The future princess lived in the four-bedroom semi that the Middletons purchased in 1979 for £34,700.
Fans only recently got a sneak peek inside the house’s living room. Despite the property’s astounding current value of £748,000, which is just over 21 times what they paid for it, many of its features, like the family living room, were surprisingly basic.
A red brick fireplace, cream walls, a wooden table, a window that looked out onto the patio, a white mirror, a woven chair tucked under some wooden bookcases, and a wooden floor were all present in the room. Warm tones filled the space from a delicate yet straightforward chandelier-style light.
The Princess of Wales’s first home featured a sweet sitting room area
With their three children, James and Pippa Middleton were among those who spent 16 years at the Victorian home next to the village green that belonged to Princess Kate’s parents. The family made a sizable profit thanks to the house’s £158,000 price tag when they sold the property in 1995.
The home reportedly underwent significant renovations during Kate’s father Michael’s ownership, including expanding the kitchen and turning one of the bedrooms into a bathroom, both of which naturally increased the home’s value.
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Next door at the Bradfield Church of England Primary School, Princess Kate also participated in Brownies meetings at the nearby church hall.
The family left West View and moved to Oak Acre, also in Berkshire. After their daughter was welcomed into the royal family in 2012, Carole and Michael purchased Bucklebury Manor for £4.7 million in order to enjoy greater privacy.
