King Juan Carlos I's former mistress sells regency house for 15m pounds

The estate's history dates back at least as far as the 13th century and has withstood the trials and changes of the past 800 years, but the property's very ownership and ties to European royalty are perhaps the most intriguing of all.

The Chicknell house is being sold by Corinna zu Sein-Wittgenstein, a former mistress of King Juan Carlos I of Spain, father of the current King Felipe VI. Read more.

The hidden gem of London is an estate with magnificent drawings related to the royal family. Following restoration, the luxurious Leighton House mansion opened last year alongside its sister museum, Sambourne House.

The German-Danish entrepreneur, whose affair with the married monarch came to light in 2012, two years before his abdication in 2014, bought the estate for £6 million in 2015 and carried out extensive modernization work on the property. "She has transformed the estate and its grounds into something amazing and she is popular with the local community," a friend told the Mail On Sunday newspaper.

"Chicknell is first mentioned in country records in 1209 when it was owned by the De Checkenhull family, who gave the estate its name," the estate's website says. "The palace, built in 1814 and classified as a Grade II listed building, is still a testament to elegant living today.

The estate is also a popular wedding venue.