Transgender chatelaine sells £5m castle after ‘hurtful’ comments

A tycoon is selling her iconic Highland castle for £5million because the countryside is “not ready” for a transgender owner, she claimed last night.

Self-proclaimed lady of the house Samantha Kane says she sometimes feels like she’s “landed on Mars” because of constant “hurtful” comments about her gender identity.

Mrs Kane, who prefers to be called Lady Carbisdale, is believed to be the only person in the UK to have changed sex three times. She was born a boy.

The multimillionaire lawyer has poured millions of pounds of her fortune into restoring Carbisdale Castle, near Bonar Bridge, Sutherland, to its former glory. She has fulfilled her dream of becoming a “princess in her own fairytale” by buying the 117-year-old property in 2022.

But ‘in the interests of the future’ she has decided to sell the imposing 19-bedroom property in the hope that a new manager can further realise her vision.

The hilltop mansion, which stands in 74 acres of grounds and has its own lake, is being sold by Strutt and Parker for a guide price of £5 million.

Her decision comes just weeks after she launched a search for “female leaders and their guests” to sign up to her exclusive Duchess’ Club, which will offer the first 100 members of the health and beauty club a 50 per cent discount of £5,000.

Ms Kane, 64, told the Mail: ‘It’s been a labour of love more than anything. But when people sit in their bedrooms writing on social media, they need to realise the effect that has on some people. I’ve been really hurt by comments about my gender identity, so now I think it just needs someone, to put it more bluntly, ‘normal’ to take over.

‘It’s such a special place, but I’ve had some prejudices and I think the Highlands are probably not ready for a transgender owner of the castle. It needs someone else to protect its future.

Carbisdale Castle, near Bonar Bridge, Sutherland, is for sale for £5 million

‘But I came here to a castle that was almost in ruins and I restored it to its former glory. So I did the job I promised.

“It really is a very important monument and my main concern is that it is preserved and respected.”

She said there are “a lot of great people in the community” and stressed that “the actions of one or two people should not be a reflection of the entire community.”

But she added: “Unfortunately, if there are one or two very active and vocal people who try to make it all personal… and comments on social media calling me a man and this and that, then that really hurts me and I’d rather not have that.”

Her decision came after plans to save the castle ended in angry accusations and a police visit in November last year. Locals were furious at her proposal to transfer the land around the castle to government ownership for the third time, which she later received.

Earlier this year she also planned to apply for an injunction to stop SSEN from building “monstrous” pylons near the monument as part of the new multi-million pound overhead power line from Beauly to Spittal.

But a sheriff deemed her warrant “incompetent” and refused to hear her case.

The lawyer said she now plans to return to London, “put on my wig and go back to helping my clients”.

But she promised: ‘I will not leave unless someone who shares my vision ensures that this castle will be cherished and preserved.

“It’s a sad situation. But I think for me it should really be about anything that helps the castle, it shouldn’t be about anything that helps me personally. In the interest of the castle I think it’s best served with someone else at the helm.”