During the filming of the second season of Game of Thrones, Kit Harington (39), who played Jon Snow, fell in love with his co-star, Rose Leslie (39), who portrayed Ygritte. They got married on June 23, 2018, at the church in the village of Kirkton of Rayne, and later, the reception took place a few kilometers away at Wardhill Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
For the bride, the property of over 320 hectares holds significant sentimental value as it has been in her family since the 12th century, making it one of the oldest in northeast Scotland.
Eight years after their happiest day, the couple is once again filled with joy because the actor, along with his brother-in-law William Wills, has invested a significant amount to temporarily save Wardhill LLP from bankruptcy, the company that operates the castle. According to the Daily Mail, both used their assets as loan collateral.
This move, as reported by the British newspaper, has allowed the capital injection to clear the debts and achieve a temporary suspension of the liquidation process. This is a first step for William Leslie, Rose's brother, and his wife Sarah to find a viable solution to continue managing the fortress as they have been doing since 2014.
Due to its high maintenance costs, the Leslies were forced to rent out the medieval rooms for short stays, hunting parties, and weddings. The official castle website states that a one-week stay in low season starts from 7,600 euros and in high season, it's over 11,000 euros. Some management companies offer weekend stays for between 7,500 and 8,700 euros. Regarding weddings, if up to 16 guests attend, rates start from 9,300 euros and if more than 16 people attend, it increases to over 11,000 euros.
In total, there are eight double bedrooms with traditional decor and various configurations including en-suite bathrooms and modern shared bathrooms, a dining room for up to 20 people, several lounges, and a chef's kitchen. Activities available include archery, foraging for wild foods, whisky tours, and mini-games in the Scottish Highlands.
The core of the castle sits on 3.6-meter thick medieval fortification walls that give the building its original layout and defensive layout. Architectural evolution led to different Leslie generations adding and expanding the building with Georgian and Victorian elements such as decorative turrets, a grand reception hall, a walled garden, and more.
The near-bankruptcy situation reminded Sebastian, the patriarch of the Leslies, of the ordeal he faced in 2018 when Lickleyhead Castle, where he resided, became a victim of debts. Unable to repay the loans, a judge ordered him to vacate the 16th-century property, forcing him and his wife to move into a flat in Edinburgh.
Sebastian told several British media outlets that he was one of the 3,000 victims of an alleged criminal scheme involving the Bank of Scotland and HBOS. The following year, he borrowed money from Rose and Kit to reclaim the castle. "I couldn't tell you how much they gave me, but they were very generous. Asking your daughter for money is very difficult," he confessed to The Scottish Sun.