Farewell poor people: How the rich are fleeing London - as millionaires offer up to £50,000-a-month to rent rural retreats
- Wealthy families are desperate to escape urban living for rural sanctuaries
- They are said to be offering tens of thousands of pounds to escape London
- Aristocrats are avoiding the city by staying at their gorgeous countryside homes
- Boris Johnson hinted at new restrictions on London amid coronavirus crisis fears
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
Wealthy families desperate to escape the coronavirus crisis in London are fleeing the infested city for the country - with some offering up to £50,000-a-month for a rural sanctuary.
British estate agents have been flooded with requests from the super-rich searching for mansions with bunkers, Cotswolds manor houses and uninhabited Caribbean islands to buy.
And aristocrats, heiresses and society models are avoiding busy cities like London by staying at their gorgeous countryside homes - including the likes of Emma, Viscountess Weymouth and Lady Mary Charteris.
It comes as London faces plunging deeper into lockdown within days - and potentially with just 12 hours notice - amid fears the 'superspreader city' is driving the UK's Covid-19 crisis.
Fresh air: Emma, Viscountess Weymouth, is the wife of Ceawlin, Viscount Weymouth, and shared a video from her walk the family's Longleat estate as she seemingly avoids busy cities
Unlike many families, the Weymouths don't have to worry about getting on top of each other during this period of self-isolation as they have the run of the sprawling Longleat estate, near Warminster. Pictured: Emma in London, where she was often spotted before the outbreak
The Longleat estate (above), near Warminster in Wiltshire, has nearly 1,000 acres of parkland
Baking up a storm! Lady Mary Charteris (pictured left) shared her recipe for courgette and quinoa bread as she self-isolates in the UK
Her family estate is Stanway House (pictured), in Gloucestershire, although she also spends a significant amount of time in London
Owners of countryside properties around Britain have reportedly been offered up to £50,000 a month to help worried billionaires escape the capital - with some claiming they'll pay a year's rent up front.
Jamie Jamieson, who owns a property search company, told The Times: 'I have had calls from six families looking for homes in Suffolk and two for Norfolk in the last two days.
'They want homes with more space than they have in London, preferably with a garden where the kids can play. They don't mind what it costs.'
Similarly, celebrities and aristocrats with the luxury of a second home outside the capital have been taking advantage of the chance to get away.
Budding fashion designer Talita von Furstenberg, granddaughter of designer Diane, is holed up in a cosy cottage doing puzzles. It is unclear where in the world she is.
Elsewhere, model and DJ Lady Mary Charteris, daughter of James Charteris, 13th Earl of Wemyss and 9th Earl of March and Catherine Ingrid Guinness, tried her hand at baking in the countryside.
While Lady Mary and her husband Robbie Furze own a property in LA, it is thought they are in self-isolation in the UK. Her family estate is Stanway House, in Gloucestershire, although she also spends a significant amount of time in London.
Talita von Furstenburg (above), granddaughter of fashion designer Diane, is most often seen gallivanting around the world with her society pals. But for now Talita, 20, is keeping a low profile away from cities such as London, although it is not known where in the world she is
Simple pleasures: Talita has swapped fashion front rows for nights in the fire in a woodland cottage (pictured)
Meanwhile, Emma, Viscountess Weymouth, who is often spotted around the capital, has been staying in her Longleat estate, near Warminster in Wiltshire.
Penny Mosgrove, chief executive of top people's property services specialist, Quintessentially Estates, told the Evening Standard that she has had calls from affluent families searching for Cotswolds manor houses with moats, uninhabited Caribbean islands to buy and superyachts for a long charter.
'We are receiving requests from parents taking their children out of school for home tuition,' added Ms Mosgrove. 'And we have seen a big demand for places in UK boarding schools. Expat parents are locking up their daughters.'
Eloise Duckworth, 55, who lives in a seven-bedroom house in the Cotswolds, revealed she had multiple offers from families willing to pay up to £30,000 a month to rent her home, on Tuesday afternoon.
Yet Ms Duckworth, who has three children, refused the offers as she was worried about becoming ill, according to The Times.
'These families were desperate to get out of London as quickly as possible', she explained to the publication.
Lady Eliza Manners and Lady Violet Manners (pictured with their sister Lady Alice Manners in June 2019) appear have returned home to their Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, from their London flats
Violet shared a photograph of her home to her Instagram account two days ago and revealed she would be returning to the property
The English socialite, daughter to the UK's 11th Duke of Rutland, captioned the image with the above, revealing she was getting 're-aquatinted with her family'
Lady Eliza Manners posted this Instagram story of her cooking for her family as she has also returned home from London
The Manners live in Belvoir Castle (pictured) in Leicestershire. It is a Grade I listed building
Henrietta Harwood-Smith, cofounder of the PR agency Maison, is one of the people struggling to find a place to rent outside of London.
The mother-of-one is looking to be nearer her parents in Gloucestershire, but only secured a two-week holiday let.
Yet the idea of Londoners fleeing the capital for the countryside has not been popular with those living in the idyllic areas.
Second home and caravan owners were yesterday urged to stay away from a picturesque area of Wales in their bid to escape the coronavirus.
Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, said : 'I appeal to those thinking of travelling down to their second home or caravan to self-isolate to consider the potential impact on local health services here in Gwynedd. Please heed the concerns of local GPs and remain at your primary residence.'
A local GP said practices had been inundated by second home owners seeking care.
Twitter users (pictured) admit they're leaving London today amid coronavirus outbreak fears
Social media users took to Twitter today to describe the busy scenes they'd witnessed as people rushed to leave London
Dr Eilir Hughes called on the Welsh Government to class travelling to second homes and caravans as 'non-essential travel'.
Dr Hughes, a GP and leader of the Dwyfor Primary Care Cluster, told BBC Wales: 'Services expect seasonal spikes during school holidays.
'We try our best to prepare our services for this increased demand but are currently seeing a surge in demand for medical advice and assessment.
'We have seen several patients coming to use their second homes to self-isolate and using primary care services where they are not registered. It really does place a great strain on our infrastructure and our services.'
He added : 'People are travelling from outside the area, and increasing the viral load in the community.
'We have evidence that a significant amount of people who own holiday homes and static caravans have decided to travel down under the impression they'd be safer here.
'We must also remember that the people travelling into the area are often retired, meaning they are likely to be of an age at a greater risk of Covid-19.'
Meanwhile, London faces plunging deeper into lockdown within days - and potentially with just 12 hours' notice - amid fears the 'superspreader city' is driving the UK's coronavirus outbreak.
After the daily death rate doubled to 33 yesterday, residents in the capital are set for tighter restrictions on their movements - with signs the government will urge people to stay at home unless it is absolutely essential.
Plans are believed to be in place for police to guard shops and helicopters to airdrop food, although sources insisted that is not happening at this stage in the unfolding crisis.
Speculation has been raging about the fate of London after Boris Johnson vowed he would not hesitate to go 'further and faster' to control the spread of the deadly virus.
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