SPECULATION over whether then-newlyweds William and Kate were moving to Herefordshire was rife ten years ago in July 2011 after a police escort was spotted at a £5 million mansion for sale near Leominster.

It was captured by an anonymous reader leaving plush Pudleston Court, but West Mercia Police moved to quash the rumours, after initially being unable to confirm where the officers were from.

A spokesman said at the time: "I can confirm that the police presence at Pudleston Court on Thursday July 21 were West Mercia Police officers. They were conducting a close protection training exercise. I cannot comment further on the details of the exercise."

The police motorbikes hinted at the future possibility of royal guests, or inhabitants, as few other figures would require such tight security on a trip to one of the safest places in the country.

Pudleston Court, around six miles from Leominster, is no stranger to celebrities and was believed to have attracted the interest of business tycoon Lord Sugar.

The sighting of police escorting a convoy of cars from one of the county’s most desirable homes fueled rumours the royal couple wanted to live in the county after Prince William finished his RAF stint in Anglesey.

In January that year, the Duchy of Cornwall’s Harewood End estate near Ross-on-Wye was mentioned by national newspapers as a possible future home for the UK’s future King and Queen to live.

Pudleston Court was put on the market following the death of Dr Heijn, who helped introduce the barcode and established a successful supermarket chain in his native Holland before he moved to Pudleston and built the Left Bank Village in Hereford.

But it was not until 2014 that the identity of the Tudor gothic-style mansion's owner was revealed, when a planning application submitted to Herefordshire Council bore the name of applicant, George Sideras.

Pudleston Court is now home to Lakes Edge, a collection of exclusive holiday cottages.