Transgender 'lady of the manor' sells her castle to U.S. couple

Published: 10:19, 3 August 2026 | Updated: 10:20, 3 August 2026 A transgender castle owner sold her stately Highland pile to an American couple who restored the steamboat used in the iconic movie the African Queen. Samantha Kane, who styles herself as Lady Carbisdale, is believed to be the only person in the UK to change sex three times. The 66-year-old bought Carbisdale Castle near Ardgay in 2022 and says she has ploughed between £4m and £5m - including the purchase price - into restoring it to its former glory after fulfilling her dream to become a ‘princess in her own fairytale’. The new owners of the 118-year-old property are Lance and Suzanne Holmquist who own Calypso sailing based in Florida. They have set up a company called Carbisdale Castle Estaes Ltd. Glaswegian Mrs Holmquist, 50, and attended St Augustine’s Secondary in the city but describes herself as American/British. Mr Holmquist, 65, is an American. In contrast to Ms Kane’s experience, Mrs Holmquist said the locals were ‘wonderful’. ‘We just bought Carbisdale Castle in the beautiful Scottish Highlands. Me and Lance have been working for months on this deal and we have a 10 per cent partner too and we are all so excited for this new chapter,’ she said. Samantha Kane, who styles herself as Lady Carbisdale, bought the castle in 2022  The new owners of the 118-year-old property are Lance and Suzanne Holmquist The US couple restored the famous steamboat used in the 1951 film The African Queen ‘It’s such a beautiful building with a great history and the local people are wonderful. We are excited to become a part of the community. One day we hope to turn it into a hotel so all our loved ones and friends can come stay and we can make many new acquaintances.’ The purchase price has not been disclosed. The couple have overseen the restoration of the famous steamboat the African Queen, which they lease from the owner, and is located in Key Largo Florida. Made famous in the 1951 movie of the same name starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn she still remains a timeless classic. Ms Kane said: ‘The offer came out of the blue - there was also another interested party, a Canadian billionaire. It was neck and neck between them for a while, but in the end I decided that the Holmquists have a real love and vision for the castle that matched mine. ‘It is important that I entrust Carbisdale to somebody who loves it. And they clearly do. The castle became my identity. I love Scotland but I have decided it’s best loved from a distance. ‘I am both glad and sad to have sold the castle. I have made a loss but then I have gained an incredible experience and lots of memories. It is the end of a chapter for me. I will now concentrate on my day job as a barrister and live in London. ‘But I am keen to pursue projects in soccer - given my past expertise - and maybe write a book about my time at Carbisdale. ‘The new owners were aware of my relationship with sections of the local community and I can only hope they have a better experience than I did with some of them. But I stress it was not everybody.’