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Harrison Ford’s childhood Tudor home hits the market

<p dir="ltr">The childhood home of <em>Indiana Jones</em> star Harrison Ford has hit the market for the third time in four years for just $USD 749,000 ($AUD 1.1 million).</p> <p dir="ltr">The 1922-era Tudor house in Park Ridge, Illinois, was home to the Ford family in the 1950s, per <a href="https://www.realtor.com/news/celebrity-real-estate/harrison-ford-remodeled-childhood-home-on-the-market/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Realtor.com</a>, though it has been significantly renovated since.</p> <p dir="ltr">After nearly 50 years off the market, the home was listed for sale in 2018 with its original windows, plumbing, and electrical, with interior spaces that needed a serious refresh.</p> <p dir="ltr">Selling in February 2019 for $USD 350,000 ($AUD 513,000), its new owners undertook some major changes, replacing the dated wallpaper with a neutral grey and white colour scheme and transforming the avocado-green kitchen into a space filled with stainless steel appliances, a butcher block island, a tiled backsplash, and a breakfast nook.</p> <p dir="ltr">A formal dining area that connects to the large family room with views of the backyard now features pendant lighting, while in the living room, the built-ins and fireplace remain, with the wall-to-wall carpet being ripped out to show the original, refinished hardwood floors.</p> <p dir="ltr">Other updates include new windows, recessed lighting, baseboard heaters, and a completed basement, which features a bar and rec area, a home office, and a laundry.</p> <p dir="ltr">After the renovations were complete, the 198-square-metre home was sold for $USD 600,000 ($AUD 880,000) in July 2020.</p> <p dir="ltr">With the current owners looking to upsize, it’s back on the market with a 25 percent price bump, according to listing agent Peter Bellert of @properties Park Ridge.</p> <p dir="ltr">Bellert says the home is basically move-in ready, with just the driveway needing to be repaved.</p> <p dir="ltr">He also notes that the home’s style is unusual for the area.</p> <p dir="ltr">“English Tudors are not common. There are not too many in Park Ridge,” Bellert says.</p> <p dir="ltr">Other features of the two-storey home include a powder room on the first level and four bedrooms on the second, with an original balcony connected to the bedroom that reportedly belonged to a young Ford.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ff78dbc4-7fff-94a8-0d7d-2d54b0de90b6"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty Images / Realtor.com</em></p>

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Revealed: Meghan Markle’s secret connection to the royal family

<div class="replay"> <div class="reply_body body linkify"> <div class="reply_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>If the <a href="/news/news/2017/10/what-will-be-expected-from-meghan-markle-once-she-is-a-royal/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">rumours are anything to go by</span></strong></a>, Meghan Markle is about to become a bona fide member of the royal family. But according to her genealogical records, the 36-year-old actress has been tied to the Windsors for centuries.</p> <p>Australian teacher and amateur historian Michael Reed told <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/18/king-henry-viii-ordered-meghan-markles-ancestor-beheaded/" target="_blank"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Telegraph</span></strong></em></a> he was studying the modern royal family when he allegedly stumbled across a connection between the <em>Suits</em> star and the Tudors – but that connection isn’t exactly the friendliest.</p> <p>Reed traced Meghan’s family tree back to John Plantagenet, a King of England who lived between 1166 and 1216. In that same line was John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford, born in 1465.</p> <p>Lord Hussey had a storied career which saw him knighted by Henry VIII for his diplomatic efforts at the Battle of Blackheath and made esquire of the body and chamberlain to Princess Mary. He was even present at the christening of Princess Elizabeth.</p> <p>But Lord Hussey’s close friendship with the royals came to an abrupt end after he was unable to put down the Pilgrimage of Grace, a 1536 rebellion against the king.</p> <p>As a result, his loyalty was called into question. He was found guilty of treason, imprisoned in the Tower of London and eventually beheaded.</p> <p>So, how does this connect Meghan to the royals? Well, Lord Hussey was the great-great-great grandfather of Captain Christopher Hussey, who became one of the Founding Fathers of Nantucket after leaving London in the 1650s.</p> <p>Ten generations later, Thomas W. Markle married Doria Ragland and gave birth to Rachel Meghan Markle in 1981.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div>

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