Homes gossip: Mariah Carey; a property with royal connections; One Direction’s Harry Styles and Liam Payne; a Hansel & Gretal-style gingerbread house

Home with royal connections

The Van Cutsem family has many royal ties. Little Grace Van Cutsem is the bridesmaid who pulled a grumpy face on the Buckingham Palace balcony — and covered her ears at the flypast — during the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

William is also said to have had his stag do at Hilborough Estate in Norfolk, which belongs to his childhood friend and Grace’s father, Hugh Van Cutsem. Now the old gamekeeper’s house, located in its glorious grounds, is for sale.

Hill House, dating from about 1830, has access to an acre of formal gardens, orchard and paddock and also has a number of useful outbuildings. And just think who you might bump into out strolling locally. On the market for £450,000, this is a country retreat with undoubtedly grand connections.

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Follow a trail of crumbs to a gingerbread house

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of Hansel & Gretel by Germany’s Brothers Grimm. And what better way to celebrate than to buy your own “gingerbread house”?

A Forties Surrey property, on the market for £1.27 million, bears a striking resemblance to the fairy tale home. It was originally built and designed by an eccentric owner who clearly had a soft spot for the story.

The three-floor, five-bedroom retreat, whose current tenants are called Dr and Mrs German (yes, really), still has some of its original features and sits on a substantial plot with a large rear garden. If it seems like your idea of a sweet deal.

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Moving in One Direction - north

Look out north London, hot pop property could be moving in. After Harry Styles (right) was spotted house-hunting in Primrose Hill and St John’s Wood, his One Direction bandmate Liam Payne (far right) was seen looking for a new home in the same area.

Eighteen-year-old Payne is in search of a love nest to share with his dancer girlfriend Danielle Peazer. Following a string of UK number ones and hits in America, Simon Cowell’s protégés seem keen to invest their earnings in luxury homes in upmarket locations. Sensible move, boys.

Kate Moss and Jude Law are just two of numerous celebrities who have had pads in Primrose Hill, so the teenage heart-throbs are treading a starry path.

A terrace townhouse in Primrose Hill Village is on the market for £3 million. It has been split into two, so it could be perfect for the boys.

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Bahamas out, The Hamptons in

When Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon rent a holiday home, they do it in style. The glamorous diva and her America’s Got Talent presenter husband are splashing out £97,000 a month on a six-bedroom property in The Hamptons.

The palatial pad, which is worth almost £9.65 million, comes with a private cinema, swimming pool and wine cellar. With 15-month old twins to look after, it’s just as well that the place is spacious.

Five-time Grammy Award-winner Carey is clearly taken with her temporary New York base as she has put the Bahamas mansion she usually favours for summer breaks up for sale for £3.54 million.