A transgender lawyer and self-styled lady of the manor who purchased a Scottish Highlands retreat to fulfil her dream of becoming a ‘princess’ has accused locals of ‘homophobia and racism’ after they opposed her bid to buy more land.
Samantha Kane – a barrister who is believed to be the only Brit who has changed gender three times, and goes by Lady Carbisdale – purchased stately Carbisdale Castle in 2022 for more than £1million.
The 19-bedroom manor is close to Ardgay, around 30 miles north of Inverness, and Ms Kane has pledged to sink millions of pounds into restoring the category B-listed building, which was built in 1907 in the Baronial style.
But Ms Kane is at loggerheads with locals over her plans to acquire seven acres of land surrounding the castle – and locals allegedly made ‘homophobic and racist’ remarks outside a heated community council meeting held earlier in November.
Ardgay and District community council met on November 21 in Ardgay to discuss her attempt to acquire 7.2 acres of land immediately surrounding her home from Forestry and Land Scotland – but police were called as discussions turned ugly.
Samantha Kane – also known as Lady Carbisdale – sits in front of a portrait of Mary Caroline, Duchess of Sutherland, for whom her stately castle home was built
Carbisdale Castle near Ardgay in the Scottish Highlands. Some locals have opposed Ms Kane’s bid to acquire seven acres of land surrounding the castle
Ms Kane – pictured at Carbisdale Castle – has described a police intervention outside a community council meeting held to discuss her land bid as an ‘overreaction’
The entrance to Carbisdale Castle, with its three-faced clock tower. It was reportedly designed that way deliberately to avoid giving ‘the time of day’ to its first owner’s husband’s son
Police Scotland said it received a report of a disturbance in Carron Place, Ardgay, on November 23. Officers issued advice and a woman received a recorded warning in relation to an earlier disturbance on November 21.
Ms Kane, who is an elected member of the community council, attended the meeting to state her case but had to leave while a vote took place.
Last night the 63-year-old described the police involvement as an ‘overreaction’, despite claiming that some of what was said was ‘homophobic and racist’.
One local, who did not want to be named, claimed he heard the woman had been ‘abusive’ to one of the committee members.
He claimed: ‘The language she used was exceptionally strong which even a sailor would have been proud of. I wouldn’t use it as a man, never mind it coming from a woman.’
But Ms Kane – who previously said the purchase was the fulfilment of a wish to be a ‘princess in my own fairy tale’ – remains of the view she is as a ‘dreamer’ who has a ‘vision for the castle’.
She said of the alleged abuse: ‘In my view it wasn’t a disturbance other than a handful of people wanting to see what I’m doing derailed.
‘There was a group of people muttering something who were against me, those who support me, and someone muttering something else.
‘That’s about it. Is that a disturbance? In my view it isn’t.
‘I’ve got a half a dozen people trying to smear my name and the castle’s name. They’d rather see a ruined castle than a preserved castle.’
Ms Kane, who is the only person in Britain believed to have changed gender three times, added: ‘I have spent all my life fighting injustice and to face discrimination is not nice.
‘If they had left it alone that would have been the normal reaction after any heated meeting.’
Highland councillor Michael Baird said in the end the vote will not count after the community council failed to follow the ‘ward management code of conduct’.
He said: ‘They have to wait for six months to bring it back again. So the truth of the matter is that community council meeting is null and void.’
Mr Baird said he was supportive of what Ms Kane was planning, saying the land in question was ‘highly dangerous’ and ‘unusable’ as a walking route due to its steepness.
Ms Kane behind the bar at Carbisdale Castle. She is restoring it at a reported cost of £10million and plans to welcome paying guests
Ms Kane looks out on the Highland countryside she now calls home. She sold off property in London to fund the refurbishments at Carbisdale Castle
Barrister Ms Kane rose to fame after becoming what is widely believed to be the first person in Britain, possibly the world, to change gender three times.
She was born Sam Hashimi in Iraq and moved to the UK, later making a fortune as the head of investment at a Saudi-owned company and becoming known for an unsuccessful 1989 bid to take over Sheffield United FC.
She transitioned to become Samantha in 1997, spending £100,000 on cosmetic operations to become, in her own words, the ‘ultimate male fantasy’.
But her happiness was short-lived. Dissatisfied with how her life as a woman had panned out, she then spent a further £25,000 in 2004 to transition back to a man, adopting the name Charles Kane.
However, in 2018 she made the decision – seemingly for the last time – to live as a woman, undergoing further surgery and hormone replacement therapy to revive her transition into femininity.
She wrote a book about her first transition, A Two-Tiered Existence, in 1998, before writing a fiction novel, Mohammed and Susan, in 2018.
She told the Mail back in 2022: ‘I’m happier now than I have ever been. There are no issues in my head about who I am or my gender. I am a woman.
‘For people who genuinely suffer from gender dysphoria, this is not a lifestyle choice, a trend, a political movement or an ideology.
‘Our lives are being spoiled by those who regard it as such.
‘Now, I just want a peaceful, dignified existence. I don’t want to be remembered solely for my transgender life because I’m so much more than that.
‘I want to be remembered for restoring this beautiful castle to its former glory. It’s a lady’s castle and, well, there’s a new lady in the house now.’
She then told ITV’s This Morning: ‘Definitely, Samantha’s here to stay.’
Carbisdale Castle was built for Mary Caroline, Duchess of Sutherland, the second wife of third Duke of Sutherland George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower.
It functioned as a youth hostel for around 60 years until the cost of repairs and maintenance became unsustainable in 2013.
Samantha in a photoshoot at the age of 38 – prior to transitioning back to a man in 2004
Ms Kane in 2022. She now says Samantha is ‘here to stay’ after changing gender three times
Ms Kane appeared on This Morning to discuss her journey to becoming comfortable in her skin in October 2022
Ms Kane made an offer in cash the same day that she viewed it after flying and driving up from London, where she has sold property in order to pay for her stunning Scottish getaway.
She previously said she felt an affinity with Lady Mary who was shunned by polite Victorian society because she dared to flout convention and lived life on her own terms.
Carbisdale was nicknamed the Castle of Spite because the Duchess built it on a hill overlooking the estate of her second husband’s son, the fourth Duke of Sutherland, from his first marriage after they fell out over her share of his father’s will.
Legend has it that Lady Mary designed the clock tower to have three faces instead of four, with the side facing the new Duke of Sutherland left blank – because she ‘would not give him the time of day’.
Once the restorations are complete, Ms Kane plans to welcome paying guests – with groups of ten or more paying £50,000 for all-inclusive long weekends.
The package will include gourmet meals, a butler service and – naturally – a wake-up call from a bagpiper.
Ms Kane says the tourism offering will support the local economy and contribute to the upkeep of Carbisdale, which costs a reported £30,000 each month to run.
She is planning to spend £10m on refurbishments, with new carpets and wallpapering already in place. She has plans to fit out the 23-room west wing with a cinema, fitness area and swimming pools.
The developer added: ‘I have no Scottish roots, but what I love about Scotland is how welcoming it is. I am accepted as a Scottish person and a highlander, and I have adopted the name of the Castle as my own.’
Police Scotland said: ‘On the evening of Thursday, November 23, police were called to a report of a disturbance in the Carron Place area of Ardgay.
‘Suitable advice was provided and one woman was issued with a Recorded Police Warning following an earlier disturbance on Tuesday, November 21.’
A spokesman for Forestry Land Scotland, which manages the land on behalf of the public, said it does not expect a decision to be made on the application until next year.