Brian May's wife Anita Dobson has revealed the real reason behind the couple's move from their Kensington home to the Surrey countryside. Brian, 77, and Anita, 76, who have been married for 24 years and together for nearly 40, made the move from their £7million home in Kensington in London to Windlesham in Surrey following a basement flood in July 2021, which ruined Anita's childhood photo albums and memorabilia "and a bit of Brian's (memorbilia) as well". However Anita has admitted they had been thinking about taking the plunge for some time before and the flood merely served as an impetus.

"We had talked a lot about, as we got older, did we still want to be in London? Should we move somewhere and slow down a bit?" she revealed in an interview with Woman's Weekly. Their new locale boasts a beautiful forest and the average detached house can sell for almost £1million. In January Anita admitted: "Brian has never been happier since we moved."

Admitting the transition to their new home, 25 miles from their former abode, was more of a shock for her, Anita, who is currently wowing viewers as the mysterious Mrs Flood in Doctor Who, said Brian “loves” their new lifestyle, and is keeping busy feeding all of the animals living around them".

Given the couple's status as entertainment royalty it would appear to be the perfect area for them to set up home as Windlesham has plenty of regal connections.

Windlesham Moor was the first marital home for the late Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince Philip. They resided there until 1949 when they moved to Clarence House following her coronation.

In more recent years the village also paid host to their former daughter-in-law Sarah, Duchess of York, as she rented a property there for 18 months before buying a house elsewhere in Surrey.

The area has a rich history of notable residents. Windlesham Manor, which is currently used as a care home, is an Edwardian house that is the former home of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote the Sherlock Homes series. The author spent his final 23 years living there with his family.

He welcomed many notable friends during his time there including The War of the Worlds writer H.G. Wells, The Jungle book author Rudyard Kipling, Lord Kitchener and Sir Edward Marshall Hall.

Despite being such a peaceful, rural village, part of what makes it so appealing is it's proximity to London.

At just 25 miles away you can get to the capital in just over an hour driving or approximately 40 minutes by train.