A CASTLE owned by disgraced former Rangers owner Craig Whyte has been sold.
The 16th-century A-listed Castle Grant in Morayshire has been snapped up by a mystery buyer, thought to be based outside the UK, after attracting interest from across the globe.
The sale of Castle Grant, on the outskirts of Grantown-on-Spey, comes after it was repossessed by the Bank of Scotland in 2013, and follows the collapse of a previous offer.
Estate agent Strutt & Parker was responsible for the sale, having previously tried to attract new owners with an asking price of £1.1 million. The price was later dropped to offers in excess of £1m.
Kevin Maley, partner in Strutt & Parker's Inverness office, said: "Castle Grant was launched to the market in the spring and generated a significant amount of interest from buyers across the globe including America, Australia, Russia and Singapore.
"Those who did view the castle were fascinated by the history of it and the fact that it was purportedly haunted by the ghost of Lady Barbara Grant, not to mention the misfortune of many of the previous owners.
"The new owner is already planning on spending a significant amount on refurbishing the castle and grounds and it is reassuring to know that the ancient, ancestral seat of the Chiefs of the Grant Clan is in safe hands."
Castle Grant was handed over to the Bank of Scotland by Mr Whyte last year after he failed to pay the mortgage for two years.
Whyte and his then wife Kim bought the country mansion for £720,000 in 2006 with a 110 per cent mortgage, which carried a monthly repayment charge of £7,000. The bank launched its civil action to recover its money early in 2013.
Although it is an imposing building, there is no Highland estate to go with Castle Grant. It has about 35 acres of land including a landscaped loch.
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