Kate Middleton and Charlene of Monaco do not have a monopoly on princess life.
This Monday, July 25, at 5.30 p.m., La Six is kicking off a new daily magazine entitled “The castle of my dreams”.
The cameras went to meet seven families without personal fortune, who decided to sweep away their purring routine in order to become castellans.
Some have acquired such a monument in order to organize weddings there.
Others have decided to open bed and breakfasts.
But whatever the project, the owners must also juggle constraints, such as endless household chores, or excessive work.
“We see that a lot of people decide to leave their quiet life to embark on the purchase of excessive living spaces.
These are ordinary people who take out a loan to fix up a castle, and make it a professional and personal activity
,” explains Romuald Graveleau, program director at Studio 89, the company that produces the show.
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This is the case of Daphne and Baudouin, two lovebirds married for 18 years.
These parents of six children dreamed of a majestic place to settle their family there.
They therefore took the gamble of restoring a gigantic residence dating from the 12th century, located between Nantes and Angers, in order to organize weddings and seminars there in parallel.
In total, the reception rooms offer a surface area of 900 m² and the park extends over eight hectares.
Victoire, who is not even ten years old, has four rooms, including a bathroom, her bedroom and a playroom.
However, this dream comes at a price.
The couple is in debt, the health crisis could jeopardize their project and their daily life is rooted in a paradoxically summary comfort.
“They have been living in a spartan way for ten years, in the part of the castle which is not renovated.
Such a bet can make you really want to, but when you see all the sacrifices it requires, you can be disillusioned
, ”continues Romuald Graveleau.
The story of a life
Christelle and Marty were also forced to put their well-being on hold.
These two owners, aged 35 and 43, have acquired a castle in Carcassonne to offer lodgings there.
While waiting for the end of the renovations, they must satisfy their natural needs in the middle of nature, and wash themselves with a bottle of water.
Sometimes, individuals, adept at urban exploration, even break into their homes, thinking that the building has remained abandoned.
“These families are inspiring by their risk-taking and this hard work.
Taking up such a challenge is not a whim, it's the story of a life!”
, says the program director.
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After a period punctuated by several confinements and other travel restrictions, "The castle of my dreams" is a program that will arouse the viewer's desire to escape.
But above all, this meeting opens the doors to a gallery of fascinating portraits, where the characters are all as endearing as each other.
Franck and Silvère, two dads at the head of a blended family, recount with great emotion the moment when the banker agreed to grant them the necessary credit for the purchase of their Ardèche property.
Delphine and Fred, as well as their four daughters, also exude sympathy.
The mother of the family even accepted that the cameras follow her pregnancy, at the end of which she hopes, finally, to give birth to a little boy.
And if the gynecologist gives her his consent, she intends to give birth to this baby in her 19th century castle.
