Kit Harington succeeds in his bid to save wife Rose Leslie's ancestral Scottish castle after stepping in with rescue loan

Kit Harington has succeeded in his bid to save his wife Rose Leslie's ancestral Scottish castle from financial collapse after stepping in with a rescue loan.

The Game Of Thrones star, 39, provided emergency funding to help protect Wardhill Castle in Aberdeenshire, where he and Rose, also 39, held their lavish wedding reception in 2018.

Rose has described Wardhill as 'the home I was incredibly happy in', recalling how she married 'the love of my life' there surrounded by friends and family.

The Mail on Sunday revealed last weekend that Kit, who is worth an estimated £10 million, had put money into the business behind the historic estate after it ran into serious financial trouble and was ordered into liquidation earlier this year.

At that point, his cash injection had bought the family some breathing space while they tried to stop the process altogether.

Now new documents published this week reveal that effort has been successful, stating that the liquidation has been given a 'permanent sist' - a Scottish legal term meaning the proceedings have been halted permanently.

The move lifts the immediate threat hanging over the 801-acre family estate following Kit's intervention.

The amount he put in has not been disclosed. Rose's brother-in-law William Wills, who is married to her younger sister, Portia, also provided funding.

Kit and William lent money to the business while it was in liquidation, with its assets used as security for the loans.

The latest development does not necessarily mean every outstanding debt has been cleared, but it marks a dramatic turnaround after liquidators were appointed in February.

The business behind Wardhill had been struggling to pay its debts and a court subsequently ordered it to be wound up.

Wardhill has been in Rose's family for more than 800 years and is one of Scotland's oldest privately owned estates.

The oldest parts of the castle date from the 1300s, with later generations adding to the sprawling turreted property over the centuries.

Rose's brother William, 43, and his wife Sarah took over the estate in 2014 and began an ambitious refurbishment programme in an attempt to make the enormous family home pay its way.

They turned parts of the estate into holiday accommodation and opened the castle for weddings, shooting parties and private stays.

Sarah previously admitted the challenge of keeping such a historic property going, saying: 'It's a very expensive property to maintain.'

The estate was thrust into the spotlight thanks to Rose and Kit's own wedding.

The couple, who now have two children, met while filming Game Of Thrones, playing doomed lovers Ygritte and Jon Snow, before their off-screen romance blossomed.

They married at nearby Rayne Church in June 2018 before celebrating at Wardhill with a star-studded reception attended by their Game Of Thrones co-stars, including Emilia Clarke, Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams.

Recalling the occasion, Rose said: 'It was the culmination of being married to the love of my life, in the home that I was incredibly happy in, bringing all my friends to Scotland – and the joy of that day was just fantastic.'

She added of the celebrations in the castle grounds: 'Because it was at home in the garden, we carried on [all night] – Mum was on the table at 4am.'

The wedding also helped showcase the estate as a luxury events venue.

Wardhill can now be hired for private stays and weddings, with guests able to take part in country pursuits including clay pigeon shooting, foraging and archery.

Kit's intervention is not the first time he and Rose have helped her family through difficulties involving one of their historic properties.

Rose's father Sebastian Leslie previously owned nearby Lickleyhead Castle, another grand Aberdeenshire property, but lost possession of it amid financial problems.

He later revealed that his daughter and son-in-law had helped him financially, saying: 'Rose and Kit helped financially. I can't tell you how much they gave me but they were very generous.'

Lickleyhead is currently back on the market for offers over £1.15million. But at Wardhill, Kit's intervention appears to have helped secure a very different outcome.