Kirstie Allsopp reveals her father Charles has died on the age of 83

Kirstie Allsopp has revealed her father Charles has died at the age of 83, as she shared an emotional tribute on Friday.

The Location, Location, Location star, 52, revealed that Charles, who was the 6th Baron Hindlip, passed away at home on June 5. 

Posting a snap of Lord Hindlip, Kirstie captioned the post: ‘This is my Dad, Charlie Hindlip. He was a great auctioneer, the best of his generation, an artist, a gardener, a father of four, and grandfather of eight, a loving husband to a wife he lost too soon.

‘He was a real star, he worked hard, played hard and went further than anyone ever expected.

‘He died at home yesterday, surrounded by love, flowers & photographs, in a house he built, looking out over a stunning garden he created from scratch.

‘I have been so proud to be his daughter all my life, and will be until the day I die. Bless you Dad, we loved you so much.’ 

Among those to pay tribute was fellow presenter George Clarke, who wrote: ‘I’m so sorry for your loss Kirstie … but what a beautiful beautiful words about him. Sending you the biggest hugs and mountains of love. George xxxxx.’

Charles was the former chairman of iconic London auction house Christie’s until his retirement in 2002, and his peerage means Kirstie is able to use the title ‘The Honourable.’

Charles was a hereditary peer and businessmen, and a member of the House of Lords from 1993 until 1999, and had previously been educated at Eton College.

In 1968 he married Kirstie’s mother Fiona Atherley, an interior designer, who died in 2014 aged 66 after living with breast cancer for 25 years. The couple had four children together.

In 1997 HCharles acted as auctioneer for Princess Diana’s dresses, which raised £2.8million for charity, just two months before her death.

He also conducted the sale of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers in 1987, which sold for £24.75million, which for a time made it the most expensive painting ever auctioned.

In 1990 he took £5.8 million for the Badminton Cabinet, setting the record for any piece of furniture or applied work of art.

Brian Sewell, one of the specialists who Hindlip learnt from at Christie’s in his early days, once wrote in his memoir Outsider, as per The Times: ‘I took one look at him and predicted that this dyslexic, shambling, trustful and innocent golden retriever of a boy would one day be Christie’s chairman.’

Last week, Kirstie revealed that Charles had been rushed to hospital as she shared a series of tweets to hit out at hospital visiting hours.

The star noted that when her father was previously ill in 2022, Covid restrictions prevented her from visiting his bedside.

She wrote: ‘When my Dad was very ill in 2022, I used my energy and endless time by his bed to tweet about visiting hours; many hospitals were still operating unnecessary Covid-related restrictions. 

‘Dad is back in hospital, hopefully briefly, this time I’m just going to tweet observations as the news is full of people saying how they plan to fix this or that and the NHS is a big part of that.

‘But how does it look from the perspective of an elderly man and his family and how would a family with fewer members and less resources be able to copy in a similar situation.

‘Having spent a lot of time in hospitals, here and abroad signage is a huge issue. We seem addiction to bombarding hospital visitors and patients with info, far more than anyone could absorb and much of it muddling. At 11:30pm getting out of the hospital and back to my car was quite a task.’

Two days later, Kirstie added: ‘If a doctor sees a patient at night, when family or carers are not with him, how can they know what is going on if the patient is confused or suffering with dementia? 

‘Today we’re told “no rounds as it is a holiday” so another day of Dad in hospital when he so longs to be at home.’

‘Further more at night Dad is much more tired and confused, so judgement of his progress is difficult, also “What day is it?” is a effing stupid question, he’s been in hospital since Tuesday, how the hell would he know? My sister spent all of last Thursday thinking it was Friday.’

Just a week before her father’s death, Kirstie tweeted: ‘Thank you so, so much for all your responses, so many stories, so many of them so similar to Dad’s & ours. 

‘When I started campaigning about visiting hours in 2021, I learned how hard it was for people with confused family members in hospital. 

‘As our family entered that world in 2022 we learned more, and now even more. One thing you notice is that there can be one doctor or nurse who makes all the difference, negatively or positively. Luckily yesterday Dr P entered our orbit, Wow! What a difference.’

In August, Kirstie also paid tribute to her co-host Phil Spencer’s parents, after they were both killed in a car crash.

Phil’s father Richard, known to friends and family as David, 89, and mother Anne, 82, were pulled from the vehicle after it veered off their access road and went into a river on the farm, but they sadly could not be saved.

Kirstie paid tribute to the parents of her close friend Phil, 53, and said it was a ‘great source of solace’ to him that they were together as they passed away, The Sun reports.

Richard and Anne were reportedly leaving their farm to travel to a local pub for lunch on Friday when their car drifted into a shallow river, which is a tributary which flows through the family farm in Littlebourne, near Canterbury, Kent.

Kirstie Allsopp told The Sun that she had spoken to Phil and that the deaths were ‘tragic for the Spencer family’ which is ‘very loving and close’.

She said that Richard and Anne, who had four children and eight grandchildren, were ‘lovely people’ and ‘both people of Christian faith’.

Kirstie added that Phil and his siblings are supporting each other through the tragedy.

She tributed Phil’s parents on Instagram, sharing a photo of them at their home, and writing: ‘This lovely photograph, recently taken at their home in Kent, is of Anne & David Spencer, I am desperately sad to have to say that they were both killed yesterday in a car accident near their home.

‘They were farmers, animal lovers & devoted parents to Robert, Caryn, Helen & Philip and adored their 8 Grandchildren, the only blessing is that they died together, so will never have to mourn the loss of each other.

‘I suspect many of you may want to join me in sending so much love to Phil and all his family. Please keep them in your thoughts & prayers, Thank you.’