Kate, 42, pictured with the couple’s three sons, Willem, 11, Joel and Edward, who are both 6, said: ‘We opened the Barclays accounts because it was offering £100 to new customers. I have one for my salary and the income from our buy-to-let properties goes into the other. The Abbey account is in Richard’s name and that is an offset account linked to our mortgage. We pay anything spare into that as it reduces the amount of interest we pay on the mortgage. It is also a tax-efficient way of managing our money as Richard is a higher-rate taxpayer.
‘We opened the Cahoot account because it offered a great rate for credit balances. It also had a linked flexible- loan facility we can draw on and pay back at any time. We chose First Direct because it gives great service rather than for financial reasons.’