Sandringham Estate

Sandringham is a 20,000 acre country estate in Norfolk, privately owned by the Royal family.

In recent years, the Estate was a favourite retreat of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh, particularly over the festive period, where the whole Royal family would traditionally meet each Christmas, attending Mary Magdalen Church within the grounds of the estate for its Christmas Day Service.

The Queen's father, King George VI and grandfather, King George V, both died at Sandringham. King George V described the house as "dear old Sandringham, the place I love better than anywhere else in the world". It was the setting for the first Christmas broadcast in 1932 and upon his death in 1936, the estate passed to his son King Edward VIII and, at his abdication, as the private property of the monarch, it was purchased by Edward's brother, George VI. George was as devoted to the house as his father, writing to his mother Queen Mary, "I have always been so happy here and I love the place"

The estate was originally purchased by Queen Victoria in 1862 for her eldest son, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), as a country home for him and his future wife, Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Between 1870 and 1900, the house was almost completely rebuilt in a style described by Pevsner as "frenetic Jacobean".

In 1957, Queen Elizabeth II broadcast her first televised Christmas message from Sandringham.

In 1975, the Duke of Edinburgh supervised the demolition and modernisation of much of the service wing of the House which were a maze of Victorian small rooms and largely unused staff accommodation. Over 100 rooms were demolished to remove dry rot, save on heating costs and move the kitchens closer to the Dining Room.

In 1977, to mark her Silver Jubilee, the Queen opened the house and grounds to the public for the first time.

Upon his retirement in 2017, Prince Philip chose Sandringham as his permanent home, enabling him to indulge his passions for country pursuits, such as shooting and carriage-driving.

Unlike other royal palaces owned by the Crown, such as Buckingham Palace, Holyrood Palace and Windsor Castle, Sandringham is owned personally by the monarch.

Following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, ownership of the estate passed to King Charles III.

Heritage Live is honoured to hold the exclusive contract for staging concerts within the grounds of this beautiful royal estate.