While King Charles already had access to an impressive portfolio of homes that stretched as far south as Tamarisk House on the Isles to Scilly to The Castle of Mey in Northern Scotland, he has now added several more.
Following The Queen's sad death at the age of 96 last month, King Charles inherited a number of royal homes which are dotted all over the UK. While many of these official residences are controlled by The Crown Estate there are some properties, such as Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House, which are privately owned. One home that has a special place in royal history is tucked away in a far corner of the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk and was beloved by the late Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.
Wood Farm had a royal resident for many years and was also where Prince Philip spent a lot of time after his retirement in 2017.
While the house is immediately linked to The Queen's beloved husband, it was also associated with the tragic story of her rarely-mentioned uncle, Prince John.
Sandringham House stands on a 20,000 estate in the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The estate also has several other buildings on the grounds, including The Prince and Princess of Wales' countryside home of Anmer Hall, Park House and York Cottage.
But there is one home on the vast estate that is tucked away from public view and has links to many famous royals.
Wood Farm is a small cottage that was built around the same time as when the main Sandringham House was sold to and adapted for the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
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The longest resident of Wood Farm was Prince John, the youngest son of King George V and Queen Mary. The young prince suffered from epilepsy and he lived there with his nanny as his condition deteriorated.
The prince died at Wood Farm at the age of just 13 and is buried at St Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham Estate.
Wood Farm has also been the location where divorced spouses of royals are put up over the holiday period so they can be near their children but also not officially at the monarch's festive holiday celebrations at Sandringham House.
Since his retirement in 2017, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh spent a large majority of his time at Wood Farm, rather than staying in London. Prince Philip died on April 9, 2021 at the age of 99 after an extended period in hospital at Windsor Castle in Berkshire.
It is well-known that the couple relished the time they could spend together at the secluded home. Royal biographer Robert Jobson told The Mirror how Wood Farm was a place of retreat for the late Queen.
Speaking before Her Majesty died, he said: "The Grade II-listed Wood Farm, located on a secluded part of the Queen’s Sandringham Estate looking out to sea, has long been a bolthole for the Queen and her late husband Prince Philip.
"It is where the Queen, Philip, and their four children went to relax for more than 50 years. And, of course, it is where Philip made his retirement home in his twilight years with the Queen’s blessing. The Queen was known to cook and even do dishes while she was staying there.
"It is now the place Her Majesty, now a widow, has chosen to go for a bit of privacy and reflection after a traumatic 12 months. With its simple furnishings and open fires, it is a lot less formal than life at Windsor, Buckingham Palace and even Balmoral, although it is spacious enough. When Philip was there, he didn’t stand on ceremony and servants didn’t wear the usual royal uniforms."
Much like Sandringham, another privately owned royal home is Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Following The Queen's sad death at the estate in Aberdeenshire, it has been suggested that King Charles is already considering a radical shift to the homes owned by the Royal Family.
A source speaking to Mail Online said: "Looking at the number of properties and the number of working members of the Royal Family, the King will be looking at the properties and asking: 'What value does this give to the public?'"
Other homes that could see a change in the near future include Windsor Castle after it was suggested that The King will never move in there as he finds it "too noisy" thanks to its close proximity to Heathrow Airport.
For a number of years there have also questions asked about what will happen to Buckingham Palace.
While it is expected that The King and Queen will move there permanently, it has long been said that Charles would prefer to turn the 775-room palace into a museum and live there in what has been described as a 'flat above the shop' arrangement.
An insider close to Charles previously said: "Despite what everybody thinks about him not wanting to live there, he will certainly have accommodation there – but it will be a much more modest flat-above-the-shop situation akin to that of the Prime Minister at Downing Street."
