When Queen Elizabeth II died last year, King Charles III not only inherited the crown but also the late monarch’s real estate. That includes her private country residence in Norfolk, Sandringham House, where the Royal Family has celebrated Christmas since 1988 (save for the first two years of the pandemic). The estate has largely remained the same since Charles took full ownership–until now. Photos obtained by Hello! reveal that a full acre of the structure’s west lawn has been bulldozed in preparation for a new topiary garden.
“In recent years, with changing weather patterns the current expanse of lawn has been affected by warm weather and excessive rainfall,” a Sandringham Estate press release from last month explains. “The newly developed garden will introduce new species that are more robust, hardy and better able to withstand the impact of emerging weather patterns.”
Concept photos show steps leading down to the rectangular garden, which is dotted with topiaries and centered with a small maze-like arrangement of hedges. Gravel pathways zigzag throughout the symmetrical garden beds, which are filled with greenery and dusky purple and blue flowers. According to the release, the numerous garden beds will be filled out with lavender, coneflowers, delphinium, and yellow and pink roses. The work is expected to be finished and open to the public by the end of May.
King Charles has long been a big fan of gardens, especially at his Highgrove House residence. “My aim has always been to try and enhance the setting of the house in the landscape and, above all, to please the eye, warm the heart, and feed the soul,” he wrote in the book The Gardens at Highgrove. “One of my greatest joys is to see the pleasure that the garden can bring to many of the visitors and that everybody seems to find some part of it that is special to them.”
