Sandringham: A Royal Residence with Nigel Havers

Sandringham: A Royal Residence with Nigel Havers (2024)

EndedDocumentary show

Sandringham; the Royal Family's favourite holiday home. For over 160 years, kings and queens have come to this 274-room retreat to relax in the privacy of the Norfolk countryside. But what really goes on behind the imposing iron gates?

In this series, Nigel Havers reveals the surprising secrets of Sandringham House and its vast 20,000-acre estate. With the help of JJ Chalmers and Raksha Dave we find out what daily life was like for those upstairs and downstairs – and discover why the house had its own time zone for close to a century. We discover the terrifying disaster that almost destroyed the house while Queen Elizabeth II slept inside, and find out just how the royals celebrate Christmas. And we even uncover the story of Sandringham's secret house, where the royals go to hide.

CGI shows how the iconic building has transformed across the centuries as a long line of monarchs added everything from a private bowling alley and home cinema to its very own post office and on-site fire brigade.

Network
Scheduleevery Saturday at 21:00 (60 min)

Last Episode

Episode 3
Season 1Episode 360 min

Episode 3

The final episode picks up the story in 1952 – at which point Sandringham House had been owned by the royal family for 90 years. During that time it had expanded into a truly enormous home with 364 rooms, including a bachelor's wing and stunning ballroom. But tragedy was about to strike… Nigel reveals that, on February 6th, 56-year-old King George VI died suddenly in his sleep at Sandringham House.

No one was more shocked by this news than his 25-year-old daughter Elizabeth. But the new Queen had little time to grieve; soon, she was back at Sandringham preparing for the biggest day of her life – her coronation.

Raksha gets a glimpse into what life was like in Sandringham house at that time, thanks to the private diary of the man who designed the Queen's stunning coronation dress – meanwhile JJ Chalmers discovers what was involved in Elizabeth's first Sandringham Christmas as Queen, which kicked off some very surprising new traditions that continue to this day.

Later, JJ gets to see what Sandringham looks like from above whilst learning about the devastating flood that threatened the Estate – whilst Nigel discovers what was involved in frugal Prince Philip's ingenious money-saving schemes at Sandringham, including a very surprising decision: opening the doors of the private country home to the paying public. Nigel reveals how, in the 1970s, eager visitors flocked into Sandringham for the bargain price of 30p per person (£1.60 in today's money).

But by 2021, Philip's health deteriorated and he sadly passed away on the 9th April. Just over a year later Queen Elizabeth also died, and Sandringham was inherited by their son: King Charles. Now, Charles is the 5th generation of royal to own Sandringham, and he's got big plans to put his own distinctive mark on the place with some surprisingly eco-friendly alterations. After him, Prince William will inherit the house that was first owned by his great-great-great grandfather some 160 years ago. Ultimately, we can be sure that the remarkable story of royal Sandringham is far from over.

Aug 10, 2024

Recent Episodes

EpisodeNameAirdate
S01E03Episode 3Aug 10, 2024
S01E02Episode 2Aug 3, 2024
S01E01Episode 1Jul 27, 2024
View all episodesView all seasons

Cast

Nigel Havers

Nigel Havers

plays himself
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Characters

Nigel Havers

Nigel Havers

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