King Charles’ ‘peaceful’ retreat away from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor drama

His Majesty King Charles III is providing safe harbour for his disgraced brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on his 20,000-acre estate in Sandringham, allowing him to stay at Marsh Farm. The property sits two miles away from Sandringham House and is a significant downgrade from Royal Lodge. But 170 miles away from Sandringham, His Majesty has his own “peaceful” retreat where he can take a break from it all and truly relax. 

In a new video shared by the team, Charles’ incredible home has been showcased. It was captioned: “Peaceful winter days in the gardens at Highgrove.” The clips included looks at the lawns, trees and ponds inside the gardens and even showed a cluster of snowdrops that have blossomed. This special flower marks the transition from winter into spring and are known to symbolise “hope” and “new beginnings”. 

Highgrove House in Tetbury is the monarch’s pride and joy and he has owned the nine-bedroom property since the 1980s. The crowning glory of the estate are the magical gardens and among the themed gardens is the Carpet Garden, which won a silver-gilt medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2001, was based on a sketch that King Charles had drawn, inspired by a Turkish carpet he had inside his home.

© Getty

The property will be set to welcome members of the public into the gardens again in March, with tickets costing £39.90. You can always upgrade to a champagne tea tour or a two-course lunch tour for a more luxe experience.

A wellbeing workshop

 The calming estate is even hosting a wellbeing workshop next month, focusing on “grounding” and “mindfulness”. The £75 half-day workshop taking place on 21 February, includes breathwork, yoga and meditation sessions carefully curated by Sadie from Cotswold Therapia. The premise of this End of Winter Wellbeing Workshop is about transitioning “from winter’s rest into the promise of spring”. Charles has made a great success of opening up his property for events like this that align with his personal ethos. 

 Charles’ place for prayer

© Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision

Within Charles’ grounds, there is a small secret chapel that His Majesty uses for private contemplation, Royal author, Robert Hardman, has revealed in his book, Charles III. Robert writes: “In good times and bad, as both the Prince of Wales and now as King, he likes to retreat to his ‘sanctuary’, his tiny chapel in the grounds of Highgrove, to gather his thoughts.” When Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died, he took time to find solace at his Gloucestershire retreat, so it’s possible that the monarch used this area to reflect on his sad loss.