Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Prince Charles hosts special event at Sandringham ahead of Christmas

The Prince of Wales has been managing the Queen's Norfolk estate since 2017

prince charles sandringham
Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
Share this:

The Prince of Wales hosted a special event at the Queen's Norfolk home this week ahead of the festive season.

According to the Court Circular, which records all of the royal family's official engagements, Prince Charles hosted a reception at Sandringham House to mark the 45th anniversary of the Norfolk Churches Trust on Wednesday.

The future king, 73, is patron of the Norfolk Churches Trust, a charity established in 1976, which aims to protect the churches and chapels of any Christian denomination in the country of Norfolk, or the Diocese of Norfolk.

READ: The Queen to leave Windsor Castle next month?

WATCH: Royal family shares recipe for traditional Christmas pudding

According to its website: "Since that time, the Trust has granted more than £6.7 million to parishes within Norfolk to enable them to arrange urgent repairs to their buildings."

Charles's wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, was unable to join him at the reception as she attended the biennial Rifles' Awards dinner at Guildhall in London on Wednesday evening.

The Queen will reportedly host her family for Christmas at Sandringham this year after celebrating the festive season apart in 2020 due to the pandemic.

The monarch, 95, is expected to travel up to her Norfolk estate the week before 25 December.

MORE: Prince William enjoys rare night out at star-studded Christmas party

MORE: The Queen has missed the royal christenings of two of her great-grandchildren

sandringham estate norfolk© Photo: Getty Images

The Queen's Sandringham estate in Norfolk

Prince Charles took over the management of Sandringham back in 2017, and ever since he has worked tirelessly with grand plans of turning the estate fully organic.

The Prince of Wales has spearheaded the eco project over the past four years to make the property and its land more sustainable than ever before which is an unprecedented commitment.

Speaking to Country Life in May, Charles spoke about the ethos behind his ambition: "It has always seemed to me somewhat logical to embrace a farming system that works with nature and not against her."

Changes on the huge estate include creating wildlife corridors, installing bird boxes, and using organic fertiliser. There are a few crops which still cannot be harvested organically, but there are provisions in place to work towards it.

Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity, royal and lifestyle news delivered directly to your inbox.

More Royalty

See more