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.

Streaming

Watch Now

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
View all cast

Characters

Nigel Havers

Nigel Havers

View all characters

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
Reacher
Running

Reacher

Reacher follows Jack Reacher, a veteran military police investigator who has just recently entered civilian life. Reacher is a drifter, carrying no phone and the barest of essentials as he travels the country and explores the nation he once served. When Reacher arrives in the small town of Margrave, Georgia, he finds a community grappling with its first homicide in 20 years. The cops immediately arrest him and eyewitnesses claim to place Reacher at the scene of the crime. While he works to prove his innocence, a deep-seated conspiracy begins to emerge, one that will require Reacher's keen mind and hard-hitting fists to deal with. One thing above all is for sure: They picked the wrong guy to take the fall.

GenreDrama, Action, Thriller
The Traitors Ireland
Running

The Traitors Ireland

In a castle, 22 strangers compete in a game of deception. Traitors secretly eliminate players nightly while Faithfuls try to identify them. All compete in missions for €50,000, but surviving Traitors steal everything if undetected.

Chicago Med
Running

Chicago Med

An emotional thrill ride through the day-to-day chaos of the city's newest state-of-the-art trauma center and into the lives of the courageous doctors, nurses and staff who hold it all together. This is one of those days.

GenreDrama, Medical
Chicago P.D.
Running

Chicago P.D.

District 21 of the Chicago Police Department is made up of two distinctly different groups. There are the uniformed cops who patrol the beat and go head to head with the city's street crimes. And there's the Intelligence Unit, the team that combats the city's major offenses - organized crime, drug trafficking, high profile murders and beyond. These are their stories.

GenreDrama, Crime
Chicago Fire
Running

Chicago Fire

No job is more stressful, dangerous or exhilarating than those of the Firefighters, Rescue Squad and Paramedics of Chicago Firehouse 51. These are the courageous men and women who forge headfirst into danger when everyone else is running the other way and whose actions make the difference between life and death. These are their stories.

GenreDrama, Action
* This is an affiliate link. If you click and purchase, we will receive a commission from the provider. This will not incur any additional costs for you and you will support our project. We thank you for your support!