A potential royal rift is brewing on the Sandringham estate, pitting King Charles against his son and heir, Prince William, over contentious new agricultural plans.
The source of the disagreement is a proposed slurry pit, a facility designed to hold vast quantities of manure, which would be situated less than a mile from William and Catherine's country home, Anmer Hall.
The Source of the Stink
According to planning documents submitted to King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council, the new pit is planned to be an enormous structure, measuring 86 by 46 metres.
Its capacity is a central point of concern, as it is designed to hold up to 2,160,538 gallons of slurry. Anmer Hall, a Grade II-listed Georgian mansion, was a wedding gift to the Prince and Princess of Wales from the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The close proximity of the proposed waste facility to their private residence has raised eyebrows, with locals expressing significant anxiety about the project's impact.
Local and Royal Concerns
One resident did not mince words when speaking to the Daily Mail, stating, “Everyone is worried it will create a massive stink.”
The resident added, “Goodness knows what William and Kate think about it. It is a bit ironic that the landowner responsible for the plans is William's father, the King.”
The objections are not limited to the local community. County councillor Stuart Dark has also voiced concerns, suggesting that the planning application could face either outright rejection or be granted approval only with strict conditions attached.
A Broader Estate Reshuffle
This debate emerges amidst other significant changes on the royal estate. It was recently announced that the King's brother, the disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, is set to move to Sandringham.
Andrew, who was stripped of his royal titles earlier this year, will be relocating after leaving his long-term home at Royal Lodge.
Royal author Andrew Lownie, speaking to the Mirror, commented on the practical nature of this decision following the scandals linked to Andrew's association with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Lownie noted, “I understand that Andrew will have to be paid quite a lot of money to basically get out of the lease.” He added that the move, funded by the King's private finances, “lanced the boil” on a major crisis for the monarchy.
When approached for comment by Reach Plc, the Palace maintained its standard policy of not publicly discussing private estate matters.
