King Charles has submitted a planning application to install around 2,000 solar panels on horse grazing paddocks at his Sandringham estate in Norfolk. The solar farm, covering 2.3 hectares, is intended to provide zero-carbon energy for the 20,000-acre estate. The application, lodged with King's Lynn and West Norfolk Council, states that the panels will meet current and predicted future electricity demands of Sandringham.
The solar farm will be located near Anmer Hall, the Georgian country home of Prince William and Princess Kate, which was a wedding gift from the late Queen Elizabeth II. The couple uses Anmer Hall as a second home, with their main residence at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor. The development is expected to affect their property, though the application notes that the panels are visually contained by existing vegetation and will not result in loss of productive agricultural land.
This is not the King's first eco-friendly initiative at royal residences. In 2022, he added solar panels to the roof of Sandringham House, and in 2011, he installed a 5.6kW solar power system at Clarence House in London. In 2023, he supported river restoration efforts on the Balmoral Estate through the Riverwoods initiative, led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
Richard Gledson, factor at Balmoral Estate, said King Charles was quickly convinced of the plan's potential benefits, adding: 'His Majesty is keen for us to do as much as we can to improve the environment, and if that encourages others to follow our example, then we’d be delighted.'
