Today, we’ll peek at the private family residence of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in southwest Tetbury in Gloucestershire, England. We’ll see the picturesque gardens transformed by the King, famous as one of the most inspiring gardens in the United Kingdom. This video reveals the home’s captivating history and design peculiarities and opens up some incredible details of Their Majesties’ private lifestyle in the idyllic countryside. Stay till the end to discover its surprising security feature and charming treehouse!
Highgrove House in Gloucestershire is King Charles III’s main family home, along with his Scottish estate, Birkhall, a Welsh farmhouse, Llwynywermod, and the official residence, Buckingham Palace.
He acquired the estate in 1980 before his marriage to Princess Diana. King Charles III put much effort into renovating the house and building an organic farm on its spacious territory. After his marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles, the present Queen of the United Kingdom, in 2005, Highgrove Home remained the King’s primary residence. He raised his sons there: William, Prince of Whales, and Harry, Duke of Essex. The 353-acre house became a perfect playground for young princes. Highgrove home occupies a special place in the British King’s heart, and we’ll see why.
The magnificent estate was built between 1796 and 1798 for the Crawley-Boevey family, which had recently acquired a baronet title. An 18th-century English architect, Anthony Keck, reportedly designed it in the austere Neoclassical style. Numerous neoclassical decorative details have remained on the estate’s exterior. It is a spectacular three-story building of ashlar blocks with a stone-and-slate roof.
The original house featured four reception rooms, nine primary bedrooms, a nursery wing, and staff quarters. The home had changed several hands till the Macmillan family purchased it in the 1950s. Harold Macmillan was the Prime Minister of the UK from 1957 to 1963. Fun fact: he was nicknamed “Super-Mac” in the 1958 cartoon. The Duchy of Cornwall bought the Highgrove estate from Macmillan in 1980. The stunning home reportedly cost 1,1 million dollars. The estate is just a 2-hour drive from London, and the royals still find the neighborhood highly appealing. King Charles’s sister, Princess Anne, now has a country residence, Gatcombe Park, only 6 miles from his home.
The then Prince of Wales Charles had looked at a number of properties before the duchy finally purchased Highgrove. Gloucestershire caught his attention as he had known the locality since his childhood. The Prince often hunted with the Duke of Beaufort’s Hunt there. The duchy significantly expanded the territory of Highgrove in 1993 by adding a 420-acre Broadfield Farm and other holdings to 1,100 acres.
For more details, please check our video about King Charles