🚨 ROYAL ESTATE ROW — KING CHARLES’ SANDRINGHAM ESTATE FACES GROWING SCRUTINY AFTER TENANTS SPEAK OUT, ONE COMPLAINT IS DRAWING ATTENTION
A prohibition on keeping cats on the estate dates back to the reign of Queen Elizabeth II
Residents living on King Charles’s expansive Sandringham estate in Norfolk have raised concerns about a vermin problem affecting gardens across the property.
The issue was brought up during a recent parish council meeting, where a local tenant highlighted the pest situation impacting approximately 300 rental homes on the royal grounds.
Rob Timmins, who manages the Sandringham estate, attended the gathering and made clear that dealing with pests falls to those renting the properties rather than the landlord.
The infestation is understood to extend beyond minor nuisances, with rats and mice drawn to the area by surrounding agricultural land and available food sources.
Residents living on King Charles’s expansive Sandringham estate in Norfolk have raised concerns about a vermin problem affecting gardens across the property
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Despite the complaints aired at the council meeting, the estate has reportedly received no formal grievances from tenants regarding the vermin issue.
A prohibition on keeping cats, which dates back to the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, is believed to be exacerbating the rodent situation on the estate.
The late monarch reportedly introduced the ban to protect wildlife, though some accounts suggest the primary motivation was safeguarding young game birds like pheasants and partridges. Country Life claimed in 2014 that the Queen was allergic to cats.
One tenant, speaking anonymously to the Daily Mail, said the restriction effectively gives rats “a free pass”.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor lives in Marsh Farm on the Sandringham estate
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“There are always rodents in an agricultural area like this,” the resident explained, “but most people can keep the numbers under control by having a cat. Here that’s not permissible, so it means that they are free to multiply.”
The tenant added that indoor traps alone prove ineffective, while outdoor poison stations pose risks to hedgehogs and other wildlife.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has also encountered pest troubles at his new residence on the estate, with moles invading Marsh Farm in Wolferton earlier this year.
The five-bedroom property saw dozens of molehills emerge across its front lawn, causing significant damage to the grounds.
A van belonging to Command Pest Control, a company holding a Royal Warrant, was recently spotted leaving the property.
The firm operates throughout East Anglia and specialises in removing moles alongside other unwanted creatures including rats, mice, squirrels and wasp nests.
According to the company’s website, moles can cause considerable destruction by excavating holes and tunnels through lawns, gardens and root systems.
The business advertises “swift and humane” removal methods, noting that moles’ sensitivity to vibrations makes them particularly challenging to manage in residential settings.
The Sandringham estate has faced scrutiny over wildlife management practices in recent years.
In 2023, The Guardian reported identifying 18 cases over two decades involving suspected wildlife offences or alleged poison misuse connected to the royal property and adjacent farmland.
These incidents allegedly included the poisoning, shooting and disappearance of rare birds of prey, among them eastern England’s final breeding female Montagu’s harrier.
Internal regulatory documents obtained through freedom of information requests revealed that police and enforcement bodies regularly conducted investigations on the Windsor family’s private land.
The estate rejected suggestions it had received lenient treatment from authorities, with a spokesperson stating it “fully supports and cooperates with any investigation into alleged wildlife or pesticide incidents”.
Only one case resulted in prosecution: a gamekeeper was fined in 2006 for maiming a protected tawny owl.
GB News has contacted Buckingham Palace and the Sandringham Estate for comment.
SOURCE: GBNEWS
