His Majesty took over the running of the Sandringham estate in 2017
King Charles is planning to build a solar farm on his Sandringham estate, it has been revealed.
His Majesty, who took over maintenance of Sandringham in 2017, has applied for planning permission to install around 2,000 solar panels on horse grazing paddocks in a bid to provide zero-carbon energy for his sprawling estate which spans 20,000 acres.
The plans lodged with King's Lynn and West Norfolk Council claim the solar farm will "meet current and predicted future electricity demands of the Sandringham Estate".
It's believed that the solar panels, which will be placed across 2.3 hectares of land, will provide a combined total of 2.1MW of energy.
The application says: "The location of the proposed panels is visually contained by existing development and mature vegetation, and the development would not result in the loss of any productive agricultural land."
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While the overhaul will have a direct impact on King Charles's home, it will also affect Prince William and Princess Kate's rural bolthole, Anmer Hall, which was given to the couple as a wedding gift by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Their Georgian property is just a stone's throw away from the Sandringham estate, meaning that the Prince and Princess of Wales will no doubt be affected by Charles's solar farm.
The 18th-century home underwent £1.5million worth of refurbishments, including the addition of a conservatory, a rerouted driveway, and completely overhauled interiors with the help of designer Ben Pentreath.
The property is now William and Kate's second home, with Adelaide Cottage in Windsor serving as their main residence.
This isn't the first time King Charles has introduced eco-friendly changes at his royal residences. In 2022, the 75-year-old added solar panels to the roof of Sandringham House, while in 2011, Charles had 5.6kW solar power system installed on his London residence, Clarence House.
Meanwhile, in 2023, the monarch backed pioneering methods of river restoration on the Balmoral Estate. In a bid to boost recovery of Scotland's rivers and reverse declines of freshwater species, Charles backed a campaign launched by the Riverwoods initiative and led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
Richard Gledson, factor at Balmoral Estate, said: "Historically, we were so tidy minded. If a tree fell into the river, you'd be told to take it out. But times have changed, and King Charles was quickly convinced of the plan's potential benefits.
"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."
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