That's some 30th birthday gift! Queen gives William a cottage at Sandringham

The Queen has given Prince William, pictured with his wife Kate, one of the cottages on her beloved Sandringham Estate for his 30th birthday.

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The Queen is to give Prince William and his wife one of the cottages on her beloved Sandringham estate to mark her grandson’s 30th birthday.

The property will be made available to the couple later this year.
William, who reached the milestone last Thursday, is said to be celebrating privately with family and friends this weekend.

It is understood that he is particularly delighted about the house because he and Kate spent their first Christmas as husband and wife at Sandringham last year.

A source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘A property is definitely being made available to William and Kate this year and a plan is in place for William to have his own place on the estate.
‘He’s a country boy and loves Norfolk, just like his father and his grandparents. It’s a lovely, peaceful place and William adores it.’

The 20,000-acre Sandringham estate near King’s Lynn in Norfolk has been owned by the Queen since her accession in 1952 and by the Royal Family since 1862.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh stay in the main house, an Edwardian mansion,  every Christmas with the rest of the Royal Family.
Although much of the land is open to the public, the paparazzi are no longer allowed to photograph the Royal Family relaxing there.

New laws were introduced after pictures of Prince Philip were published overseas and Prince Edward was photographed apparently striking his two gun dogs with a wooden stick during a pheasant shoot.
It is not known which of the 150 residential, commercial and agricultural properties on the estate that the Queen intends to give to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Among the options are York Cottage, which is currently used as an estate office.
Built by Edward VII soon after he moved to Sandringham, it was the first home of King George V and Queen Mary after their marriage in 1893.

Sandringham was a favourite of George V, who declared it ‘the place I love better than anywhere in the world’ and  William’s great-grandfather,  King George VI, was born there in 1895.

The main house at Sandringham where William and Kate are to be given a cottage

Kate and William have also previously stayed at Wood Farm Cottage in Wolferton, a modest cottage set in a secluded part of the estate that is often used as an informal weekend retreat by the Royals.
William and Prince Harry regularly host shooting parties  at the cottage, while Kate and William have treated friends to a weekend there. Prince Harry also stayed at the cottage with his former girlfriend, Chelsy Davy.

The cottage is often used by the Royals when there is not enough accommodation in the main house.
Previously, Wood Farm was used by the Duke of Edinburgh to host private parties during shooting weekends, and the Duchess of York stayed there following her divorce from Prince Andrew.

William already has several properties across the country. When he was a student at St Andrews University, the Queen handed him a cottage called Tam-na-Ghar on the Balmoral estate in Scotland, where he used to take Kate for romantic weekends.

The Queen, with the Duke of Edinburgh, has given her grandson a cottage for his birthday.

The Duke and Duchess currently live on Anglesey in Wales, where William works as an RAF search-and-rescue pilot. The Prince has previously spoken of how he and the Duchess,  30, can live ‘normal lives’ on Anglesey. However, he has  been told that he must decide by the end of the year whether he wants to continue with his flying career.

While in London, the couple’s official residence is in Kensington Palace in West London – Princess Diana’s former home.
Although they currently stay  in Nottingham Cottage, which is situated in the north of the Palace grounds, they have recently been given the keys to apartment 1a – Princess Margaret’s former home.

The Queen made the property available after their wedding last year and an extensive refurbishment will begin in September.
William has always enjoyed close ties with the Sandringham estate. His close friends the Van Cutsem family used to  live at Anmer Hall where the  Prince regularly stayed as a young boy.
A spokesman for the Queen was last night unable to comment, saying only: ‘Sandringham is a private estate.’

A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also said it was a private matter.

Culled from The Daily Mail UK.

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