The Duke of Sussex has swapped Christmas celebrations with the royal family at Sandringham House for private festivities with his wife, Meghan Markle, and two kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, in America.
While his traditions may have changed, he is left with the memories of his childhood experiences at King Charles' private estate, which previously belonged to Queen Elizabeth II.
Very little is known about the interior of the Norfolk estate, where 700 homes sit on the 20,000 acres of land, including the main house, which is thought to feature 100 - 200 rooms.
Prince Harry shared new details about the private royal residence in his book, Spare, describing it as "a jail cell."
© Getty"The dining room at Sandringham, for instance, was our version of Dante’s Inferno. Much of Sandringham was balmy, but the dining room was subtropical.
© NurPhoto via Getty Images"Pa and I would always wait for Granny to look away, then one of us would jump up, sprint to a window, crack it an inch. 'Ah, blessed cool air.' But the corgis always betrayed us.
"The cool air would make them whimper, and Granny would say: 'Is there a draft?' And then a footman would promptly shut the window. (That loud thump, unavoidable because the windows were so old, always felt like the door of a jail cell being slammed)," he wrote.
Royal history
© GettySandringham House has been the private home of five generations of British monarchs. The late Queen Elizabeth II marked several milestone occasions at the property, including her first televised Christmas message in 1957 and the eve of her Platinum Jubilee just seven months before she died in 2022.
© Samir Hussein/WireImageIt is famously where the royal family celebrates Christmas, with King Charles and Queen Camilla continuing to lead the Windsors to the service at St Mary Magdalene church on the estate on the morning of 25 December.
As of 5 April, the home has been open to visitors for the summer. Guests will be able to tour a handful of rooms, though sadly, the majority of the interior remains out of bounds for private use.
© Anadolu via Getty ImagesThe property has remained largely unchanged from Edwardian times. Inside, it features a collection of art which includes Meissen porcelain, semi-precious stones and Minton china.
