King Charles' secret swimming pool Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor isn't eligible to use

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will no doubt have fond memories from the top-secret swimming pool inside Buckingham Palace, where he and his siblings learned to swim, but now he's been ousted from the royal family and banished to a converted farmhouse on the Sandringham Estate, it's looking like he won't be eligible for a dip there ever again.

King Charles' swimming pool is housed in a space which used to be a conservatory and was constructed in 1938. According to a newspaper cutting from January 1939, the addition was a surprise for sisters Princess Margaret and Princess Elizabeth, who returned from Balmoral to find the swimming pool at Buckingham Palace.

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"The surprise was a new swimming pool, which was specially constructed for the two little princesses so they may have their weekly swimming lessons next year at their own home," it read.

Royal and staff use 

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It's not just these two who have used the feature for swim practice. It is believed that all four of Queen Elizabeth II's children, King Charles, Princess Anne, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Prince Edward, all learned to swim there, and in the present day, family members like Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have also used the facilities. 

As well as being a perk for family members, staff are also allowed to use the impressive feature, according to reports. However, there is just one rule - a royal family member must not want to use the pool at the same time before you climb in. 

Andrew's new home

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It's the second pool that Andrew has lost access to, as he also had an outdoor one at his former home, Royal Lodge in Windsor. Andrew handed back the keys to his long-standing residence earlier this year. This luxury feature has been rarely pictured, but archive images reveal it is a rectangular pool positioned at the bottom of a gentle rolling bank, creating an idyllic setting for an outdoor dip.

The father-of-two's new abode, Marsh Farm, has five bedrooms, stables and SKY TV, but there are no reports of a swimming pool on site. The property underwent extensive renovations ahead of Andrew moving in, and he was put up at nearby Wood Farm while the work was carried out. No images have been taken inside Andrew's new home, but the exterior shots show that it now has a brand-new 6ft fence around the perimeter, and the residence features a turquoise front door.