King Charles makes £50k repair to Sandringham home feature his mother loved

King Charles has donated £50,000 from his own funds to repair a church beloved by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. According to an annual financial report from St Peter and St Paul Parish Church in West Newton, the monarch made a hefty donation to help fix the roof. The Grade II church, which is located on the Royal Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, was understood to be a favourite of the late Queen's and one she frequented.

The total amount needed for the repairs stands at £200,000. Charles' donation comes three years after his late mother's death in September 2022 and after the local community helped raise nearly £78,000 for the roof restoration. The repairs included re-tiling the north slopes of the Nave and the Chancel roofs, as well as repairing the organ loft roof and transept roof. 

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The church issued a notice of the "urgent" repairs back in 2023. The statement said: "Dear Friends, after a recent inspection of the church, we have been informed that our church is in urgent need of repair, especially to the roof. It is expected the works will cost in the region of £200,000, a daunting amount, but we are confident with fundraising events and the help of our local and wider communities, we will be able to successfully raise these much-needed funds." The medieval church dates back to the 14th century and underwent restoration in 1881. 

The church was a favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth II

The church was understood to be a favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen often attended Sunday service there when she stayed at Sandringham. The Sandringham Estate is home to other churches, notably St Mary Magdalene Church where the royal family attends Christmas Day mass each year.

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King Charles' fondness of Sandringham 

King Charles grew up visiting Sandringham in the winter and during the holiday season. Over the years, the royal has spoken about his childhood memories on the estate. "I remember as a child at Sandringham, there was the most wonderful topiary garden Queen Alexandra, my great-great-grandmother, had established at the old dairy building. I can still remember being taken as a child, being wheeled in my pram even, and it was so special, these clipped animal shapes, peacocks, birds," he told The Telegraph in 2019 about a garden on the estate created by the late wife of King Edward VII. In 2017, he took over the estate management and took on the task of resurrecting the Sandringham gardens.