King Charles makes unprecedented move at Sandringham estate amid UK heatwave crisis

The King has made an unprecedented decision at his royal Sandringham residence as the UK prepares to enter its fifth heatwave of the summer. 

Charles, 77, has gifted an entire field of wheat at his Norfolk estate to a hat designer who has struggled to obtain heritage straw amid soaring temperatures. 

Emily Hurst, who was trained at Highgrove, had told the monarch that she was struggling to obtain Maris Widgeon, a traditional British wheat variety prized by milliners, due to poor harvests and extreme weather conditions. 

After hearing her tale, the King has donated an entire field of the crop, with Emily calling it "surreal". 

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She told BBC Radio 4: "We've got a whole field's worth here, I could potentially create hundreds of hats from this.

"It's quite hard to imagine if I'm honest, it's still quite surreal, it's still sinking in."

Emily previously received a £10,000 bursary from Ascot racecourse, awarded by a Chanel and King's Foundation fellowship.

Her limited-edition straw visors were previously sold in the Highgrove Shop, with proceeds going to the King's Foundation. 

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The UK prepares for a fifth heatwave

Farmers could face the worst harvest on record this year after months of heatwaves and drought, with little to no rain. 

It could see the grain harvest shrink by 2.5 million tons, costing farmers nearly £400 million.

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There have also been wildfires across the UK caused by the extreme heat, including in the Cairngorms in Scotland. 

The third heatwave in mid-July left firefighters battling 19 significant blazes simultaneously in England and Wales. 

This week's heatwave is expected to see a peak of 36C on Thursday in south-east England, marking the fourth consecutive month where 35C temperatures have been reached. 

When do King Charles and Queen Camilla stay at Sandringham?

King Charles and Queen Camilla typically stay at their beloved Sandringham Estate for the Christmas holidays, returning for visits throughout the year. 

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Over the summer holidays, however, he tends to stay at Balmoral in Scotland, like his mother, the late Queen, before him.

Shortly before embarking on their summer holiday this year, Charles and Camilla marked a royal first at Sandringham as they attended the first RHS Sandringham Flower Show on 24 July. 

The King has since headed to the Castle of Mey, as he traditionally does in late July and early August, visiting Caithness, the Mey Highland Games, and Dingwall in the Highlands.