I suspect the royal family don’t do much camping – if you lived in a palace, why would you? But if they did, I thought, maybe they’d do it like this. I was staying in a new safari tent, tucked into the Sandringham Estate. It was early, and golden light shafted through the trees as I opened the canvas door, zip ripping loudly through the post-sunrise peace. Luckily, the noise didn’t startle the coal tits, which continued to gabble. Or the rabbits, nibbling the grass. Or the squirrels, chasing up the tall pines. I sat on the decking and watched the world slowly rouse. A morning fit for a king.
© Sarah BaxterThe history of Sandringham
Sandringham is hidden away in North Norfolk, just inland from the Wash. In 1862 it was bought as an away-from-it-all retreat for Albert Edward (‘Bertie’), then Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, who tore down the existent Georgian manor – considered a bit dingy by the modern royal – and built his own Jacobean-style party pad. It remains the private country residence of The King today.
Glamping on the Estate
In 2025, the Caravan and Motorhome Club finished redeveloping their own site on the estate, including adding an Experience Freedom glampsite: a handful of luxe, en-suite, well-equipped and woodburner-warmed safari tents, generously spaced on a gently sloping woodland patch. A less striking architectural achievement than Sandringham House itself, of course. But they allow ordinary folks like me to sleep in comfort within the realms of royalty, without the aristocratic price tag.
© James McCauleyAnd so far it had been a high-calibre stay. I’d arrived in the area and spent time exploring – Sandringham is an excellent base for Norfolk’s wonderful north-west coast. I strolled the endless-seeming sands at Brancaster before devouring crab sandwiches at the village’s Ship pub. And I stopped in cheery Hunstanton, where strikingly striped fossil-rich cliffs combine with full-on seaside funfair-n-frolics.
© Getty ImagesI finished with an excellent dinner at the 17th-century Rose & Crown, in nearby Snettisham. I could have cooked back at my woodland base: the campsite shop was selling tempting Sandringham venison and my ‘tent’ had everything you might need, from pots and pans to hobs and even a dishwasher. I did make full use of the fridge, though, chilling a bottle of white and taking a glass outside. As twilight fell, stars popped and meteors showered – north Norfolk has some of the country’s best dark skies.
How the other half lives
The following day it was time to see how the other half lives – really lives. A footpath leads directly from the Caravan and Motorhome Club site and through the trees to Sandringham House. It was a lovely walk of only 1.5 miles, but I rewarded myself with afternoon tea anyway, a refined multi-tiered treat of pretty crockery and silver dessert forks, smoked trout and truffled-egg sandwiches, delicate cakes and perfect scones. Then, as regular visitors poured out, I headed in.
© Timofei Zhbanov/TimmyFoodUKA peak inside Sandringham’s secrets on an exclusive tour
New for 2026, Sandringham’s Signature Tour is a rather special after-hours, behind-the-scenes look at this lived-in royal retreat. In groups of no more than 15, you get to visit the gardens when there’s no one else around, enter the house when it’s empty and see rooms that are usually off-limits, in the company of knowledgeable guides.
© Andy Davison PhotographyOur group of just five met at the gate and progressed through the glorious gardens – we heard how the innovative, green-fingered King has changed them more in the past three years than they’ve been altered in the past 300. Then we reached the house, where two guides were waiting to usher us into the porch – “this is where The King kicks off his Wellingtons,” they said.
A fascinating insight into The King and Queen
The guides were an expert double-act, leading us through rooms that were both ridiculously ornate – moulded ceilings, gilt-framed portraits, priceless artefacts – but strangely liveable. “The house is exactly as The King and Queen left it when they were here a few weeks ago,” they explained. The CDs stacked and playing were theirs (FYI, The King likes 30s/40s jazz); coasters with their individual monograms gave away where each sits for morning coffee. But the royal couple move things all the time, it was revealed – the angle of the TV, where paintings are hung: “As guides, we’re always trying to spot what’s changed.”
© Getty ImagesUnseen treasures
Almost immediately we became privy to treasures most visitors never see. There was a demonic-looking sculpture by Sarah Bernhardt, made by the actress herself – one-time mistress to Bertie. There was a guest room containing the bed in which George VI died. There was Sandringham’s eclectic collection of 21,000 books, spread across bedrooms, drawing rooms and the wonderful long library, which still smelt faintly of cigars. There was the old billiards room, where we were told Prince William likes to play with his mates.
And there was stuff everywhere – wonderful, priceless stuff. The Queen was, apparently, more minimalist, but The King has brought many items out of storage to enhance the building’s Edwardian feel.
© Sandringham EstateWe ended in the ballroom with a Sandringham gin and tonic after a magical couple of hours, though I could happily have stayed many more. At least I didn’t have far to go; just a short journey back to my own piece of the estate. Not so fancy, but still a royally good spot.
© Andy Davison PhotographyHow to book it: The Caravan and Motorhome Club’s Experience Freedom two- and three-bedroom safari tents on the Sandringham Estate start from £69pn, minimum stay two nights (experiencefreedom.co.uk).
Entrance to Sandringham Estate & Gardens costs from £22.80/free adult/under-16s; afternoon tea costs £32pp; the Signature Tour costs £131pp (sandringhamestate.co.uk).
Sarah was a guest of the Caravan and Motorhome Club and the Sandringham Estate. All stays and experiences have been independently reviewed by our expert writers, who are usually hosted on a complimentary basis, but this never affects our review process.
