Sandringham: A Royal Residence with Nigel Havers S01E01 - Episode 1

The opening episode transports us back to 1862 when the building first came into royal hands. Nigel reveals that it was Queen Victoria who snapped up the original Sandringham Hall as a 21st birthday present for her party-loving son Prince Bertie. She hoped the quiet country air would tame Bertie's wild side – but the prince had other ideas…

And we discover how Sandringham was far more than just the big house with acres of land and a whole host of other homes some of which can even be rented on Airbnb today!

Raksha Dave gets glammed up to find out what went on at one of Bertie's infamous Sandringham parties – a three-day affair complete with 100 servants for just 16 revellers. At this time the house lacked any mod cons – having just basic oil lamps and candles for lighting, no flushing toilets, and hot water available only if a servant fetched it for you from the kitchen.

Unsurprisingly, Bertie and his wife Princess Alexandra had grand plans to modernise their home. Nigel reveals how, in 1867, they tore almost all of the original building to the ground, reconstructing it from scratch in the iconic red-brick style we see today. CGI shows the vast extent of the rebuild, after which Sandringham House boasted a dedicated confectionery room and even its very own bowling alley!

But disaster was soon to strike the newly-renovated royal residence – JJ Chalmers gets to grips with a Victorian fire engine as he finds out what happened when Sandringham went up in flames in 1891.

Nigel also uncovers the house's dirty secret that almost killed the future king, and JJ hits the road in a 124-year-old car just like the one Bertie used to race around the Sandringham Estate. But trouble was on the horizon. Soon two World Wars and a right royal family feud would throw the house's very existence into jeopardy…