The brand new photo shows King Charles in the formal part of the gardens on his Sandringham estate looking relaxed as he is pictured in the sunshine leaning on a shepherd’s crook
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The King has turned cover star by appearing on the front of a magazine in a brand new, never-before-seen portrait. A relaxed-looking Charles is pictured in the sunshine, leaning on a shepherd’s crook, dressed down without a jacket and in a pale open-necked shirt, beige trousers, and brown suede shoes on the front of Country Life.
The portrait was taken in a formal part of the gardens on the King’s Sandringham estate by photographer Millie Pilkington, who was personally picked by Charles for the occasion. The snap accompanies a feature on the restoration of his gardens at Sandringham. Country Life editor-in-chief Mark Hedges described the work on the outside space at the Norfolk estate since Charles became monarch as “remarkable”.
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He said: “Over the past three years, His Majesty The King has overseen a remarkable restoration of the gardens at Sandringham – reviving historic landscapes, reimagining formal parterres and creating new spaces of reflection and natural beauty for visitors to enjoy.
“Country Life was privileged to have been given exclusive access to the gardens and the result is a magnificent feature by Charles Quest-Ritson, with exquisite photography by Millie Pilkington, who was chosen by the King to take the pictures.”
The magazine describes Sandringham’s 60 acres of “pleasure gardens”, surrounded by woods and parkland, as a “showcase of the finest designs”.
The King has rebuilt the formal areas with a sundial garden, a topiary garden inspired by Charles’s boyhood memories of Queen Alexandra’s ornamental garden at Sandringham’s Dairy Cottage, and a maze.
The King is a fan of mazes, once telling broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh that “there’s nothing more enjoyable than getting lost in a maze”.
He has also introduced a 400 yard-long (366m) magnolia walk planted with hundreds of different varieties, including many of his personal favourites. “The scale, the speed and the importance of what he has already achieved cannot be overemphasised,” the magazine added.
The gardens at Sandringham are usually open to the public from April to October. The King’s disgraced brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is set to move to a home on the wider, private Sandringham estate sometime in the new year, after being banished from the monarchy.
Sandringham was first bought in 1862 by Edward VII, when he was Prince of Wales, as a private country retreat. It has 16,000 acres of farmland, 3,500 acres of woodland and 150 properties.
In recent years, it has become the tradition for the Royal Family to spend the Christmas period at Sandringham.
The full feature on the restoration of Sandringham appears in this week’s edition of Country Life magazine, on sale now.
