Sandringham: A Royal Residence with Nigel Havers

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…

The second episode kicks off in 1910 when Sandringham is rocked by the death of its first royal owner Edward VII, as Nigel Havers reveals that something very unusual now happened to Sandringham: instead of passing automatically to the new king, George V, the privately-owned house was inherited by Edward VII's wife, Alexandra.

The final episode picks up the story in 1952 – at which point Sandringham House had been owned by the royal family for 90 years. During that time it had expanded into a truly enormous home with 364 rooms, including a bachelor's wing and stunning ballroom. But tragedy was about to strike… Nigel reveals that, on February 6th, 56-year-old King George VI died suddenly in his sleep at Sandringham House.