The Queen gives up control of major royal duty and hands it over to Prince Charles
The Queen has reportedly given Prince Charles control of the Sandringham Estate

The Queen has handed over control of her beloved Sandringham Estate to Prince Charles after controversy over the local wildlife.
- Her Majesty the Queen is handing over the reigns of the Sandringham Estate to her eldest son and heir to the throne, Prince Charles.
- It means that the Prince of Wales will have to deal with the controversy surrounding the use of 'illegal' traps on the estate.
- It follows Royal News that the Queen is supporting her cousin's fight against Covid-19 on Twitter.
A protected species of owl has reportedly been caught in a trap at the Sandringham Estate, which was managed by the Queen. The incident, which is being investigated by the police, has been discussed by Chris Ship and Lizzie Robinson on the Royal Rota podcast.
Podcast host, Mr Ship explained, "The Queen does run an estate in Sandringham, and that's a working estate, as Buckingham Palace tell us."
"On that working estate, they have traps to protect the game birds, the pheasants and the partridge."
"Those traps have caught an owl, which is a protected species."
"The traps killed it so the police have had to look into this whole issue."
Illegal traps have been found at Sandringham
What was found on the Sandringham Estate?
Ms Robinson went on to disclose, "There was a photograph of one of the owls that was caught in these traps, it's called a fenn trap."
"Fenn traps are illegal but they can be used for some specific types of species."
"They can be used for squirrels and rats and things, but they can't be used if they are going to kill stoats and owls because they are endangered."
It has been questioned why Sandringham Estate are not using more "humane" traps - like the DOC trap that has been approved by the New Zealand Conservation Department.
"The National Anti Snaring Campaign found 10 of these fenn traps very recently in December still in use," Mr Ship later explained.
There are questions being raised, especially as the Prince of Wales is now set to take over the estate from his mother. Prince Charles has previously been vocal about how close conservation is to his heart and his fears for the future world his grandchildren will be growing up in.
Royal expert, Ms Robinson, said, "there are some questions, especially because the Prince of Wales is taking over the running of Sandringham estate."
"We know how much he cares about the environment and organic matters."
A post shared by Clarence House (@clarencehouse)
A photo posted by on
According to Express.co.uk, the Palace have described the incident as an "unfortunate and isolated" event, adding that Sandringham does adhere to all the appropriate standards and regulations that are required of it.
Given Prince Charles' passion for conservation - even launching his own conscious fashion collection with Net-a-porter - we have no doubt the issue will be looked into by the Prince of Wales in the coming months.
Whilst the Prince of Wales is thought to be continuing to "farm organically" at Sandringham, he is also understood to have given up the lease on his beloved Home Farm plot. He has farmed at Home Farm near his country home Highgrove in Gloucestershire for 35 years.
Where is Sandringham House?
Located in Norfolk, Sandringham House stands within a 20,000 acre estate in the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – so it’s no surprise Her Majesty enjoys spending time there.
It's located in the village of Sandringham, within the town of King's Lynn - just a three hour drive from London.
A post shared by Sandringham (@sandringham1870)
A photo posted by on
Last year, the stunning house played host to 'crisis talks' between the Queen, Price Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they will 'step back' as senior members of the Royal Family.
The Queen traditionally spends Christmas at the Norfolk estate and remains there until February for a poignant reason. However, 2020 saw their plans change. For the first time in many years, the Queen and Prince Philip celebrated at Windsor Castle.
With the country now in its third lockdown, it is understood that the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have remained at their Berkshire home.
-
-
Ashley Graham jokes about her postpartum hair loss
Ashley Graham has branded herself a ‘Bond villain’ after pregnancy resulted in hair-loss
By Laura Harman •
-
You won't believe your eyes when you see the Kiehl's Mother's Day deal
This Kiehl's Mother's Day deal is sure to make someone's day extra special.
By Fiona Embleton •
-
Ashley Graham jokes about her postpartum hair loss
Ashley Graham has branded herself a ‘Bond villain’ after pregnancy resulted in hair-loss
By Laura Harman •
-
Sarah Ferguson once revealed to Oprah that being part of the royal family was ‘no fairytale’
Meghan Markle isn’t the first royal to sit down with Oprah...
By Sarah Finley •
-
Barbie releases an Eleanor Roosevelt doll in honor of International Women’s Day
Mattel has released an Eleanor Roosevelt Barbie Doll to celebrate International Women’s Day
By Laura Harman •
-
Research shows major flaws in five-a-day nutritional guidelines
Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day for optimal health has long been recommended by doctors, but the advice is now under fire from nutritional experts
By Emma Dooney •
-
Catherine Zeta-Jones shares heartbreaking news as fans show overwhelming support
She paid a heartfelt tribute on Instagram
By Emma Shacklock •
-
Dr. Seuss’ stepdaughter says pulling books is a ‘wise decision’ amid racism row
Lark Grey Dimond-Cates, the stepdaughter of Dr. Seuss, has spoken out about her stepfather amid racism row
By Laura Harman •
-
Holly Willoughby sympathizes with Prince Harry and Meghan's privacy struggles as she reveals her own 'sadness'
The This Morning co-host has given her views on privacy
By Selina Maycock •
-
The sell-out Lookfantastic beauty egg is back, filled with £230 worth of products for just £65!
Wow!
By Sarah Finley •