In planning London Bridge in the wake of the Queen’s death, a day has been set aside for the new monarch to take time away from public duties at his family residence. He is not expected to attend any public events, although it is understood he will prepare for his new role and receive his red boxes of state papers. The Queen is in state with a tail stretching over four miles – stay tuned for the latest updates The King will spend the first day out of the public eye since his mother’s death at his beloved Highgrove House near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, a Georgian neoclassical house that serves as the private home for the monarch’s Queen Consort. A passionate gardener and environmentalist, King Charles has spent over 40 years transforming the gardens around the house. The house was owned by various families until it was bought by the Duchy of Cornwall by former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan’s son, Maurice Macmillan, in 1980. Image: The Prince of Wales in the gardens of his Highgrove House Image: The Duchess of Cornwall at Highgrove House The King chose the nine-bedroom mansion for its easy access to London, Wales and other properties belonging to the Duchy of Cornwall. He and his then wife Princess Diana renovated the property with neoclassical additions in 1987 and the interior was stripped and redecorated. Image: Aerial view of Highgrove Estate. Photo: Ray/Shutterstock Image: The Duchess of Cornwall with her dog Beth at Highgrove The King’s passion project was the estate’s gardens, which were overgrown and unkempt when he first moved in, but have since been fully restored. Read more Queen: Sustained by Pimms, lager and katsu curry, but only respect for the Queen in the queue Seven things to look out for as the Queen is in state The green-fingered monarch introduced a wild garden, a formal garden, a walled kitchen and a scullery. His environmental beliefs are echoed in the estate, which includes solar panels, biomass boilers and air source heat pumps, while waste from the house is filtered through a natural reed drainage system. Image: Then Prince Charles fox hunting with the Beaufort Hunt in the village of Crittleton, near Highgrove Image: The Prince of Wales flanked by his sons Princes William and Harry at Highgrove Fruit and vegetables from the kitchen garden are used for meals at Charles and Camilla’s table, while flowers from the garden are used to decorate the house. The King has also planted rare trees and plants for future generations and heritage seeds have been planted to ensure they flourish. The monarch has said: “One of my greatest joys is to see the pleasure the garden can bring to so many of the visitors and that everyone seems to find some part of it that is special to them.” Image: The living room of Highgrove House in the Cotswolds in 1980 Image: The study at Highgrove House Visitors and the public have been able to tour the gardens since 1994 and thousands visit each year. It remains to be seen where the King will live during his reign. The monarch has traditionally lived in Buckingham Palace, although a friend previously told the Mail on Sunday: “Despite what everyone thinks he doesn’t want to live there, he will definitely have accommodation there – but it will be a much more modest apartment upstairs . -the situation of the shop similar to that of the Prime Minister in Downing Street”. The house technically belongs to the Duchy of Cornwall, so it has passed to Prince William who is the new Duke of Cornwall. It means the King could pay his son around £700,000 a year in rent to stay at Highgrove, according to the Daily Mail.
