King Charles's posh estate that used to have its own time zone

Sandringham is known by many royal fans as the spot where the family decamp for the festive season, where they can get away from their busy lives and enjoy the Christmas period with their loved ones.

But being at the estate used to be not only a physical escape from everyday life for the Royal Family – it even had its own timezone. The trend was originally introduce by the King’s great-great grandfather, King Edward VII.

However, it was kept for many years. The incredible estate in Norfolk, originally built in the late 1800s, was a favourite spot for many a past monarch to relax, particularly for its excellent access to hunting and shooting.

While he was still the Prince of Wales, King Edward VII introduced “Sandringham Time” as part of these pursuits. He was known as a great lover of outdoor sports, particularly hunting.

The different time zone allowed him to make the most of the winter daylight hours to go out shooting. To this end, he ordered all the clocks on the estate to be set half an hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.

This was then also later adopted at both Windsor Castle and the Balmoral Estate in Scotland.

Rumours abound that the unusual time was partly introduced becaused King Edward’s wife, Alexandra of Denmark, was notoriously late for events, but experts are not so certain of this.

Sandringham Time was continued to be held by King George V. However, his children were not so supportive of the idea as they found it confusing. As a result, Edward VIII abolished it during his brief reign.

None of Britain’s most recent monarchs – King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II and now King Charles III – have chosen to reinstate it.

However, King Charles does have his own approach to the running of Sandringham when it comes to Christmas, and that includes reportedly banning a part of the day that is common for many Brits – watching TV.

Jennie Bond told The Sun: “Christmas is a time of togetherness and for Charles, I imagine he would see this as a rare and wonderful day when the family can all be together. There is a lot in place for the day, including church and formal meals.”

She added that the family loves to “soak up the outdoors” because King Charles is not a “big fan” of watching television. It may even be viewed as “rude” to watch TV instead of throwing oneself into the Christmas festivities, the royal expert claimed.