Inside Sophie and Prince Edward's jaw-dropping £30m mansion with 120 rooms and private lake

They may not live in a castle or royal palace, but the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh’s family home at Bagshot Park in Surrey is far from modest. The Grade II- listed mansion was given to the couple by Queen Elizabeth II to commemorate their 1999 wedding, and they are now said to rent it from the Crown Estate for a whopping £90,000 per year.

The house is reportedly worth around £30m in today’s money, and royal biographer Ingrid Seward tells us, “It’s got 120 rooms, a private lake and stables, and there are 51 acres of land. Edward and Sophie have renewed the lease from the Crown Estate for another 150 years, so it’s obviously their forever home.”

Located 11 miles south of Windsor and lying within the designated area of Windsor Great Park, the ultra-secluded property was constructed in 1879, following the demolition of several existing lodges on the site. It was built for Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, the third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Official records from that time show there were 26 servants living in the main house, as well as four valets, a cook, three footmen and at least nine maids.

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During his period of occupancy, Prince Arthur was known to have ordered a painstaking installation of Indian-style wooden panels in what was then a billiards room. It apparently took two years to finish, and the two men who completed the work were said to have stayed in a tent in the grounds. Now seemingly used as a reception area, the same room was visible in public video calls made by Sophie and Edward during the pandemic.

Featuring a striking red brick exterior with Tudor gothic stone, other royals to have inhabited Bagshot Park in generations gone by include the Duke of Clarence, later King William IV, who lived there until 1816. King George III’s nephew and son-in-law, Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester also lived there until his death in 1834. A little more recently, Bagshot Park was requisitioned by the Army as a staff college between 1942 and 1945. “The house was used in the war for the military, and back then would have catered for huge numbers of people,” Ingrid adds.

The vast mansion was also thought to have housed wartime evacuees from London. Soon after they moved in, Sophie and Edward oversaw major renovations to the property, costing an estimated £2.18m, of which £1.6m was funded by the Crown Estate and the rest by the Duke. One of the improvements was believed to be the addition of a stunning light-filled glass conservatory, which is accessorised with a dining table, barbecue and house plants.

“Their beautiful conservatory at the back overlooks acres of lawns,” says Ingrid. “Inside the house there’s also a marble fireplace, panelled walls, and ornate carvings and ceilings. The rooms are huge but because it’s all very Victorian, some of it looks a bit gloomy. If it hadn’t been a listed building, they might have ripped out a lot of the dark panelling.”

Unlike other royal residences, such as Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and Sandringham, Bagshot Park is never open to the public. But in 2021, we got a sneak peek inside when Sophie invited BBC news presenter Naga Munchetty for an interview. It was filmed in a smart living room, where green striped upholstered chairs and a matching green carpet were seen on-camera. Viewers could also see a gold-edged mirror above the fireplace, vintage sideboards and an array of impressive artwork.

On another occasion, Sophie was seen baking dozens of cheese and bacon scones in the kitchen. The video for Children in Need’s Act Your Age campaign showed sage green walls, stylish white cupboards and marble worktops. But the family apparently have a second kitchen too, and in April 2020, Sophie was seen in a video call with Thames Valley Air Ambulance, sitting in front of dark blue glass-fronted cabinets containing porcelain cups, teapots, vases and ornaments.

“We’ve had a window into their home and how they live, and one thing that’s clear is that they have a very impressive crockery collection,” says royal broadcaster Katie Nicholl. “But for a home that could be so grand and palatial, it still looks comfortable and like a place where you could pull up a chair and enjoy a nice cup of tea.”

The landscaped outdoor space is just as important for the royal couple and their two children, Louise and James, and there are several different gardens linked by paved walkways. “The house has extensive grounds, ideal for walking their dogs,” adds Katie. “Come rain or shine, they love being out in the countryside, and Bagshot Park is their special retreat. Their home is their sanctuary, and it’s where they can be together as a family, doing the things they most love.”

Edward has also spoken of their additional residents, and during a call with the Orpheus Centre charity in June 2020, he said, “We have two dogs and we’ve also got a tortoise, who basically rules the house!” Last year, Sophie revealed that the family’s unusual pet is called Marmite, and that he loves eating grapes.

The location of the house is especially handy for visiting the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children, who live nearby at Adelaide Cottage within the grounds of Windsor Home Park. And when the late Queen was alive, they were also perfectly placed for weekly drop-ins, with Sophie once saying, “When she spends a lot of time at Windsor on the weekends, our children are more fortunate because they can go over and have tea with her on a regular basis.”

Though Bagshot Park remains Sophie and Edward’s main home, they also have an official residence at Buckingham Palace, where they can conduct official business and meetings when in London. But their beloved Bagshot is certainly where they can relax and escape the eyes of the world, and as Ingrid says, “It’s the place that offers them total privacy – and of course, it must also be a great party house.”