How King Charles' Major Change at Sandringham Estate Will Affect Kate and William
L: King Charles, R: Prince William and Kate Middleton
King Charles is reportedly planning on installing 2,000 solar panels on one of his royal estates, but if he receives approval to move forward with his plans, Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, will feel some of the effects of the project.
According to a permit request originally reviewed by the Daily Mail, the monarch aims to provide zero-carbon energy for his 20,000-acre Sandringham Estate by covering 2.3 hectares of horse grazing paddocks with environmentally friendly energy sources to provide 2.1 megawatts of energy—plans that the application assures "meet current and predicted future electricity demands of the Sandringham Estate," according to the publication, which also reports that a small amount of the energy generated will be piped back to the grid.
The move serves as the next step in "the Estate's ongoing commitment to sustainability and promoting environmental practices." It comes two years after a much smaller solar array was installed on the roof of Sandringham House.
Thanks to the plot's location, the new solar farm would be "well-screened" from any tourists by tall trees along the most prominent borders. It also wouldn't "result in the loss of any productive agricultural land."
But the prince and princess are expected to feel the impact of the installation, as their second home, Anmer Hall, is a part of the estate, located just a few miles from Charles' home.
They'll likely benefit from the influx of clean power, too, a certainly pleasant addition to the already extensive renovations completed a few years ago, thanks to the help of interior designer Ben Pentreath, as well as architect Charles Morris for some structural and landscaping changes.
Next: King Charles Makes History With Unprecedented Decision About Royals' Vacation Spot Balmoral Castle