MANY royal fans have seen or even toured around Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle – but there are a whole host of lesser-known, extravagant royal homes dotted around the UK.
Princess Anne’s 730-acre country estate, Gatcombe Park, has always been a mystery – but Brits have been offered glimpses through the years.
The sprawling retreat is actually home to three royal families, who all live a stone’s throw away from one another.
Here’s Fabulous takes a peek inside the very swanky estate…
The late Queen’s only daughter was gifted Gatcombe Park as a wedding present for her first marriage by her mother in 1976.
The former Conservative home secretary, Lord Butler, had reportedly sold it for almost £6million in today’s prices.
Princess Anne lives at the estate with her husband, Timothy Laurence, who she married in 1992, and her interior style is rather different to other Royal Family members.
Traditionally, royal residences are decorated to be in keeping with the era they were built, containing lots of antiques and traditional furniture.
Although Princess Anne’s house is full of historical pieces, there are some newer additions as well.
The Princess Royal’s living room inside the grade II listed property includes a flat-screen TV standing on a wooden cabinet.
It also features statement furniture in an orange floral print and a modern dog bed in the corner for her pooch.
Situated between the villages of Minchinhampton and Avening in Gloucestershire, the manor is reported to have five bedrooms, four secondary bedrooms, four reception rooms, a library, a billiard room and a conservatory, reports Hello magazine.
Princess Anne’s estate is privately run as a business, so it is funded without any help from the taxpayer – and her home is full of homely touches.
Speaking to Countryfile, The Princess Royal previously chatted about her home: “It’s really nice to come back and just be yourself in an area like this.
“Being able to take on a place like this – for me, I’ve got to make it work.
“This is not something that comes free, this has got to pay its way, otherwise I can’t stay here.”
Anne’s ex-husband Captain Mark Phillips still calls the area home.
After the divorce in 1992, Mark lived in Aston Farm, a seven-bedroom farmhouse beside the estate, with his second wife Sandy Pflueger and their daughter.
Anne also has a London apartment inside of St James’ palace which she uses as her base while in London for engagements.
Anne’s main manor house is a stone’s throw away from her two children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall.
Mike and Zara sold up their £1.69m mansion in Cheltenham shortly before the birth of their first child Mia in 2014 to move into a cottage in the grounds.
Since then they have had two more children – Lena and Lucas, who all love living on the sprawling estate.
And although the low-key couple rarely open up about their home life, they have revealed a few glimpses inside their house on social media and TV interviews.
The royals have their very own home gym, as revealed by Mike when he participated in the 2.6 Challenge in April 2020.
It has exposed brick walls with a Union Jack flag on display, as well as an exercise bike where Mike took part in the charity bike ride.
Patriotic decor is something of a theme within their home and is not limited to the gym.
The couple have a stunning lounge which was showcased by Mike when filming from the living room for a live interview on The One Show.
Although he was the eldest grandchild of the Queen, Peter Phillips often stays out of the spotlight.
He also has a cottage located on his mother’s Gatcombe Park Estate.
Despite being in the line of succession as one of the late Queen‘s grandchildren, he is not a working royal and has to earn a living.
Peter was married to Autumn Phillips, but they got divorced in 2021.
The couple have two girls, Savannah Anne Kathleen, born on December 29, 2010, and Isla Elizabeth, born March 29, 2012.
After his marriage broke down it was revealed the couple and their children would still live on the estate but in separate homes.
We got a rare glimpse inside his family home in a video released to commemorate Royal Ascot when it happened behind closed doors for the first time, during the pandemic.
He read a poem called Royal Ascot at Home in a YouTube video, and we saw him standing in a room with green walls and a painting hung in a mahogany frame on the wall behind him.
The Gatcombe estate is a working farm with cattle and breeding horses and it also hosts numerous equestrian events.
These include the Gatcombe International Horse Trials, which Olympic horse rider Zara usually takes part in.
