Royal correspondent Richard Eden has shared the story of the time he had to tell a tenant on the Sandringham Estate that he was being evicted to make way for Prince William and Kate MiddletonSOUTHPORT, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 23: Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales visit Farnborough Road Infant and Junior School on September 23, 2025 in Southport, England. The Prince and Princess of Wales carried out engagements to show their ongoing support to the community following the attack in July 2024, in which three girls - Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe - were tragically killed at a dance class in the town. Their Royal Highnesses will visit Farnborough Road Infant and Junior School, where Elsie Dot Stancombe was a pupil at the school and speak to teachers about how the school was impacted by the attack and the support the infant and associated junior school has given to pupils, staff and the local community. (Photo by Eddie Mulholland - WPA Pool/Getty Images)Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William used Anmer Hall as their main residence until 2017(Image: WPA Pool, Getty Images)

A Royal expert has admitted that he telephoned one of the late Queen’s tenants on the Sandringham Estate and delivered the unwelcome news that they were about to be evicted to make way for Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Veteran Royal correspondent Richard Eden revealed on the Daily Mail Royals podcast how breaking the shocking news was one of his “favourite stories”.

“We got wind that Queen Elizabeth was going to be giving a new house to William and Catherine as, I think, a belated wedding gift,” he recalled.

However, the problem was that the new residence chosen for the Royal couple – Anmer Hall – already had sitting tenants.

James Everett, owner of kitchen timber company, Norfolk Oak, had relocated with his family into the 10-bedroom Georgian country mansion in the early 2000s, with a lease running until 2017, but one of the terms of the lease was that it could be terminated at short notice if the property was required by a member of the Royal family.

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (R) shows Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (L) and Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, around the 'Back to Nature Garden' garden, that she designed along with Andree Davies and Adam White, during their visit to the 2019 RHS Chelsea Flower Show The late Queen gifted the luxury 10-bedroom mansion to her grandson and his wife(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Richard remembered: “I remember ringing up the the the man whose family they were living at this house and said, ‘Actually we’ve heard that your house is about to be given to William and Catherine.’ I’ll be honest with you, he wasn’t that happy.”

Richard added that the Everetts had “loved” living in Anmer Hall, but reluctantly moved out: “They moved to another property, and I think, in the end, they were they were perfectly happy.”

Anmer Hall boasts a lengthy, and occasionally controversial Royal heritage. The property is allegedly where the King, whilst still Prince Charles, conducted secret rendezvous with Camilla Parker Bowles during his marriage to Princess Diana.

The tenants of the huge mansion were surprised to learn their lease was being cut shortThe tenants of the huge mansion were surprised to learn their lease was being cut short(Image: Getty Images)

The isolated countryside retreat, which was being leased by Charles’s dear friend Hugh van Cutsem during that period, supposedly offered the ideal location for the pair to meet privately, shielded from palace personnel and photographers’ cameras.

A Royal source, who recalls the duo utilising the estate, told the Express: “Hugh van Cutsem is one of the prince’s oldest friends. There weren’t many people he could trust at the time but Hugh was certainly one of them.

“Meeting Camilla in London was far too risky. Because Anmer Hall was on the Sandringham estate, it didn’t look odd for the prince to be up there.”

Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William used Anmer Hall as their main residence until 2017Anmer continues to be the royal couple’s private country home, and they often spend weekends and school holidays at Anmer(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Prince William also maintained strong ties with the residence, well before ultimately relocating there with his spouse in 2015. Both he and Harry developed friendships with Hugh van Cutsem’s four boys during their childhood, becoming frequent guests at Anmer.

William formed a particularly strong bond with Edward, Hugh’s eldest child and fellow Ludgrove student, who joined him on his inaugural Antipodean journey.

The residence that the Royal pair finally occupied differed significantly from the family dwelling he recalled from his youth. An extensive £1.5 million renovation project was implemented, funded through private Royal household resources.

The refurbishments encompassed a new roof, kitchen, the inclusion of a conservatory, a complete internal makeover, and an extensive tree-planting scheme to provide more privacy for the Duke and Duchess.

However, Anmer Hall is no longer their main residence. Following a challenging 18 months punctuated by the Princess’s cancer battle, the Royal pair have opted to relocate to a more private dwelling at Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park.