King Charles reluctantly sold his former estate for £5 million, but there's a catch

Brimptsmead Estate in Devon used to belong to the Duchy of Cornwall and as such, Prince Charles. However, he sold the Edwardian family home but is still allowed to roam the grounds when the fancy takes him.

Brimptsmead Estate’s history

Brimptsmead Estate, located where the east and west of the River Dart meet, was built between 1893 and 1906 and subsequently leased by the then-Prince of Wales. The estate has been in the Duchy of Cornwall’s ownership since the completion of construction.

However, in 1993, the then-Prince Charles sold the 6-bedroom Edwardian home to private owners. According to The Times, only the freehold was sold; the land surrounding the country home still belongs to the Duchy of Cornwall.

In 2021, the freehold was put up for sale for approximately £5 million. Knight Frank, the estate agent who oversaw the sale, said that the unique property came with ‘a quirk’. King Charles IIIretains the right to fish in the River Darts on the Brimptsmead Estate, provided His Majesty gives 24 hours’ notice. However, the King has yet to return to the banks of the River Darts to fish since selling the house.

It is also said that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,author of the Sherlock Holmes series, stayed at the house when Royalty owned it.

The freehold

The house is built frompink granite, and the turrets are topped with red clay tiles. Frank describes it:

From the outside, the Edwardian family home is completely unique and utterly dreamy, plucked straight from pages of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale.

On the inside, however, the vast house has been completely modernised, with a few original features left here and there, such as leaded stone mullion windows, a stone fireplace and an original telephone.

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The ground floor boasts a room for every pastime, with reception rooms, a library, ‘gentlemen’s room’, a study, a drawing room, and a kitchen. All of which have panoramic views of the Dartmoor National Park.

On the second floor are 6 ensuite bedrooms, all complete with a ‘hydro pool/jacuzzi’ and more stunning views of the lush greenery.

Sources used:

- Hello!: Prince Charles' £4.9m former estate he didn't want to part with fully

- Tatler: Live in this £5 million Dartmoor estate – and Prince Charles could swing by at any moment

- The Times: £5m estate must be ready for a visit from Prince Charles

- KnightFrank.co.uk: _Could you be the new owner of Prince Charles's former Dartmoor country home Brimptsmead Estate?