15 Fast Facts About Wood Farm, the Royal Family's Farmhouse Retreat

The Queen may spend most of her time at Buckingham Palace — when there isn't a global health challenge, that is — and Windsor Castle, but those massive cribs actually belong to the Crown. She has her own estates, one of which is Sandringham Estates, which includes a main house, and 26 cottages. Wood Farm is one of those cottages.

If the name Sandringham sounds familiar, that's because the main house on the estate is where the Queen and her relatives spend their annual Christmas break. They famously exchange inexpensive gag gifts, and on Christmas morning, walk from the house to the nearby church of St. Mary Magdalene, where they greet fans before going inside for a special service.

The ruler bought Sandringham Estates for her eldest son and future king, Edward VII, who repaired the main house and added to the number of cottages on his surrounding land. Wood Farm was one of the original buildings on the estate, a relatively modest farm. We bet no one guessed that it would become one of the favorite retreats for the royal family.

In the early 1900s, the house was rented out to various people, including Queen Elizabeth's father's doctor. But afterward, Prince Philip took it over, and pretty much made it his own, overseeing repairs and renovations. It became a place for him to get away from the formality of palace life, hang out, and host friends for shooting parties.

When the Queen's husband of seven decades retired at age 97, he peaced out of the hustle and bustle of palace life and went to live at Wood Farm, with his wife's consent. It's said that he spends his days painting and indulging in possibly the most rich-dude hobby ever — aside from hunting whatever grouse is, of course: carriage riding, in which he drives a horse-drawn carriage really, really fast.

Breaking news: The Queen likes to do the dishes every once in a while — or at least, she used to — when she was younger. Over the years, she has spent time at Wood Farm, where there are no servants dressed up in uniform, and the married couple can be just that ... an ordinary married couple.

The red brick L-shaped building has five bedrooms and two floors, and is pretty bare bones. (There's apparently no gold-encrusted decor or priceless knickknacks.) It is situated a few miles away from Sandringham House — waaaaay on the other side of an entire wooded marsh — but it faces the North Sea.

Sounds lovely, actually.

Queen Elizabeth had an uncle she never met — and that's because he died as a child. Prince John, who was born in 1905, had epilepsy, and when his condition got worse at age 11, his parents made the decision to keep him out of the public eye. They sent him to live with a beloved nurse at Wood Farm, far away from scrutiny. There, he played with village kids and kept a flock of chickens, before dying age 13, after a severe seizure. Because he was not seen in public after age 11, he was called the Lost Prince, and his condition was not revealed until after his death.

Prince Charles became the first royal ever to be educated outside palace walls. That dude in the double-breasted suits and pinky rings was a college student at one point, y'all, in every sense of the word — including partying. He often used Wood Farm for entertaining friends, girls, and hosting shooting parties.

Yeah, Prince William lives there, too, but Kate Middleton is really the top dog at Anmer Hall — the house that the Queen gifted the couple when they got married. (She and her mom decorated it with the help of a pro, after all.) Just a few miles away from Wood Farm, Anmer Hall is where the Cambridges and their kids have based themselves while the global health challenge is going on. But since they've both been venturing out for select appearances, we're guessing they're keeping Prince Philip safe by staying away.

Fun fact: Princess Diana actually spent part of her childhood living with her parents in a cottage on Sandringham Estate. Little did she know that she would one day have a more intimate history with the estate, and with Wood Farm in particular. She stayed there as the guest of Prince Charles, while the two were courting.

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson got married just five years after Charles and Diana, and for a while, they looked totally compatible. (Alas! It was not to be.) They divorced in 1996, and Fergie was persona non grata at family events, including Christmas, though her daughters are welcome. However, the royals were not completely heartless, so they would allow her to stay at Wood Farm while Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice spent time with the rest of the family at Sandringham House as kids.

One does not simply get to stay at Sandringham House with the Queen for Christmas right off the bat unless one is Meghan Markle, that is. Kate spent many years dating William before meeting the Queen, which meant that when Prince William spent Christmas at Sandringham, she often tagged along, but stayed at Wood Farm. We wonder if he brought her a royal doggy bag back from the big house.

When he first married the future queen, Prince Philip had hoped to continue his Naval career, but it became clearer and clearer that he needed to be in a support role to the Queen full-time. So what's a dude to do with all his free time? Indulge in painting. Paint watercolors and put them up in his royal retreat.

And so, Wood Farm is full of Prince Philip's artwork.

When the Queen and Prince Philip are in Buckingham Palace and Windsor, they dress up. (She in dresses, full makeup and hair, and jewelry, and he in his suits.) But at Wood Farm, the vibe is totally informal, and that includes the way pared down staff that comes along to help the elderly couple. They don't wear uniforms, and even cook alongside the Queen, when she's up for a little cooking.