The Queen’s wedding gift to Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson in 1986 was a brand new 12-bedroom house in the Berkshire countryside. Sunninghill Park was an unfortunate mash-up of architectural styles, from its Tudor-ish chimneys to its vaguely Arts and Craftsy roofline and the monumental columns flanking its entrance. And how we laughed.
It was the first time a royal had lived in a new build since Queen Victoria’s son Prince Albert moved into Bagshot Park in Surrey in 1879. The Duke and Duchess of York’s property was instantly nicknamed ‘SouthYork’ thanks to its resemblance to Southfork, the Ewing family ranch in Dallas.
Back then, newly built period-style houses were seen as the epitome of blingy bad taste, beloved of footballers and Z-list celebrities: the property equivalent of a fake Chanel 2.55 bag. Aspirational buyers much preferred the real thing – a period, preferably Georgian, pile with plenty of historic patina and never mind the leaks and creaks that came with it.
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