King's Lynn and West Norfolk Council has approved plans for a luxury woodland spa development on the Houghton Estate in Norfolk, located merely one-and-a-half miles from Prince William and Catherine's country residence at Anmer Hall.
The Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley, David Cholmondeley and Rose Hanbury, own the estate which shares a border with the royal couple's Sandringham property.
Local authorities granted permission for what developers describe as a "nature-focused retreat" on the aristocratic couple's land.
The Cholmondeleys are known to maintain a close friendship with their royal neighbours, with the Princess of Wales having previously attended social gatherings at their 1,000-acre Houghton Hall Estate.
Catherine and William's neighbours confirm plans for spa near Waleses' Norfolk home
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The couple attended King Charles's Coronation in 2023, where their son, Lord Oliver, acted as a pageboy.
In addition, Catherine and the marchioness both attended an upper-class 24-hour music festival at Houghton Hall in 2023.
The Houghton Estate has established itself as a venue for grand social occasions, including the annual Houghton Festival, a distinctive 24-hour music event conceived by DJ Craig Richards in 2017.
The festival attracted over 12,000 attendees in 2023, featuring more than 200 artists performing across 13 stages with continuous music throughout the weekend.
The Princess of Wales and Rose Hanbury pictured back in 2016
| PAThe spa development will comprise 45 timber cabins spread across 50 acres of woodland, designed to provide guests with an escape from modern life's demands.
Each cabin will offer panoramic forest views alongside private outdoor bathing areas equipped with copper tubs, woodburning stoves, and blackout blinds for complete relaxation.
Three dedicated wellness pods will provide contrast therapy experiences, combining indoor hot saunas with outdoor plunge pools and heated pools on external decking areas.
According to the planning statement: "Guests are encouraged to experience their natural environment, to slow down, relax, absorb and enjoy the surrounding tranquility."
Queen Elizabeth II gave Anmer Hall to the Prince and Princess of Wales after their wedding in 2011 | GETTYLATEST ROYAL NEWS:
Rose Hanbury pictured at King Charles's Coronation in 2023
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The retreat aims to offer visitors opportunities to "unwind, digitally detox, and reconnect with nature."
The marchioness, 42, previously worked as a model and served as an employee of former Conservative MP Michael Gove before her marriage.
Her husband, David Cholmondeley, now 65, inherited the Marquess title in March 1990 following his father's death, and can trace his lineage directly back to Robert Walpole, Britain's first Prime Minister.
The couple married in 2009 and have since had three children together: twin sons Alexander, who holds the courtesy title Earl of Rocksavage, and Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, along with their seven-year-old daughter Lady Iris.