British royal family’s beekeeping tradition and hidden Queen‑Mother trust disclosed

Members of the British monarchy continue a centuries‑old tradition of apiculture. King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla and Catherine, Princess of Wales tend hives at Buckingham Palace, Highgrove House and Sandringham, producing honey used for palace events and sold to visitors. The royal apiaries, first recorded in the early 17th century, are maintained by royal beekeepers and support pollinator‑friendly gardens across the estates.

A separate financial legacy of the royal family has resurfaced: a trust created by the late Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes‑Lyon, in 1994 transferred about €22 million to a private fund for her great‑grandchildren. The trust, designed to avoid inheritance tax, remains opaque, with no public list of beneficiaries. Recent media attention links the fund to Samuel Chatto, a great‑grandson of the Queen Mother, amid his engagement to Princess Margaret’s descendant. The trust’s assets, alongside the Queen Mother’s remaining estate, continue to fuel speculation about the financial security of extended members of the Windsor family.