Fit for a princess! Grade II-listed Surrey manor house bought by the Queen for Fergie, Eugenie and Beatrice goes on sale with a VERY regal £4.2million price tag 

  • Georgian mansion near Windlesham, Surrey was bought by the Queen in 1997 for Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie
  • But the two sisters never moved in, after the Duchess of York said she couldn't afford the property's upkeep
  • It was then sold for £1.5 million to private owners, who have since placed it on the market for three times that price
  • The 1740 property has been reconfigured and boasts a tennis court and swimming pool across five acres of land

An sprawling country estate that was purchased by the Queen for her granddaughters Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice twenty years ago has gone back on the market - for a cool £4.25million ($6million).

Grade II-listed Birch Hall was purchased in 1997 by trustees acting on behalf of the Queen for the princesses.

However, the sisters never actually moved into the property after Sarah Ferguson reportedly refused to move in because she could not afford the upkeep and running costs of the centuries-old property near Windlesham in Surrey. 

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Very nearly a regal property, but not quite: Grade II-listed Birch Hall in Windlesham, Surrey was bought by the Queen for her granddaughters Beatrice and Eugenie in 1997...but the pair never moved in

Very nearly a regal property, but not quite: Grade II-listed Birch Hall in Windlesham, Surrey was bought by the Queen for her granddaughters Beatrice and Eugenie in 1997...but the pair never moved in

Instead, Ferguson and her children continued living at the former marital home of Sunninghill Park, six miles away near Ascot. 

The seven-bedroom Georgian mansion then sat empty for two years until 1999 when the current owners bought it from the trustees for £1.5m.

At the time, the estate agents said it was being sold 'due to a change of circumstance' and it was believed that money from the sale would be held in a trust for Eugenie and Beatrice, who were aged just 10 and nine at the time.

It has now been re-listed for sale again for three times the original amount. The current owners have changed the layout of the home to create a media and games room, orangery and gym.

The 1740 property also has a tennis court, a heated swimming pool in its five acres of grounds and a separate two-bedroom cottage for staff accommodation.

The house was bought by the Queen for the princesses (pictured) as part of a divorce settlement but it was reported that they didn't make it through the front door because their mother, the Duchess of York, feared she couldn't afford the upkeep

The house was bought by the Queen for the princesses (pictured) as part of a divorce settlement but it was reported that they didn't make it through the front door because their mother, the Duchess of York, feared she couldn't afford the upkeep

Now it's worth £4.5million: The 1740 property was purchased by the current owners for £1.5 million but is now on the market for three times that amount

Now it's worth £4.5million: The 1740 property was purchased by the current owners for £1.5 million but is now on the market for three times that amount

The property near Windlesham, Surrey has over 8,000 sq ft of accommodation with a drawing room, dining room, family room and kitchen/breakfast room 

The property near Windlesham, Surrey has over 8,000 sq ft of accommodation with a drawing room, dining room, family room and kitchen/breakfast room 

The country abode has over 8,000 sq ft of accommodation with a drawing room, dining room, family room, kitchen/breakfast room, orangery, two studies and a workshop.

Aside from its palatial appearance, it is easy to see why the property appealed to royalty. 

Guards Polo Club, Ascot Park and the Royal Berkshire Polo Club, horse racing at Ascot and Windsor and some of the world's best known golf courses - Wentworth and Sunningdale - are all within easy reach.

Andrew Russell, from estate agents Strutt & Parker, said: 'It is probably one of the very best of north Surrey's village houses, there's not many that come on the market.

'You get that sort of village community but it's a proper country house with five acres of grounds.

The grounds are also equipped with an outdoor pool (pictured) and a tennis court for alfresco living - the property has previously been used for village parties

The grounds are also equipped with an outdoor pool (pictured) and a tennis court for alfresco living - the property has previously been used for village parties

The estate is only seven miles from Woking, where there's a fast train to Waterloo so it's an ideal property for a London commuter

The estate is only seven miles from Woking, where there's a fast train to Waterloo so it's an ideal property for a London commuter

The dining areas extend to a conservatory area where the owners can enjoy an indoor to outdoor feel

The dining areas extend to a conservatory area where the owners can enjoy an indoor to outdoor feel

'It's only seven miles from Woking, where there's a fast train to Waterloo so it's an ideal property for a London commuter.

'The house itself is a very attractive and imposing-looking property. Some of the rooms are really quite dramatic, with high ceilings and full floor to ceiling sash windows.

'It's got a swimming pool, tennis court and beautiful specimen trees dating from Victorian times in the garden.

The current owners have chosen to sell as their children have now grown up and they are looking to downsize, says the agent

The current owners have chosen to sell as their children have now grown up and they are looking to downsize, says the agent

A media and games room features in the property where the owners have showcased an impressive collection of DVDs and a pool table

A media and games room features in the property where the owners have showcased an impressive collection of DVDs and a pool table

He added that: 'Every summer the owners have opened up the gardens for a charity event with picnics and a live band, so the house is quite prominent in the village.

'The owners bought it from the trustees acting for the Queen in 1999. The trustees bought it in 1997 for the princesses and I imagine it was chosen because it's a pretty house in a popular village and the gardens are a real draw, it's more like parkland. But they never moved in.

The agent said that the owners did quite a lot of work on the property after they bought it. 

'They reconfigured the staircase and updated the house throughout, moving the kitchen so it overlooks the garden and swimming pool. Their children have grown up now and it's just the two of them so they're downsizing. There is also a little cottage on the grounds which they currently rent out.'

A large dining space features in the house which could comfortably host twelve guests for dinner 

A large dining space features in the house which could comfortably host twelve guests for dinner 

The house is also fitted for solar paneling as the exterior of the house benefits from plenty of sun 

The house is also fitted for solar paneling as the exterior of the house benefits from plenty of sun 

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