St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham

St Mary Magdalene Church stands beside Sandringham House in the Norfolk countryside. Built in the 16th century and restored in the 19th, it is a small perpendicular church of carrstone on raised ground. The avenue of Scotch firs leads from the house through the garden to the church door. Members of the royal family attend services here when staying at Sandringham, especially at Christmas. The church has been a royal place of worship since Queen Victoria’s reign. Its interior is richly decorated with wood carvings by Norwegian craftsmen and stained glass by Charles Eamer Kempe. Queen Alexandra received a silver altar, pulpit and processional cross as gifts from Rodman Wanamaker. The church also holds a Florentine marble font and a 9th-century Greek font. Visitors find an ornate interior with intricate carvings and gleaming silver fittings. The east window’s stained glass and the memorials in the churchyard recall generations of the royal family. The graves include Prince John, buried here in 1919, and Baron Fermoy, Princess Diana’s grandfather. The churchyard also witnessed the lying in state of King George V and King George VI before their funerals.