King Charles Gives A Special Look Inside Cluckingham Palace

(Image credit: Getty Images)

King Charles’s documentary, Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision, comes out tomorrow, and he is teasing viewers with a special look inside his palace—Cluckingham Palace, that is. King Charles’s flock of chickens lives inside a luxurious, palatial wooden coop aptly named Cluckingham Palace, and the King gave us a glimpse inside as he collected eggs himself.

A cacophony of clucks erupted as he entered the coop, located at Highgrove, to which the King replied “it’s all right, don’t be silly, come on.” His encouraging words to his outraged hens showed how comfortable he is visiting the chicken coop. “Well, the great thing is you give them something in return,” he said, as he collected their eggs. “They can peck about out here, they’ll love it.”

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, holds a chicken alongside Sophie Schweinsfurth and Mathias Stinglwagner during a visit to the organic farm Herrmannsdorfer Landwerkstaetten on May 10, 2019 in Glonn near Munich, Germany. Their Royal Highnesses are paying an official visit to Germany at the request of the British government. The four-day-trip from May 7-10 will include visits to Berlin, Leipzig and Munich. (Photo by Pool/Getty Images) — King Charles has always been passionate about chickens.

King Charles has a large flock of chickens at his Highgrove Estate, including 31 rescued commercial laying hens that he adopted in August 2024. The one millionth hen rescued by the British Hen Welfare Trust lives in these palatial quarters, named "Henrietta" by the King. The hens and roosters all have extensive space to roam, peck, and make lots of noise.

Cath Andrews, author of Raising Happy Chickens, visited Highgrove several years ago for a special chicken husbandry course designed by the then-Prince Charles. “The most fascinating experience was having the opportunity to talk to the Highgrove chicken keeper (by Royal appointment!) about the King's love of all things organic, and his belief in the need to provide all creatures with as natural and healthy a life as possible,” she said of the experience. “It was noticeable that all the chickens were wandering happily around orchards and fields, were beautifully healthy, and obviously happy.”

Highgrove House on June 5, 2013 in Tetbury, England. — Highgrove House, where Cluckingham Palace is kept.

King Charles in a suit collecting chicken eggs. — King Charles collects chicken eggs in a suit.

On Instagram, people were delighted to see the King’s hens and their impressive coop. Genevieve Tyler commented “Cluckingham Palace is the best thing I have ever seen. Brilliant!!” Lovoy Rubin Mejia was also impressed by the chickens' set up, declaring “Wow, that palace looks epic!” Many were impressed by his farming outfit of choice, with Joanne Sarson writing “love the fact that he’s collecting eggs in a shirt, jacket and cufflinks!” Carey Henderson echoed her sentiment, saying “I just love the collecting eggs in a suit. Far cry from my muck boots, messy hair and hoodie that I'm usually in. Makes me want to fancy my morning egg collecting attire!”

King Charles, the ultimate homesteading influencer.

TOPICS

Christine Ross is a freelancer writer, royal expert, broadcaster and podcaster. She's worked with news outlets including the BBC, Glamour, Talk TV, ET, PBS, CNN and 20/20 to cover the foremost royal events of the last decade, from Prince George’s birth to the coronation of King Charles III.

She previously served as co-host of Royally Us, a weekly royal podcast by Us Weekly. As a freelance writer and royal commentator she provides expert commentary, historical context and fashion analysis about royal families worldwide, with an emphasis on the British Royal Family.