King Charles: Rare bats, beer and other quirky things he inherited from the Queen

King Charles III inherited many properties from the late Queen Elizabeth II, and most came with quirky bonuses.

Food and beverages

As reported by The Daily Star, King Charlesinherited a plot of land close to the Sandringham Estate when the Queen passed away. It is where His Majesty’s late father, Prince Philip, managed to cultivate truffles successfully.

According to Mail Online, Prince Philip had been fascinated by growing truffles since he was introduced to truffle-hunting by his uncle. In 2006, the late Prince Philip planted more than 300 saplings impregnated with truffle spores. It took 12 years for Prince Philip’s endeavour to be fruitful, making him the first person in Britain to cultivate a successful cropof truffles.

Under Buckingham Palace lies an 18th-century wine cellar worth £2 million that now belongs to the King. According to The Sun, there are seven rooms in the wine cellar. The collection includes a 1988 Château Léoville Barton and a 1963 Fonseca and Quinta do Noval. However, the most impressive is the bottle of sherry found when the new London Bridge was built. It dates to 1660.

Per the publication, the cellar isn’t only lined with expensive bottles of wine. One can also find boxes of Tetley tea and Carlsberg.

Animals

The newly appointed King also inherited his mother’s beloved estate of Balmoral. It also happens to be the home of Gusgurlach, a three-year-old bull who has won the top prize in the Royal Highland Show two years running, per The Daily Star.

The Telegraph reports that Gusgurlach of Balmoral is part of the late Queen’s fold of cattle, comprised of sixty breeding cows and seven other bulls. The cattle now belong to King Charles. According to the publication, breeding Highland cattle is a tradition started by Queen Victoria. The Monarch is said to have preferred their distinctive red colour to black.

King Charles also has some unconventional lodgers at Balmoral. A colony of pipistrelle bats, a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981, call the rafters of the ballroom home, much to the annoyance of the staff.

The Sunreported in 2019 that the Queen enjoyed watching her servants chase the bats with butterfly nets while the men went hunting. According to the publication, the Queen allegedly used to wield the nets herself; however, later, she would encourage her staff as she sat and watched. If caught, the bats were released into the wild. However, the Queen always left the windows open in case they were to return.

Royal commentator Adam Helliker claimed:

After horses and corgis, bats are her [the Queen’s] much lesser-known third favourite.

The King also inherited the Queen's pigeon loft, has rights over all unmarked mute swans in England, and took over the Queen's racing operation, The Sunnotes.

Sources used:

- The Daily Star: 'King Charles inherits bizarre items including ‘rare bats’ and ‘£2million wine cellar’'

- The Sun: 'The King inherits weird items such as swans, rare bats and prize-winning bull'

- The Telegraph: 'Queen’s bull brings home top prize at the Royal Highland Show'

- The Sun: 'The Queen’s Balmoral Castle home full of bats – and she walks around with servants who chase them with nets'

- The Sun: 'The Queen has a vast wine cellar underneath Buckingham Palace with booze worth around £2 million'

- Mail Online: 'Has Philip truffled out a fortune aged 97? There were sniggers when he planted special trees to cultivate the rare delicacies. But his plan finally bears fruit after 12 years'

Read more:

⋙ Prince William has inherited this island paradise as Duke of Cornwall

⋙ Prince William and Kate inherit this ‘secret’ home in Wales

⋙ The Queen's death: Who will inherit Elizabeth II's massive fortune?