Royal Sandringham flying restriction over estate

Flying over or near Sandringham House when the Queen is in residence will be heavily restricted

Flying over the Royal Sandringham estate in Norfolk is to be restricted at the request of security services.

Aircraft will not be permitted within 1.5 miles (2.4km) of Anmer Hall - home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The Department for Transport said it was required "in view of the need for security for the Royal Family".

The rules will apply to Anmer Hall from 1 November. Similar regulations come into force for Sandringham House from 1 December to 1 March each year.

The three-month restriction covers the Christmas period, when the Queen and other members of the Royal Family are in residence.

Regulations issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) state no aircraft is to fly below 2,000ft (610m) within the restricted airspace.

It does not apply to emergency services aircraft, including Prince William's employer, the East Anglian Air Ambulance, and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The Queen's helicopter and any aircraft flown by a member of the Royal family are also exempt, as are aircraft flown by guests of Sandringham House or Anmer Hall, who have permission to land there.

It is not known whether any incident prompted the restriction.

When asked, a royal communications secretary said it was in relation to "matters of security".

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge moved into Anmer Hall shortly before the birth of Princess Charlotte

In May, the media was warned in a letter from Norfolk Police not to harass the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after "a number of intrusions" following the birth of Princess Charlotte.

At the time, Kensington Palace said public interest had to be balanced with the couple's right to a "private family life".

The letter expressed the hope that "acts of harassment and breaches of privacy" would cease.

Anmer Hall, a Georgian mansion, is about two miles (3km) east of Sandringham House.

Anmer Hall is a 10-bedroom Georgian mansion on the Queen's Sandringham estate