Why did King Charles decide to recover from cancer treatment in Sandringham?

King Charles III first started visiting Sandringham estate as a child. He retreated there as a student while attending Cambridge University, and later after his tumultuous marriage to Princess Diana collapsed.

Now, as he is diagnosed with cancer, it has become a place of shelter once again.

Sandringham, the private home of the last six British monarchs, sits amid parkland, gardens and working farms about 110 miles (180 kilometers) north of London.

It has been owned by the royal family since 1862, passing directly from one monarch to the next for more than 160 years.

Former royal reporter Michael Cole told the Associated Press that Charles decided to go to the estate because he "needs isolation."

He said: "Sandringham of all his royal properties, with the possible exception of Balmoral, where the weather is not terribly good at this time of year, is isolated.

"It’s only 100 miles from London, but it is surrounded by its own grounds. … He can be separate, because when you are having cancer treatment of any kind, infection must be avoided.’’

Charles, who continues to hike and shoot at the age of 75, is said to revel in the chance to be outdoors and breathe the fresh air along the Norfolk coast.

“There is absolutely nothing between Sandringham and the North Pole,″ Cole said. ”So when the cold winds blow, they blow straight down from the Arctic Circle into North Norfolk. So you better have your wooly underwear on when you’re there.″

Buckingham Palace confirmed last week that the King had been diagnosed with cancer while undergoing a corrective procedure on his enlarged prostate.

He has started treatment and while he has postponed public-facing duties he “remains wholly positive about his treatment,” a palace statement said.

Buckingham Palace has not confirmed the type of cancer the King has been diagnosed with, but it is understood he does not have prostate cancer.

The main eight ground floor rooms of Sandringham House, a sprawling structure that was built in 1870, are open to the public from April to October.

Guests can also visit the parklands, which cover more than 243 hectares (600 acres), and 25 hectares (60 acres) of gardens.

This is the Royal Rota - our weekly podcast about the royal family, with ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship and Producer Lizzie Robinson.