Sandringham House in the context of "Death and state funeral of George VI"

Olav V (Norwegian: Olav den femte, Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈûːlɑːv dɛn ˈfɛ̂mtə]; born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991.

Olav was born at Sandringham House in England, the only child of Prince Carl of Denmark and Princess Maud of Wales. He became heir apparent to the Norwegian throne when his father was elected King Haakon VII of Norway in 1905. He was the first heir to the Norwegian throne to be brought up in Norway since Olav IV in the 14th century, and his parents made sure that he was given as Norwegian an upbringing as possible. In preparation for his future role, he attended both civilian and military schools. In 1929, he married his first cousin, Princess Märtha of Sweden. During World War II, his leadership was much appreciated, and he was appointed Norwegian Chief of Defence in 1944. Olav became king following the death of his father in 1957.

Maud of Wales (Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria; 26 November 1869 – 20 November 1938) was Queen of Norway as the wife of King Haakon VII. The youngest daughter of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom and a sister of King George V, she was known as Princess Maud of Wales before her marriage, as her father was the Prince of Wales at the time.

A daughter of Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Alexandra of Denmark, Maud was the youngest of six children. She grew up in a warm and informal environment under the supervision of her mother, contrasting with the stricter upbringing of her older siblings. From an early age, Maud showed a spirited and lively nature, enjoying outdoor pursuits and sports; she was among the first British princesses to ride a bicycle and often spent time in the gardens and grounds of Sandringham House. Her education, was primarily conducted at home, under the supervision of private tutors.

George Wild Galvin (20 December 1860 – 31 October 1904), better known by the stage name Dan Leno, was a leading English music hall comedian and musical theatre actor during the late Victorian era. He was best known, aside from his music hall act, for his dame roles in the annual pantomimes that were popular at London's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, from 1888 to 1904.

Leno was born in St Pancras, London, and began to entertain as a child. In 1864, he joined his parents on stage in their music hall act, and he made his first solo appearance, aged nine, at the Britannia Music Hall in Coventry. As a youth, he was famous for his clog dancing, and in his teen years, he became the star of his family's act. He adopted the stage name Dan Leno and, in 1884, made his first performance under that name in London. As a solo artist, he became increasingly popular during the late 1880s and 1890s, when he was one of the highest-paid comedians in the world. He developed a music hall act of talking about life's mundane subjects, mixed with comic songs and surreal observations, and created a host of mostly working-class characters to illustrate his stories. In 1901, still at the peak of his career, he performed his "Huntsman" sketch for Edward VII at Sandringham. The monarch was so impressed that Leno became publicly known as "the king's jester".

George V, King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, died at Sandringham House in Norfolk on 20 January 1936, at the age of 70. He was succeeded by the eldest son, Edward VIII, who abdicated later that year. On 23 January, the King's coffin was brought by train to Westminster where it lay in state for four days, during which more than 800,000 members of the public attended. On 28 January, the coffin was carried in procession to Paddington Station and then on to Windsor Castle where a relatively simple funeral service was held, broadcast live on radio.

Park House stands on the Sandringham estate in North Norfolk, England. It was built by Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) as a home for General Sir William Knollys, who had been appointed comptroller of the prince's household in 1862. In the mid-20th century, the house was let, and in the 1960s was rented by John Spencer, Viscount Althorp (later 8th Earl Spencer). On 1 July 1961 his fourth child, Diana Frances Spencer (later the Princess of Wales), was born at Park House. In the later 20th century, the building was run as a hotel managed by the Leonard Cheshire charity. Following the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic the charity decided to exit the lease. As of 2025, the house is vacant.

The office of the Surveyor of the King's/Queen's Pictures, in the Royal Collection Department of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, is responsible for the care and maintenance of the royal collection of pictures owned by the Sovereign in an official capacity – as distinct from those owned privately and displayed at Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle and elsewhere. The office has only been full-time since 1972. It now operates in a professional capacity with a staff of a dozen people.

Although the office dates from 1625, during the reign of Charles I (a noted art connoisseur), there has always been someone responsible for pictures in the Royal Household. Notable recent office-holders have included Sir Lionel Cust (1901–1927), Sir Kenneth Clark (1934–1944), Professor Anthony Blunt (1945–1972), one of the Cambridge Five Soviet spies, and Sir Oliver Millar (1972–1988). The current surveyor is Anna Reynolds, who was appointed in December 2023. She is the first woman to hold the position.