A no-fly zone order has been put in place over the Sandringham estate after drones were spotted flying in the area last month while Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the royal residence.
Security services requested the restrictions, which were put in place to protect “members of the royal family and other dignitaries”, days after King Charles hosted the Ukrainian president on 2 March at the Norfolk estate. They came into force just over a week later on 10 March.
The move reportedly came after drones flying over the estate sparked a security scare on the weekend of Zelenskyy’s arrival. The Sun reported that one drone was traced to a man sitting in a car nearby and another to a photographer. Other drones reportedly remain unaccounted for.
The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, signed off on the order that restricts aircraft from flying below 2,000ft (600 metres) at Sandringham “for reasons of public safety” and to ensure the security of “royal family and other dignitaries staying at or visiting Sandringham House”.
The order states: “These regulations impose restrictions on flying in the vicinity of Sandringham House, Norfolk.
“In view of the need for security for members of the royal family and other dignitaries staying at or visiting Sandringham House and at the request of the security services, it has been agreed by the Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport that flying should be restricted in the vicinity of that location for reasons of public safety and security.”
Royal flights, visitors’ aircraft and police and emergency services are exempted from the order.
Zelenskyy arrived at Sandringham House by helicopter from London last month, shortly after he attended Keir Starmer’s summit for European leaders.
His meeting with the king, which began at about 5.30pm, lasted just under an hour. Sources indicated the president was warmly received. There were reports that the UK government agreed to the meeting after a request from the Ukrainian president.
The two heads of state had first met in 2023 at Buckingham Palace. Last year, on the second anniversary of Russia’s full invasion, the king issued a strongly worded message of support for Ukraine, speaking of the “indescribable aggression” faced by Ukrainians and hailing the “determination and strength of the Ukrainian people”.