Royal decorator who painted Kate and William’s bed room was discovered hanging after ‘King Charles requested another person to re-do one among his paint jobs’

A royal decorator who painted the Prince and Princess of Wales‘ bedroom was found hanged after ‘King Charles‘ reportedly criticised one of his paint jobs, an inquest has heard.

Self-employed Chris Eadie, 63, had worked at the Sandringham estate for more than 30 years and took great pride in carrying out projects for the late Queen and later King Charles, Norfolk Coroner’s Court heard.

His brother Mark Eadie said he had been left upset after being tasked with painting a pagoda over a Buddha in the gardens of Sandringham House in colours requested by the King.

Mark said his highly skilled brother felt the colours were ‘a bit garish’, but painted it exactly as instructed. However, the King was said to be unhappy with how it looked and ordered it be repainted, according to the EDP.

Father-of-two Mr Eadie dutifully stripped the structure and prepared it ready for new colours chosen by the King, only for the final painting work to be handed to another contractor, he said.

Mark added: ‘After all that detailed preparation, someone else was given the job. He was devastated.’

The court heard that around the same time, Mr Eadie had begun losing weight and suffering from a lack of appetite, becoming convinced he might have cancer.

Phone conversations with his brother revealed his mental health was deteriorating as his worries mounted over both his health and the declining amount of work at Sandringham.

Mark said that his brother’s ‘perfectionism’ meant he was frequently appointed for ‘the top jobs’ within the Royal household, including painting William and Kate’s bedroom.

But in recent years, he was said to have become deeply affected as work from the estate became less frequent following management changes and the introduction of new contractors.

Mark told the hearing that his brother was a ‘talented perfectionist’ who lived for his work, and was immensely proud about carrying out jobs discreetly for the Royal family.

He said: ‘My brother was absolutely brilliant at his job. He had incredible attention to detail and wouldn’t let anything go unless it was perfect.

‘He was loyal and wouldn’t talk about what he did, but I know he painted William and Kate’s bedroom and even met their children once in the garden. He said they were lovely.’

Mr Eadie’s partner Joanna described him as a loving father to his two sons who took huge pride in his career and his long service to the royals.

But she said the reduction in work from Sandringham after decades of loyalty deeply upset him with the pagoda incident becoming a particular source of angst.

Six weeks before his death she found him sitting in the dark at home and later feared he had been considering harming himself.

In the days before he died, she told the hearing that he became unusually affectionate, something she now believes was part of saying goodbye.

She found him dead in the garden of his home on the Sandringham estate on October 10 last year.

PC David Norris of Norfolk Police told the inquest that Mr Eadie was found hanging in a small garden space between sheds.

Paramedics attempted to resuscitate him after cutting him down but were unable to save him.

Officers found a bottle of open spirits and a handwritten note inside the house. Mr Eadie apologised to loved ones in the note, writing: ‘Tell everyone I love them so much. I am sorry.’

Toxicology tests later showed only a small amount of alcohol in his system, along with raised levels of paracetamol, though not enough to have caused death.

A post-mortem examination concluded he died by hanging.

Medical evidence showed Mr Eadie had visited his GP earlier in the year complaining of weight loss and abdominal discomfort and began taking antidepressants after reporting anxiety and work-related stress.

His medication for anxiety ran out shortly before his death, and a repeat prescription had not been requested, the inquest heard.

Edward Parsons, land agent for the Sandringham Estate, said Mr Eadie had never been directly employed by the estate, but was one of many contractors used for work, with jobs allocated based on requirements.

He said though Mr Eadie had been awarded a number of jobs in 2025, a decision had then been made not to go ahead with the work.

Norfolk Area Coroner Yvonne Blake said worries about his health combined with work concerns had led to a decline in Mr Eadie’s mental health.

But she concluded that there was insufficient evidence to say he intended to end his life and recorded a conclusion reflecting mental health deterioration rather than suicide.

She said: ‘I am not satisfied that he intended to die. He had a decline in mental health and was upset about work. These things prevented sufficient clarity of mind.

‘He took his own life but the deterioration in mental health means I am not concluding suicide.’

She expressed condolences to his family, describing him as a man who was deeply loved by those close to him.

Ms Blake added: ‘I know he was a man who took great pride in his work. He was self-employed but did a lot of work at Sandringham. He felt discarded not having as much work there as he used to and he put this down to different contractors being used.’

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