A LUXURY apartment block which has been likened to Buckingham Palace has sold out in just six weeks.

The eight flats within Strathmore House at Prince Charles’ model village at Poundbury were quickly snapped up at a cost of between £575,000-£650,000 each.

The stunning neoclassical-style building, named after the late Queen Mother (who was Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne), overlooks Queen Mother Square and boasts columns and balconies similar to the palace.

The spacious two and three bedroom flats are described as having ‘high ceilings, large windows, and a rare attention to detail’.

Parkers estate agents, which marketed the flats, added that every apartment ‘is the epitome of quintessential British charm’.

A spokesman for Parkers said: “The building has attracted a lot of attention, both locally, nationally and internationally. The apartments have sold to a variety of purchasers, with over half of them moving from within Dorset, and two others international.”

Poundbury is the idea of Prince Charles, who has always held strong views about the environment, architecture and the gradual loss of the traditional British village. He visits the estate twice a year.

Resting on 400 acres of land that he owns as the Duchy of Cornwall on the outskirts of Dorchester, Poundbury has 250 acres that is mixed use buildings, with landscaping making up the remaining 150 acres.

In 1987, West Dorset District Council selected the land for expansion and, the following year, Prince Charles appointed architect Leon Krier to develop the overall plan with his input. Construction started in 1993 and four development phases were planned over a projected 25 year period.

The Poundbury plan will result in a total population of 6,000 in 2,500 homes when it is completed, which is expected to be 2025.