The husband of a doctor who treated the royal family has appeared in court charged her murder after she was found dead at her home near the Sandringham Estate.
Mark Cain, 45, of Fern Hill, Dersingham, was arrested after Dr Hannah Cain’s body was found at her address in Fern Hill in the early hours of Sunday.
Dr Cain had been hosting a sleepover for her children’s friends at the time of her death, according to locals, it has been reported.
Cain appeared before Norwich Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday morning wearing a black sweater. He spoke only to state his name, address and date of birth, and was not asked to enter a plea.
Prosecutor Jackie Hanlon told the court that the ambulance service contacted the police at 2.25am on Sunday and Dr Cain was later “found in an upstairs bedroom not breathing, not conscious”.
She said that a post-mortem examination “noted blunt force injury to the right side of her head had been inflicted, also an injury that could be suggestive of compression of the neck.
“There were children present in the property at the time,” she said.
The mother, 45, who was known professionally as Dr Hannah Terry, was listed as a member of the practice team at Grimston Medical Centre in King’s Lynn, which has served the royals for years.
The doctor was on call for the royal family and had treated several senior figures, including Queen Camilla, when she stayed at Sandringham Estate, The Sun reported.
Sources told the newspaper that King Charles and Queen Camilla had been informed of her death.
The practice was closed on Monday and Tuesday due to “extremely difficult circumstances affecting our practice team”.
In a post on social media, it said: “We apologise for the disruption and appreciate your patience and understanding at what is a very difficult time for our colleagues.”
Local councillor and GP Pallavi Devulapalli described the news as “devastating”. She wrote on X: “Dr Hannah worked briefly with me at my former practice - intelligent, really pleasant, a lovely colleague.
“I am genuinely struggling to understand what happened.”
Patients and locals paid tribute to Dr Cain and left flowers and cards at the practice and near her house this week. One woman, Wendy Robinson, said: “Still can’t believe what’s happened to our GP.
“Fly high and sleep well, you never deserved this, a kind-hearted soul taken too soon.
“I hope you can see your teddy, flowers, and card that we left on the bench at Grimston Medical Centre from my husband and I.”
According to the website of a business Dr Cain ran called Norfolk Sky Aesthetics, she has been a qualified doctor for more than 15 years, and a GP for eight.
Dr Cain described herself as a “caring and professional doctor” who continued her work as a GP alongside her cosmetics business.
Police say her family have asked for privacy and are being supported by specialist officers.
Michael Devaney from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: “The CPS has decided to prosecute Mark Cain for the murder of Hannah Cain following a police investigation into an incident at her home in Dersingham.
“We have worked carefully with Norfolk Police during their investigation.
“Our thoughts remain with the family of Hannah Cain at this time.”
On Sunday, Detective Inspector Alix Wright from the Norfolk & Suffolk major investigation team said: “We are in the very early stages of this investigation working to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the woman’s death.
“I’d ask anyone who believes they may have information that could help our investigation to please share this with us.”
