Britain's most recognizable royal address is keeping the crown, but losing the bedroom. King Charles III has decided he and Queen Camilla will stay put at nearby Clarence House rather than move into Buckingham Palace once its roughly $500 million renovation wraps in 2027, ending a tradition of monarchs living there that dates back to Queen Victoria in 1837, the Washington Post reports. The move was first disclosed in a royal tax filing released last month.
Palace officials say the move is partly about opening the 775-room building more to the public, while keeping it as the monarchy's ceremonial and administrative hub, with state banquets and hundreds of other official events a year. World leaders might still stay there during state visits. "The Palace will continue in every traditional way to be the beating heart of the monarchy, just not its resting head," a palace spokesman says. "It will be a buzzing hive of activity in every other way." According to the royal website, the palace's rooms include 188 staff bedrooms and 92 offices.
Charles, long seen as preferring quieter residences like Highgrove and Windsor, will still work out of Buckingham Palace, which one former royal aide describes as feeling less like a home and more like a very grand hotel. The Guardian notes that previous monarchs haven't been thrilled about moving into Buckingham Palace: Historians say Queen Victoria was initially dismayed by the state of the building, while Queen Elizabeth II would have, like Charles, preferred to stay in Clarence House. Prince William, next in line to the throne, has said he and Catherine consider Forest Lodge, the mansion in Windsor they moved into last year, their "forever home."
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