Royal Residences

 In this blog I will be looking at various royal residences within The British Royal Family. I will list all of the residences and give information next to them: 

Buckingham Palace- Buckingham Palace is a royal residence in London where the monarch does all of the administration and meets various people. The palace is usually used for state visits where the banquet takes place. The Palace was originally known as Buckingham House that was built for the Duke Of Buckingham and Normandy in 1703 on a site that had been in private ownership for at least 150 years. 

It was acquired by King George III as a private residence in 1791 for Queen Charlotte and then it became known as The Queen's House. During the 19th century it was enlarged by architects John Nash and Edward Blore who constructed three wings around a courtyard. In 1847 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert found the palace too small for their growing family. So a new wing was designed by Edward Blore and Thomas Cubitt. Thomas Cubitt was also the great-great-great grandfather of the current Queen Camilla. 

In the Second World War Buckingham Palace was bombed nine times. The most serious publicised incident was deystroyed the palace chapel in 1940. One bomb fell in the palace quadrangle while King George VI and Queen Elizabeth were in residence. On VE day on the 8th May 1945 the palace was the centre of British celebration where The King and Queen along with their daughters Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret and Winston Churchill appeared on the balcony. 

Under King Charles III's reign the palace has been central for his coronation and trooping the colour, he and his wife Queen Camilla opt not to live at the palace as it's currently undergoing renovations although the palace is open in summers. 

Clarance House- Clarance House is better known for the official residence of The Queen Mother and very recently King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The house was built in 1825-1827 adjacent to St James's Palace for The Duke Of Clarance, The future King William IV. 

The four storey house is faced in pale render. Over the years, it has undergone much extensive remodelling and renovations. It was heavily damaged in the Second World War by the enemy during The Blitz. Little remains of the original structure designed by John Nash. 

After their marriage in 1947 Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip used the house as a family home for their growing family. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother remained in residence until her death in 2002. In 2003 Prince Charles moved in with his long term partner Camilla Parker Bowles along with his two sons William and Harry. 

Currently, Clarance House is the London residence of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. They intend to continue to live at Clarance House until at least 2027 during renovations to Buckingham Palace. The palace will remain as the headquarters for the monarchy and the locations of state events during this time. 

St James's Palace- St James's Palace is the most senior palace in London. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James which is the monarch's royal court. The palace was built in the order of King Henry VIII in the 1530s. 

The palace is known for hosting royal reception, It also is used for the proclamation of monarchs. The most recent proclamation was on the 10th September 2022 for King Charles III. King Charles III's proclamation was first to be televised inside. St James's Palace is connected to Clarance House and is the residences of various royals including Princess Anne, Princess Beatrice and Princess Alexandra. 

Kensington Palace- Kensington Palace is situated within Kensington Gardens in the royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. 

It's been the residence of the British Royal family since the 17th century. It is the residence of The Prince and Princess Of Wales, The Duke and Duchess Of Gloucester and other royals. Today, the State Rooms of Kensington are open to the public managed by the Historic Royal Palaces which is an independent charity which handles their own public funding. 

The palace was once home to Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer where they raised their 2 children Princes William and Harry. On the 31st August 1997 after Diana's death the gates of the palace became the focus of public mourning where 5 feet of floral tributes were laid. 

Balmoral Castle- The Balmoral Castle is based in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It's usually the summer residence of The Royal Family where they spend their summers. 

The estate and original castle was brought from the Farquharson Family in 1852 by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The house was deemed too small for Victoria and her growing family so they commissioned Balmoral Castle itself. The estate is not part of the Crown Estate and remains the private property of The Royal family. 

In September 2022 Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II made Balmoral the place to pass away peacefully, It was known as her favourite residence as it was where she could be herself. 

Birkhall- Birkhall is a house on the Balmoral estate which is currently where King Charles III and Queen Camilla like to go on many occasions. 

The property was built in 1715 which was built before the main castle. In the 1930s King George V lent Birkhall to The Duke and Duchess Of York and they holidayed there with their 2 daughters Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. After George VI died in 1952 The Queen Mother used Birkhall in summers until 2002 when she died. 

Prince Charles inherited Birkhall after his grandmother's death in 2002. Birkhall was where Charles proposed to his longtime partner Camilla Parker Bowles and then honeymooned there in 2005 and spent every summer there. In 2020 Charles and Camilla chose Birkhall to self isolate after Charles tested positive for COVID-19. 

After his mother's death in 2022 it was on his way back from Birkhall when he found out that he became King. After Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral Charles and Camilla spent the rest of the mourning period in Scotland. 

Highgrove House- Highgrove House is the private residence of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Gloucestershire. 

The house itself was built in the late 18th century the estate was owned by various families until 1980 where the Duchy Of Cornwall purchased it. The then Prince Charles remodelled the Georgian house with neo-classical additions in 1987. 

The gardens in Highgrove are created by Charles himself and became popular to which he invites the public every year to come and see the gardens. Highgrove was also the house of Charles, Diana and their 2 sons. When their marriage was failing Charles often spent most of his time on the estate doing gardening and walks during a really tough time for him. 

 Llwynywermod- Was the Welsh residence of Prince Charles who was The Prince Of Wales from 1952 to 2022. 

Charles wanted to get a house in Wales because then when he visits Wales he has somewhere to stay. The Duchy Of Cornwall purchased this property in April 2007. The Prince Of Wales and Duchess Of Cornwall took up residence in the summer of 2008. The interior was designed by Camilla's sister Annabel Eliot. After Charles's accession to the throne in 2022 he continued to pay rent to the new Duke Of Cornwall, Prince William.