FKA Prince Charles is now officially King Charles III, and on top of inheriting the throne, he’s inherited a huge number of fancy estates. Thanks to Charles being Britain’s reigning monarch, he immediately gets access to properties owned by the Crown, putting his total number of houses/palaces/castles at eight—at least that we know of publicly. And apparently, Charles—man who simply can’t stand a leaky pen—has some big plans for which members of his family get to live in these homes/what they’ll be used for. Let’s start with the place on everyone’s mind, shall we?
Buckingham Palace
This property is technically owned by the Crown, meaning Charles gets to use it as part of his role as monarch (and it’ll eventually pass to Prince William, then Prince George, etc., etc.). But for now, it looks like Buckingham Palace is where King Charles will be moving—although the royal quarters will be majorly downsized.
A source previously told the Daily Mail that “despite what everybody thinks about him not wanting to live there, he will certainly have accommodation there—but it will be a much more modest flat-above-the-shop situation akin to that of the Prime Minister at Downing Street.”
Both Charles and Queen Consort Camilla “see that the reigning monarch must live at Buckingham Palace”—otherwise, it would be “a visitor attraction rather than a working royal palace.” Although to be clear, it’s also very much a visitor attraction.
Windsor Castle
The Queen spent a lot of time at Windsor Castle on weekends, but now that Charles is King, he wants Kate Middleton and Prince William to move in. Cool-cool-cool, but apparently the couple will be delaying their move because they literally just relocated from Anmer Hall to Adelaide Cottage (which is nearby Windsor Castle on the Windsor estate). According to The Telegraph, “They have indicated to courtiers that they want to give their children a chance to settle into school and avoid any more upheaval for as long as possible.”
A source added, “Things can change when family dynamics are taken into account and they will want as little disruption to their children’s lives as possible right now. They are very happy right now at Windsor and for the next decade or so everything will be pretty much dictated by what is right for the children.”
FYI, Charles spent much of his childhood at Windsor. Scroll down for a photo of him playing with a literal canon.
Anyway, considering this is the energy inside Windsor Castle, it’s not exactly shocking that William and Kate want to delay the move for something more chill:
Holyroodhouse
Like Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, this property is also owned by the Crown and is the monarch’s formal home in Scotland. The royals primarily stay at Balmoral when they’re in the country (we’ll get to that in a minute), but Holyroodhouse is where official events take place, and it doesn’t look like that’ll change now that Charles is King. Here’s a look at the interior:
And a closer look at the massive grounds:
Hillsborough Castle
This is the monarch’s castle in Northern Ireland, and it’s technically a modest “country home” but looks like it’s straight out of Downton Abbey. Charles will use this for official visits to the country, like the visit he just made where his pen leaked everywhere.
Sandringham House
This private property was originally purchased by King Edward VII, was passed down to Queen Elizabeth II by her father, and now belongs to Charles. The royals traditionally spend Christmas in Sandringham, which is where their annual walk takes place (always an iconic time for body language experts). Ahem:
While Charles will likely keep Sandringham in the family, the Daily Mail reports there are “talks” the Norfolk home could be opened up to the public.
Here are the interior vibes, 1970s style:
Balmoral Castle
Balmoral Castle is the King’s Scottish residence and is also privately owned by the royals. The castle was purchased by Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert, and fun/weird fact: It’s where Charles and Princess Diana went on honeymoon:
King Charles and Camilla already have a home on estate called Birkhall, and apparently they want to give the public much greater access to the property. A source tells the Daily Mail, “The talk is of opening a museum paying tribute to the Queen.”
Highgrove House
Highgrove is King Charles’s country home, which is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall. And now that Prince William is Duke of Cornwall, he’ll technically be his dad’s landlord, and Charles will have to pay him £700,000 a year in rent.
Clarence House
Clarence House was Charles and Camilla’s official London home prior to Charles becoming King, and literally no one wants to live in it. There was talk of letting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle use the home, but that plan was abandoned once they moved to California. Meanwhile, the Daily Mail reports, “No one is terribly fond of Clarence House because it’s still seen very much as the Queen Mother’s place,” so it’ll probably go to Prince George, Princess Charlotte, or Prince Louis once they are older. Oh, and speaking of Clarence House, read below...
Mehera Bonner is a celebrity and entertainment news writer who enjoys Bravo and Antiques Roadshow with equal enthusiasm, She was previously entertainment editor at Marie Claire and has covered pop culture for over a decade.
