Where does King Charles live? Full list of royal properties and estates

IT’S a well-known fact that the royal properties across the UK are some of the grandest buildings of all time.

King Charles splits his time between several locations depending on what royal duties he needs to carry out. Here’s a look at all of the royal homes.

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Where does King Charles III live?

King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla spend the majority of their time at Clarence House .

It was built between 1825 and 1827 by architect John Nash for the future King William IV, then the Duke of Clarence.

Charles lived in the three-story mansion from 1948 until his mother became queen in 1952, and he returned in 2003, making it his official residence with his partner Camilla.

The King had Robert Kime decorate the interiors.

It has been tradition for monarchs to live in Buckingham Palace but it’s said that Clarence House is the main home for the King and Queen .

The four-storey house has undergone extensive remodelling and reconstruction over the years – most notably after being damaged in WWII by bombing during The Blitz.

In 1942 it was used by the Red Cross and the St John Ambulance Brigade as their headquarters during the rest of the war.

It is Grade I listed on the National Heritage List for England.

The house is open to visitors for around one month each summer, usually in August.

Clarence House was the official residence of Prince William from 2003 until April 2011 and of Prince Harry from 2003 until March 2012.

Charles and Camilla intend to continue to use Clarence House as their London home until at least 2027 during renovations to Buckingham Palace .

Full list of royal properties and estates

There are several properties used up and down the UK by royals.

Here’s a list of all royal properties and estates:

• Buckingham Palace
• Clarence House
• Highgrove House
• Birkhall
• Llwynywermod
• Windsor Castle
• Holyroodhouse
• Hillsborough Castle
• Sandringham House
• Balmoral
• Castle of Mey
• Kensington Palace
• Tamarisk House

England

Buckingham Palace

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Buckingham Palace continues to be the administrative headquarters for the monarchy.

It has often been used as the main royal residence of the monarch but King Charles has chosen not to.

Originally known as Buckingham House, the property was first built in 1703.

The building underwent a large extension in the 1800s when three more wings were added.

This included the balcony where Royal Family members pose for the public during large events such as weddings.

Buckingham Palace became the main royal residence in 1837 when Queen Victoria came to the throne.

King Charles was born at Buckingham Palace on November 14, 1948.

Highgrove House

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Highgrove House was previously the family residence of King Charles and Queen Camilla after he bought it in 1980.

It is located near Tetbury in Gloucestershire and was built in the late 18th century.

Charles remodelled the Georgian house with neo-classical additions in 1987.

The gardens at Highgrove have been open to the public since 1996 and feature several rare trees and flowers and receive more than 30,000 visitors a year.

Windsor Castle

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Windsor Castle is a royal residence based in Berkshire and built in the 11th century.

The property has been used by the reigning monarch and is the longest-occupied palace in Europe.

The castle has undergone multiple changes throughout hundreds of years and has been used by most British monarchs since it was built.

Windsor Castle was used as an entertainment centre for a lot of Queen Victoria’s reign.

During the First World War the estate inspired the naming of the royal House of Windsor.

An extensive restoration of several state rooms took place after the castle survived a fire in 1992.

It was the main residence of Queen Elizabeth II from 2011 to 2022.

King Charles inherited the property after she died.

Sandringham House

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Sandringham House is located in Norfolk and is said to be one of the favourite residences of the royals.

It was built between 1870–1892 and was where George V and George VI died.

Sandringham was the setting for the first Christmas broadcast in 1932 and King Charles has spent many family Christmases there.

King George VI is said to have loved the house as he wrote his mother Queen Mary: “I have always been so happy here and I love the place.”

Sandringham is privately owned by the monarch and was passed from Queen Elizabeth II to King Charles after her death

Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace is set in Kensington Gardens and has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century.

It is currently the official London residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales .

Following his marriage to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, King Charles took up residence in apartments eight and nine at Kensington Palace.

Extensive renovations have taken place over the years – to the inside and outside of the building.

In the late 1600s, the property was re-oriented to face west.

The State Rooms are now open for the public to visit.

Tamarisk House

Duchy of Cornwall

Tamarisk House is located on St Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly.

It is one of the smallest royal residences but is still just as impressive.

It is a house belonging to the Duchy of Cornwall and located off the coast of Cornwall.

The house is a cottage built in brick in the mid 1960s and stands in a plot of a quarter of an acre, hidden from view by tamarisk trees.

Scotland

Birkhall

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Birkhall is an estate on Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire which was built in 1715.

In 1947, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip spent a portion of their honeymoon at Birkhall.

Birkhall was inherited by King Charles from the Queen Mother upon her death in 2002.

He also spent his second honeymoon at Birkhall in 2005 with his wife Camilla.

In March 2020, Charles and Camilla self-isolated at Birkhall after the he tested positive for Coronavirus.

Holyroodhouse

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Holyroodhouse is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland.

King Charles III spends one week in residence at Holyroodhouse at the beginning of each summer where he carries out a range of official engagements and ceremonies.

The residence was mostly built between 1671 and 1678.

Balmoral

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Balmoral Castle is a large estate house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and a privately owned residence of the Royal family.

The castle was bought in 1852 by Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria.

It was the main summer residence of Queen Elizabeth II, who died there on 8 September 2022.

Castle of Mey

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Castle of Mey is located in Caithness, on the north coast of Scotland which is about 6 miles from John o’ Groats.

The Castle of Mey was built between 1566 and 1572 and was in a semi-derelict state when it was bought by the Queen Mother in 1952.

She then set about restoring the property to use as a holiday home.

Charles opened a bed and breakfast on the property in 2019.

Northern Ireland

Hillsborough Castle

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Hillsborough Castle is an official government residence in Northern Ireland.

It is the official residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and the official residence in Northern Ireland of the British monarch and other members of the British Royal family when they visit.

Since April 2014, it has been managed by Historic Royal Palaces and is open to the paying members of the public.

Wales

Llwynywermod

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Llwynywermod is an estate owned by the Duchy of Cornwall just outside the Brecon Beacons National Park in Carmarthenshire, Wales.

King Charles bought Llwynywermod in 2007 for roughly $1.5 million (£1.2 million).

Architect Craig Hamilton renovated the former model farm using sustainable building techniques, and designer Annabel Elliot (Queen Camilla’s sister) furnished the home.

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