The British royal family owns a number of castles and mansions. Since the reign of King George III. (1738-1820), Buckingham Palace in London is the main residence of the royals. And that, although the nearby St James's Palace is actually considered the most important royal residence.
St James's Palace, in London's Westminster, was built by King Henry VIII (1491-1547) in the 1530s and was considered London's second most important residence by most Tudor and Stuart monarchs. First up was the Palace of Whitehall, which was destroyed in a fire in 1698. With the arrival of Queen Victoria (1819-1901) in 1837, Buckingham Palace officially became the main residence of the British monarchs. Instead, St James's Palace was only used for formal occasions and public audiences.
The official website states that St James's Palace was "the residence of the kings and queens of England for over 300 years until the reign of Queen Victoria". William IV (1765-1837) was the last ruler to use the palace as his main residence. Queen Elizabeth II (96) never lived directly in the former king and queen residence. Before her father's death in 1952, she lived with her family in Clarence House, although the building is part of St James's Palace.
Today her son Prince Charles (73) lives with his wife Duchess Camilla (75) in Clarence House. Will the Queen's eldest child make St James's Palace the main residence again after his coronation? According to the "Daily Mail" that is at least extremely unlikely. Charles is expected to remain loyal to Buckingham Palace. According to the report, he reportedly "strongly believes" that only Buckingham Palace "is the visible symbol of the monarchy in the capital" and must therefore also become his home as king.
However, St James's Palace is still in use. To this day it is the official administrative seat of the British monarchs. Several members of the royal family can be found there, as well as their offices. Up to 100 receptions for charities are hosted on the premises each year. Some family celebrations were also held there - most recently the christening of Prince George (9), the eldest son of Prince William (40) and Duchess Kate (40), in 2013.
For a while now, Queen Elizabeth II has lived mainly at Windsor Castle. It was first announced in March 2022 that the Queen would be turning her back on her main residence in London. For a long time, the Queen used Windsor Castle, which is about 35 kilometers outside of the British capital, mainly as a weekend residence.
