Odds Of Prince Charles Living In Buckingham Palace

Jun 25, 2021 by apost team

The Prince of Wales has been taking on an even more prominent role over the last weeks, as he has been supporting the Queen while she grieves the loss of her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip. Many feel that Charles is getting ready to take over the ruling duties completely. As he is the next in line to the British throne, many fans and followers have been wondering where Prince Charles is going to live once he becomes king. Tradition dictates that the king or queen of the UK resides in Buckingham Palace, which has been the home of the reigning monarch for roughly 180 years now, ever since the reign of Queen Victoria.
However, Prince Charles has lived at his current residence, Clarence House, since 2003. The property contains a lot of family memories and heirlooms, as it was previously home to Queen Elizabeth and her late husband Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and also the home of the Queen Mother, Elizabeth's mother, before that.

In fact, many of the antiques, heirlooms, and decorative additions to the house and its interior go back to the time of the Queen Mother and are still present even today, which gives the royal residence a historical but also homely feel. This is one of the many reasons why many royal experts expect that there could be quite a few significant changes in store for when Prince Charles becomes king.

Read on to find out why many experts assume that Buckingham Palace will go on to be used as an honorary "Monarchy Headquarters" instead of a permanent residence for the next British monarch.

It has recently been suggested by royal commentators and experts that when Prince Charles takes over as the reigning monarch, he could break with 184 years of tradition. Since Queen Victoria ascended to the throne, the main royal residence of the British monarchy and its ruler has been Buckingham Palace in London. 

Known for its amazing architecture and stately balconies on which the Royal Family can be seen during huge occasions such as Trooping the Color, it's hard to imagine the future British king or queen anywhere else. However, it could be that Prince Charles decides against moving from his current London home, Clarence House. 

Built between 1825 and 1827, Clarence House was commissioned by the then Duke of Clarence and later King William IV of the United Kingdom. King William had Clarence House built right next to his former residence, St. James's Palace, as he thought the old palatial mansion was too cramped for him.

The sprawling mansion stayed within the family and became Queen Elizabeth and late Prince Philip's family home in 1947, following their marriage. When Queen Elizabeth took up the mantle of British Queen after her father died in 1953, she moved to Buckingham Palace according to tradition, and her mother, the Queen Mother (so-called because she was also named Elizabeth), settled into Clarence House.

According to Penny Junor's book The Firm, the Queen originally wanted to keep living at Clarence House following her father's death. However, Sir Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister at the time, pushed for the traditional move to Buckingham Palace and won out in the end.

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According to Hello! magazine, Junor also firmly believes that Prince Charles will stay in Clarence House, quoting her as saying that he is very happy where he is: "He and Camilla are very happy at Clarence House and have made the private quarters a real home."

Meanwhile, Woman and Home magazine refers to Ann Gripper and Daily Mirror Royal Editor Russell Myers, who recently speculated on a possible move on their podcast Pod Save the Queen. They mentioned that Prince Charles will also keep Prince William in mind. This is important because when Prince William is invested as Prince of Wales following Prince Charles ascend to the throne, it may be expected of him that he will occupy his father's former residence, Clarence House. 

Russell is quoted as saying:

"Certainly William doesn't necessarily then want to upheave all his family to go and live in Clarence House. So I think it [referring to the royals housing situation] will look very, very different to how it looks now."

Both podcast hosts also mentioned that it is commonly assumed among royal watchers that Prince Charles will open more of the royal family's estates to the public. Possible candidates for this would be Buckingham Palace after it is no longer a permanent royal residence, but also Windsor Castle and Balmoral Castle. While Queen Elizabeth is fond of both these castles and spends much time at both, it is generally known that Charles is no a fan of these two old residences. As each reigning monarch brings with them their own changes and preferences, things might soon see a lot of change in the UK!

What do you think of Clarence House? Would you also prefer to live there instead of Buckingham Palace? Tell us what you think and pass this story along!