By Megan Riedlinger
8:57am PDT, Apr 5, 2019
Everyone knows about Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of British monarchs since 1837. Aside from being a tourist attraction, Buckingham Palace also serves as Queen Elizabeth II's administrative headquarters. It was originally known as Buckingham House and was first acquired by King George III back in 1761. It was dubbed the Queen's House after becoming Queen Charlotte's residence. But it's not just the queen who lives there now: Around 800 staff members also call Buckingham Palace home. It boasts an amazing 775 rooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms.
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Kensington Palace is best known as the onetime residence of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, who lived there with sons Prince William and Prince Harry during their marriage. These days, William and wife Duchess Kate also call Kensington Palace home, at least when they're in London — they live in the 20-room Apartment 1A with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
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London's Kensington Palace also houses smaller properties where other well-known royals live. Nottingham Cottage (the building on the right, middle row, in the circled area) is the two-bedroom, 1,300-square foot residence where Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan resided together from 2017 to early 2019, and where Prince William and Duchess Kate lived early in their marriage. Nearby Ivy Cottage (bottom left in the circle) is home to fellow newlyweds Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. And the queen's first cousin, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, lives with his wife at Wren House (bottom row, center, in the circle).
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan moved into Frogmore Cottage, a five-bedroom property on the queen's estate in Windsor, England, in early April 2019. According to reports, when extensive renovations were made to the property, which is located about 20 miles outside of London, the couple had a $50,000 green-energy unit installed to provide heat, hot water and electricity. Interior designer Vicky Charles — who's also worked with George and Amal Clooney as well as Victoria and David Beckham — reportedly handled the interior design for the historic cottage along with business partner Julia Corden, the wife of late-night host James Corden.
Clarence House currently serves as the London residence of Prince Charles and wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. It was also Prince William's official residence from 2003 until 2011, the year he married Kate Middleton. Royal fans, take note: You can actually visit Clarence House! The home allows visitors one month out of the year during the summer, typically in August.
A home for a wedding present? Yup. Prince William and Duchess Kate received Anmer Hall as a wedding gift from the queen. It's a privately owned 10-bedroom Georgian-style mansion in Norfolk, England, on the monarch's extensive Sandringham estate. The couple lived there full-time when Prince George was young and now use it as their country and summer home.
Windsor Castle, located in Windsor, England, in the county of Berkshire, has been in the royal family for more than 900 years. It's the preferred weekend home of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, who also typically spend the Easter holiday there. Royals fans will recognize this residence from the headline-making weddings that took place at the church on its premises in 2018 — Prince Harry wed Meghan Markle at St. George's Chapel in May, and Princess Eugenie exchanged vows with Jack Brooksbank there in October. Windsor Castle has the distinction of being both the largest inhabited castle in the world and the longest occupied castle in Europe.
The queen's second son, Prince Andrew, lives in the 30-room Royal Lodge in Great Windsor Park in Berkshire, England, just three miles from Windsor Castle. Though Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York, divorced in 1996, Fergie also lives there when she's in Britain, as they've maintained a close friendship despite their split (it's also where they hosted daughter Princess Eugenie's evening wedding reception in October 2018). Before Royal Lodge was leased to Andrew (who extensively renovated it at his own expense) by the Crown Estate, it was the country residence of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who died there in 2002.
The queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, lives at Bagshot Park in Bagshot, Surrey, England, which is close to Windsor, with wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and their two children. The home was leased to Edward by the Crown Estate for 50 years starting in 1998.
We've covered Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall's London residence. Now see their family home — Highgrove House. Located in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England, it was purchased in 1980 and became Charles' weekend home with Princess Diana after their 1981 nuptials. Its gardens are famous — they receive more than 30,000 visitors a year — and even inspired the Highgrove retail shops. Charles opened these stores, located in Tetbury and London, back in 1992. They sell home and garden products with proceeds going to the Prince of Wales' Charitable Foundation.
Princess Anne, the queen's daughter, has a beautiful country estate in Gloucestershire, England — Gatcombe Park. The home was purchased for Anne by the monarch back in 1976. The property is also home to Anne's daughter, Zara Tindall, who lives there with husband Mike Tindall and their two children.
Queen Elizabeth II's summer home is this gorgeous piece of real estate in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland — Balmoral Castle. It was originally purchased back in 1852 by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The grounds are open to the public from April to July before the queen arrives.
When Queen Elizabeth II is in Edinburgh, Scotland, she calls the Palace of Holyroodhouse home. It's typically inhabited by the monarch for just one week in the summer each year. Like many other royal properties, this one is occasionally open to the public.
A home just for Christmas? That's the queen's Sandringham House, her privately owned holiday residence located on a 20,000-acre estate in Norfolk, England. The royal family celebrates Christmas at this beautiful property, which has an added benefit: When it comes time to attend Christmas Day services, the Church of St. Mary Magdalene is actually located on the estate just a short walk away!
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall's summer place is called Birkhall. It's located in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on the same estate as the queen's summer home. Charles actually inherited the residence from Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, upon her death in 2002. It's where he honeymooned with Camilla in 2005.
When in Wales, the Prince of Wales and wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, live at Llwynywermod. This royal residence is considerably less ostentatious than the others — it's a three-bedroom home that is actually a refurbished farmhouse. The estate is located in Carmarthenshire, Wales.
St. James's Palace is located in Westminster, London. The stunning property, built of red brick in the Tudor style, is currently home to three princesses — Princess Beatrice, Princess Anne (it's her London residence) and Princess Alexandra (the queen's first cousin). It's been in the royal family for more than 300 years.
If the queen travels to Northern Ireland, she has a royal residence waiting. Hillsborough Castle is the royal family's official residence there. It's located in Belfast in County Down and is open to the public on certain dates.
