With the throne comes the comfiest seat in all of Great Britain—and
kingly estates to match. Here's where King Charles III might be spending his summers.
Arguably one of the most famous buildings in the world, Buckingham Palace has become
synonymous with the British royal. Initially built in 1703, it was purchased by King George
III in 1762, to serve as a family home for his wife, Queen Charlotte,
and their kids. Upon her accession in July 1837, Queen Victoria moved into Buckingham
Palace, setting it into motion to become the administrative headquarters of sovereigns to come.
Given the tradition, King Charles and his queen consort are expected to live in the
palace following his accession to the throne. It appears, however, that he has other plans.
According to Express, King Charles and Queen Consort Camila won't be
moving into Buckingham just yet, as the palace is currently undergoing
major renovations, estimated to cost £369 million and last a whole decade.
Originally built between 1825 and 1827 for Prince William Henry,
Clarence House served as the official residence of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla
from 2003 up until his accession to the throne. In addition to the king,
Clarence House has also served as home to many other famous royal family members.
Like Buckingham Palace, Clarence House is one of the many properties owned by the Crown Estate,
but this has not stopped it from undergoing several changes according to its different
occupants over the years. Before their residency,
Charles and Camilla had the property extensively renovated to their taste.
With rumors swirling about King Charles' decision to hold off on moving to Buckingham Palace,
chances are he and the queen consort will maintain their residency at Clarence House.
Located in central Gloucestershire, Highgrove House is King Charles' family home in the
countryside. Built between 1796 and 1798, Highgrove became a royal residence in 1980
when King Charles III bought it along with the garden and nearby farmland. Seven years later,
Charles renovated the property, making it more habitable for him and his family.
Most notably, the property features an eco-friendly garden,
one of the most famous in the country, attracting tens of thousands of visitors
annually. When not in London, the king and his wife spent an ample
amount of time in Highgrove House, hosting dinners and organizing tours for the public.
With the king's clear attachment to the property,
it is expected he might continue making visits to Highgrove House from time to time. However,
the Daily Mail reports that Highgrove belongs to the Duchy of Cornwall, who is now Prince William.
"William and Kate are now the duke and duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge."
After years of searching for the perfect vacation home in Wales,
Charles purchased a country home in Llwynywermod in March 2007 for £1.2 million., The home is
a 192-acre estate boasting a three-bedroom farmhouse and two cottages for guests to rent.
Since purchasing the property, King Charles and Queen Consort
Camilla have made regular visits. South Wales Guardian reported that
their last stay at the property was in July 2022. With his new title as king,
it is unlikely that King Charles III will be visiting as frequently as he has in the past.
And, like the Highgrove House, this property is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall,
meaning ownership, once again, now goes to Prince William.
In 2007, King Charles, who was a prince at the time, snagged this property for a
whopping £45 million. Boasting an 18th-century architectural design, the Dumfries House has,
through the years, undergone renovations to make it more suitable for its intended
purpose. According to Hello! magazine, Dumfries is used to promote educational
purposes and is more of a tourist attraction than a residential property.
Located in Scotland, Dumfries is famous for its original furniture, including the Chippendale
rosewood bookcase estimated to be worth £20 million. Outside of its expensive collection
of furniture pieces, Dumfries has continued to add more amenities for guests to explore
during their visits. In January 2022, King Charles opened up a children's play park that
was inspired by his grandson Prince George's treehouse, according to the Evening Standard.
Though Dumfries is not intended for residential use, the king and queen consort were reportedly
at the property on September 8 when they first learned of the queen's deteriorating health.
"The palace has just issued this statement. It says the
queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon."
Another of King Charles' privately owned properties, the Castle of Mey,
is located on the northern coast of Scotland, sprawling across 30 acres of land. Following
the death of her husband King George VI, the Queen Mother bought the then-dilapidated Castle of Mey
in 1952, renovated it, and eventually turned it into a summer destination.
Upon the Queen Mother's death in 2002, the historic castle was passed down to Charles,
who has seemingly made the property open to the public. According to People, in May 2019,
Prince Charles opened Granary Lodge, a 10-bedroom bed-and-breakfast at the castle.
The Castle of Mey is managed by The Prince's Foundation,
where King Charles serves as president. Prior to his accession, the king and
the queen consort visited the castle every summer, but given their new titles and roles,
it is uncertain whether their annual visits will continue.
Although it will now popularly be known as the place where Queen Elizabeth II spent her last days
and as her official Scottish residence, Balmoral Castle is a lot more than that. Built in 1390,
Balmoral Castle made its way into the hands of the British royals in 1852,
when Prince Albert gifted the Scottish property to his wife, Queen Victoria. Located in Scotland,
Balmoral Castle sprawls across 50,000 acres with a total of 150 buildings.
Privately owned, the castle contains 289 rooms, with 17 of them accessible
to the public. Given that he spent a lot of time there with his mother,
it is expected that the castle will be passed down to Charles,
just like it was passed down to her. Though this remains unconfirmed, the Daily Mail reports that
the king might be planning to turn the property into a museum to honor the late monarch's memory.
Another famous royal residence, Windsor Castle served as a weekend
home to the late Queen Elizabeth II during her 70-year reign on the
throne. Windsor has been the location for many royal celebrations over the years,
including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 2018 wedding and Prince Phillip's funeral in 2021.
Windsor Castle is owned by the Crown Estate and is not one of King Charles'
personal homes. What this means is that the castle's ownership has gone to the
new king and will remain so until his reign is over. With the queen's death,
the king gets to decide who will live in the castle next and has apparently favored Prince
William and Kate Middleton, given their new rank as the new Prince and Princess of Wales.
However, the couple won't be moving just yet — according to The Telegraph, they only just
moved with their family to the four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage, situated on Windsor Estate.
Sandringham was one of Queen Elizabeth's favorite homes,
and has long since been where the royal family celebrates Christmas. The home is
completely private, which affords the family the ability to come and go as they please.
The family bought the home, which is approximately 100 miles north of London,
in 1862. King Edward VII purchased it for his fiancé,
Alexandra of Denmark. Their son King George V ended up just as in love with the home as
his parents were. Both King George V and his son, King George VI, died in the home.
The royal family spends a significant amount of time at homes throughout the United Kingdom,
not just those located in Britain. Of these, Holyroodhouse is King Charles' home in Edinburgh,
Scotland. The home was built all the way back in 1128 when David I was inspired to
build a monastery. Centuries later, James IV turned the monastery into a royal home,
and several future kings and queens each made their mark there in the decades that followed.
King George V is the one who is credited with truly modernizing the home. In the early 20th
century, he installed heating, an elevator, and bathrooms to make it more comfortable.
Each summer, the monarch travels to the home during what is commonly referred to
as "Holyrood Week" for weeks of engagements that take place at the palace. Queen Elizabeth carried
out these activities every June and July, and it is expected that King Charles will do the same.
King Charles also has a royal home in Northern Ireland. Much as the monarch
uses various residences to conduct official business while visiting
other countries in the United Kingdom, Hillsborough Castle is the king's base
whenever he is in the region. The castle sits on 100 acres of gardens, and from 2014-2019,
the Historic Royal Palaces embarked on a £24 million renovation of the abode.
The home is technically classified as an Irish Big House as opposed to a castle,
and the classification as a castle is likely due to the wealthy Irish families who lived
there. Princess Alice was the first member of the British royal family to visit the home,
and Queen Elizabeth was known to visit from time to time throughout her reign.
As noted by Hello! magazine, King Charles himself visited following
the completion of renovations in 2019 to view a painting of himself that hangs in the home.
"It looks exactly like me."