For the better part of four years, Buckingham Palace has been undergoing a massive and expensive renovation to make it habitable. The money was allocated back in 2016, but of course they’re already going over budget to a ridiculous level. While the pandemic was a huge part of why Queen Elizabeth II relocated to Windsor Castle permanently, the BP renovation was also a big factor. In fact, I was surprised that there were Jubbly events planned in and around BP this year, considering the royals haven’t used BP for hardly anything in recent years. I was also surprised that King Charles has been conducting meetings and having dinners there. As it turns out, while Charles is using BP as an office, he’s never going to move in. We’ve heard this before, and QEII reportedly hated his plan, to simply use BP as an office and live in Clarence House.
The king is not planning to move into Buckingham Palace. The palace is midway through a massive restoration and repair job, which is not expected to be complete until 2027, and might provide some handy political cover.
A source told The Sunday Times: “I know he is no fan of ‘the big house’, as he calls the palace. He doesn’t see it as a viable future home or a house that’s fit for purpose in the modern world. He feels that its upkeep, both from a cost and environmental perspective, is not sustainable.”
Another royal source said: “It is certainly true that Camilla doesn’t want to live at Buckingham Palace.”
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “It is expected that the necessary works will be completed for Their Majesties to take up residence in 2027. In the interim period, the Palace will be fully utilized for official business wherever practicable.”
Yeah, I think the renovation is a decent excuse? But what do I know – it’s probably just that, an excuse, because Charles has never wanted to live there. I do assume he’ll continue to live in Clarence House, which is his preferred London residence anyway. All of his years as Prince of Wales, he also used St. James’s Palace as an office, and for larger, more formal ceremonies and such. So is Charles now spread out between Buckingham Palace, St. James’s and Clarence House? All while Prince William was given free rein of Kensington Palace and Windsor Castle? Hm.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- King Charles III with Queen Consort Camilla inspects flowers and tributes left for his mother Queen Elizabeth II outside of Buckingham Palace, London, England, UK on Friday 9 September, 2022.,Image: 721052164, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
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- King Charles III with Queen Consort Camilla inspects flowers and tributes left for his mother Queen Elizabeth II outside of Buckingham Palace, London, England, UK on Friday 9 September, 2022.,Image: 721052194, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
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- King Charles III with Queen Consort Camilla inspects flowers and tributes left for his mother Queen Elizabeth II outside of Buckingham Palace, London, England, UK on Friday 9 September, 2022.,Image: 721052321, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
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- King Charles III with Queen Consort Camilla inspects flowers and tributes left for his mother Queen Elizabeth II outside of Buckingham Palace, London, England, UK on Friday 9 September, 2022.,Image: 721052374, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
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- King Charles III delivers his address to the nation and the Commonwealth from Buckingham Palace, London, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday. Picture date: Friday September 9, 2022. . .,Image: 721402925, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- King Charles III during the Accession Council at St James’s Palace, London, where King Charles III is formally proclaimed monarch. Charles automatically became King on the death of his mother, but the Accession Council, attended by Privy Councillors, confirms his role. Picture date: Saturday September 10, 2022. . .,Image: 721406187, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- King Charles III and the Queen during the Accession Council at St James’s Palace, London, where King Charles III is formally proclaimed monarch. Charles automatically became King on the death of his mother, but the Accession Council, attended by Privy Councillors, confirms his role. Picture date: Saturday September 10, 2022. . .,Image: 721406196, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- King Charles III meets Prime Minister Liz Truss during their weekly audience at Buckingham Palace in London. Picture date: Wednesday October 12, 2022.,Image: 730196656, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
So… he’s just not going to move in at all then.
So the reports about CH staff getting laid off were total BS.
Am I imagining it or did he say last year that he will be staying in BP like flat above the shop or something?
Yea that sounds vaguely familiar, but I don’t remember if it was referring to offices or actually living there. It’s just another example of Charles saying whatever he needs to in the moment and then doing whatever he wants. See also “Camilla will never be called Queen Consort.”
@Sunday — but “Camilla will never be called Queen Consort” is *technically* correct. Because she will be crowned “Queen,” not “Queen Consort.”
By which time he will be almost eighty years old, like he is going to leave his comfortable house then to move somewhere else, yeah right.
Whyyyy so many palaces and residences? If he’s not going to live at BP, then why can’t it be offices for all the royals and St. James can be a full time museum or something, with more rooms open to the public? If he’s not going to live at WC(and they won’t admit that William is living there) then same thing. Open up more of the rooms.
I don’t necessarily blame him for not wanting to live at BP but keeping that huge palace in the center of London for meetings only does not seem like a good way to slim down anything.
You expect these people to use logic?
Ha! Great point.
Don’t forget Highgrove and Amner. And Balmoral and Sandringham. That’s just off the top of my head. Lol at the King and PoW only having access to 5 palaces/castles.
Charles (or i guess william now) also has a place in Wales. And the Castle of Mey.
There’s also Holyrood House in Edinburgh.
Castle of Mey was turned in to a Trust, it is not owned by Charles. He does get to live there free for a week each year which helps bolster the money-making part of the Trust. I think Meghan could have done wonders with that Trust and Castle of Mey if given the chance.
Haven’t I been writing for years that Charles doesn’t want to live in BP? This gives him five more years to convince everyone BP should be turned in to a museum.
I watched a documentary about the Windsors where Chuck and Betty II watched old home movies of themselves and all they really said to each other was, “Balmoral,” “Windsor,” “Clarence House,” and other places they owned as the scenes sped by.
People has a good list of Charles’s houses. I had never heard of the Castle of Mey, one of many he has in Scotland.
https://people.com/royals/all-of-king-charless-sprawling-estates-across-the-uk/
If he is going to stay at CH then why was his first official act to publicly fire everyone who works there?
Acceptable behavior for mourning includes firing all the grieving staff.
No, no, no! Millions of pounds must be invested for it to be habitable (yeah, I know). So how do dictators who take much of the people’s money (Syria, former Soviet Union, North Korea) differ from him and the “family” in the financial department ONLY? He’s sucking his country dry, isn’t he?
So when is the government going to come in and say “You’re not even using this, it’s costing us millions of pounds, it belongs to the state. We’re making this into a museum and offices. You no longer have a say.”
That would require a competent government who would stand up to these parasites I guess.
That top photo bugs. Have none of these people ever actually worked at a desk? If you have photos on your desk, they are turned toward you so you can see the person in the photo! They’re not turned the other way!! Photo op only, I bet he never works at that desk whichever palace it may be in.
People has a good list of Charles’s houses. I had never heard of the Castle of Mey, one of a cluster he has in Scotland–staying only maybe a week a year at some. Imagine the cost of keeping those properties up. You can see why the royals are so expensive.
https://people.com/royals/all-of-king-charless-sprawling-estates-across-the-uk/