Kensington Palace 1: Ending Sep 2022

[Ista]

But at what cost?
Every day the press has a new story about the cost of the renovations.

If people just switched around, it's possible so much renovation wouldn't be necessary.

Old buildings cost money to maintain and improve, so one way or another, money was going to be spent to bring an old building up to date. Even if something had been continuously occupied, such as Anmer, there would still be plumbing, or asbestos or something that needed to be renovated. And forcing Andrew to move out of a home that he and everyone else expected him to live in for the rest of his life to make space for Harry and Meghan...! Well. That would have gone over well.

 

[theroyalfly]

That's true, but couldn't some sort of exchange be worked out?
The Gloucesters are downsizing; why not others?

(For example, Andrew's daughters have moved out and have their own accommodations. Couldn't Andrew have moved into KP and allowed the Sussexes to use Royal Lodge?)

I realize moving is a pain, but if someone no longer needs a larger space, why not?

Can we not drag the Sussexes again on this? They are already happy in Frogmore Cottage. I don't think they needed a much bigger home like The Royal Lodge which boasts a 30 apartment room.

 

[Mirabel]

Can we not drag the Sussexes again on this? They are already happy in Frogmore Cottage. I don't think they needed a much bigger home like The Royal Lodge which boasts a 30 apartment room.

And Andrew does?

(These were just examples anyway. But I do think people could exchange and then, even if some renovations were needed, it would not be the huge projects like Frogmore Cottage that gives the press ammunition.

Driveway paved with diamonds???)

But where would Andrew go?

Ultimately somewhere else would be needed anyway for Andrew to be moved into, so there is not cost savings, simply H&M wouldn't be faced with such criticism but Andrew would.

Why not KP?

Someone mentioned a space like A1 would never be allotted to a non-working royal, but for a single working royal?
It probably wouldn't need much by way of renovation.


(Of course it is too late now, but it might have worked well last year.)

 

[Hallo girl]

And Andrew does?

(These were just examples anyway. But I do think people could exchange and then, even if some renovations were needed, it would not be the huge projects like Frogmore Cottage that gives the press ammunition.

Driveway paved with diamonds???)




Why not KP?

Someone mentioned a space like A1 would never be allotted to a non-working royal, but for a single working royal?
It probably wouldn't need much by way of renovation.


(Of course it is too late now, but it might have worked well last year.)

The queen lived in Royal Lodge as a child her parents who at that time were Duke and Duchess of York lived there, the Queen mother continued to use it after the death of her husband, until her death.

Andrew is the Duke of York, this is more than just a building. There is history and emotion in these decisions.

Andrew spent a substantial amount of personal money improving the property so why should he be asked to move and make way for anybody else.

 

[theroyalfly]

The queen lived in Royal Lodge as a child her parents who at that time were Duke and Duchess of York lived there, the Queen mother continued to use it after the death of her husband, until her death.

Andrew is the Duke of York, this is more than just a building. There is history and emotion in these decisions.

Andrew spent a substantial amount of personal money improving the property so why should he be asked to move and make way for anybody else.

Indeed. There's no need to drag Andrew in this. After all, he is all the way supporting the Queen and is now in Southeast Asia.

 

[tommy100]

I don't see why Andrew is being dragged into a discussion about spending on H&M's new residence.
TBH the only way they can ever avoid suggestions of lavishness would be to take pictures before and after the "core" renovations showing what the public money was used for and then allowing H&M to put their own stamp on it with their own money.

I'm not saying they should, simply saying without something like that there will always be some criticism of perceived lavishness and extravagance.

 

[theroyalfly]

I don't see why Andrew is being dragged into a discussion about spending on H&M's new residence.
TBH the only way they can ever avoid suggestions of lavishness would be to take pictures before and after the "core" renovations showing what the public money was used for and then allowing H&M to put their own stamp on it with their own money.

I'm not saying they should, simply saying without something like that there will always be some criticism of perceived lavishness and extravagance.

Indeed Tommy. But I guess there's no need. RR's and reporters in the likes of Piers will always attack the Duchess no matter what.

 

[tommy100]

Does anyone have details/pictures of the Old Stables where the Gloucester's are said to be downsizing to?

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

Does anyone have details/pictures of the Old Stables where the Gloucester's are said to be downsizing to?

I think this is the interior:

https://ct3fd3fhh2t45fd1m3d9sdio-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Stables1.jpg

I can't find any photos of the exterior though.

 

[muriel]

And Andrew does?

I can't judge how he uses his home, but whether he needs it or not, it is his home. A 75 year lease was acquired on the property for him, and he has only had it about 17 years, so no real reason, IMO, to move out.

 

[Fem]

But at what cost?
Every day the press has a new story about the cost of the renovations.

If people just switched around, it's possible so much renovation wouldn't be necessary.

Uhm... But why should people switch around their homes? I don't want to be rude in any way, I'm just wondering, because it's not just some hotel rooms you can switch around just by packing your bag. There's furniture, art, there are renovations that fit their lifestyle.

I don't understand the idea of spending a lot of money to renovate the place, make it their home, and then move them 15 years later, because someone else needs more space. I think if one is given (or leased) a home, one should be able to stay there as long as one wishes (or however long the lease is).

And unfortunately, the renovations are neccessary to keep the buildings in shape - most of the work done in Apartment 1a or the Frogmore Cottage or anywhere else are things that had to be done either way to properly maintain the buildings and make sure it's safe and preserved for the future. No matter who lives there, if it's an office or residential building, the roof has to be solid, the plumbing/electrical has to be safe and working efficiently, the asbestos has to be removed, because it's dangerous.

Most of the buildings we're talking about here... well, they're old. And not only it means a constant need to fix things, to adapt things to 21st century lifestyle, but also it means things are more expensive - listed buildings are a pain in the ass to renovate, partly because of their age, but also because of different rules that apply to the renovations.

 

[Mirabel]

Uhm... But why should people switch around their homes? I don't want to be rude in any way, I'm just wondering, because it's not just some hotel rooms you can switch around just by packing your bag. There's furniture, art, there are renovations that fit their lifestyle.

Most of the buildings we're talking about here... well, they're old. And not only it means a constant need to fix things, to adapt things to 21st century lifestyle, but also it means things are more expensive - listed buildings are a pain in the ass to renovate, partly because of their age, but also because of different rules that apply to the renovations.

I don't want to dispute this, but people move all the time, because their needs change.
Once Charles succeeds, he will probably move into BP, for example.

(The Queen had to, even though she had spent money renovating Clarence House). That's how it works in the RF.


As for costly renovations, there's a big difference between giving rooms a new coat of paint, and knocking out walls. JMO.

 

[Hallo girl]

I don't want to dispute this, but people move all the time, because their needs change.
Once Charles succeeds, he will probably move into BP, for example.

(The Queen had to, even though she had spent money renovating Clarence House). That's how it works in the RF.


As for costly renovations, there's a big difference between giving rooms a new coat of paint, and knocking out walls. JMO.

It has been stated in the press, not sure how accurate, that Charles wants to stay in Clarence House when the time comes. Buckingham palace will be the ' office' open to the public etc

 

[Lumutqueen]

Kensington Palace

It has been stated in the press, not sure how accurate, that Charles wants to stay in Clarence House when the time comes. Buckingham palace will be the ' office' open to the public etc

Yes, and history has seen how that story works out....

 

[Hallo girl]

Yes, and history has seen how that story works out....

I am sorry I do not know what you mean.

 

[muriel]

I don't want to dispute this, but people move all the time, because their needs change.
Once Charles succeeds, he will probably move into BP, for example.

(The Queen had to, even though she had spent money renovating Clarence House). That's how it works in the RF.


As for costly renovations, there's a big difference between giving rooms a new coat of paint, and knocking out walls. JMO.

> People in royal circles tend not to move all the time. Once they have a "proper" home, they tend to stay there. The exception, in recent times, was Andrew, who moved to Royal Lodge despite having Sunninghill. That may also have been driven by the RF probably not wanting to see Royal Lodge go out of the family.

> Charles moving to BP will be after the previous occupant had spent over 65 years there. Irrespective of when Charles succeeds, he will not be moving for the next decade or so as the building is being extensively renovated and updated, the first time in the current reign.

> Money spend on then Princess Elizabeth renovating Clarence House was not wasted as QEQM moved in there.

 

[Rudolph]

Russel Myers, RR for The Mirror, thinks Apt 1 is being saved for the Cambridges.

He stated back a couple of months ago his sources told him that the Sussexes would have stayed at KP if they could have the apartment but were told it’s going to William as Prince of Wales so he can expand offices and staterooms.

We’ll have to wait and see.

 

[muriel]

Russel Myers, RR for The Mirror, thinks Apt 1 is being saved for the Cambridges.

He stated back a couple of months ago his sources told him that the Sussexes would have stayed at KP if they could have the apartment but were told it’s going to William as Prince of Wales so he can expand offices and staterooms.

We’ll have to wait and see.

That seems to make sense, especially if he will not be moving to Clarence House anytime soon, or at all for that matter.

 

[Lilyflo]

It has been stated in the press, not sure how accurate, that Charles wants to stay in Clarence House when the time comes. Buckingham palace will be the ' office' open to the public etc

I've read the same somewhere (can't remember) & that he intends to use BP to house the Royal Collection & make it more available for the public to see. There's no official statement about it so we don't know if that's true.

Re: the story in a post above about KP Apt 1 - it would fit into the scenario of Charles remaining at Clarence House I suppose.

 

[muriel]

I've read the same somewhere (can't remember) & that he intends to use BP to house the Royal Collection & make it more available for the public to see. There's no official statement about it so we don't know if that's true.

Re: the story in a post above about KP Apt 1 - it would fit into the scenario of Charles remaining at Clarence House I suppose.

Given the renovations at BP, nobody is moving for a decade or so. Whether Charles moves after that at all remains to be seen.

 

[Lumutqueen]

I am sorry I do not know what you mean.

As far as I am aware, certainly true for I believe at least 3 monarchs who have all claimed not to want to live at BP, and then gone on to live there.

Buckingham Palace is the home of the monarch, and considering the renovations taking place, Charles should be there.

 

[wyevale]

We simply do not know the future intended purpose of Clarence House, beyond the reign of HMQ, but whilst it may suit the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall to remain there when King and Queen, it is wholly unsuitable for a King and Queen with young[ish] children, as will inevitably occur in the future.
It is small/dingy/sunless and without secure gardens/grounds, where the occupants can certainly be kept [and feel] secure.
If Buckingham Palace is to be 'pensioned off' as a residence and turned [permanently] into a Museum for the Royal collection and open to the Public, then some other suitable London Palace ,with a large Garden, and suitably secure for a family will need to be found.

As a Londoner I cannot think of anywhere suitable..[unless we can turf the Yanks out of Winfield House] ?

 

[Lilyflo]

Given the renovations at BP, nobody is moving for a decade or so. Whether Charles moves after that at all remains to be seen.

Agreed.

I have a vague memory that it was in Patrick Jephson's book where he described the difficulties of having offices in St James while dashing back & forth to KP so perhaps the expansion of William's domain is to alleviate that. (I might be remembering it incorrectly though).

 

[ladongas]

As far as I am aware, certainly true for I believe at least 3 monarchs who have all claimed not to want to live at BP, and then gone on to live there.

Buckingham Palace is the home of the monarch, and considering the renovations taking place, Charles should be there.

As I recall, didn’t Winston Churchill have to insist that BP was the home of the Monarch to ‘encourage’ HM and the DoE to move? Hard to imagine Johnson or Corbyn being firm with Charles like that!

 

[Lumutqueen]

As I recall, didn’t Winston Churchill have to insist that BP was the home of the Monarch to ‘encourage’ HM and the DoE to move? Hard to imagine Johnson or Corbyn being firm with Charles like that!

I can almost guarantee it won’t be Johnson or Corbyn in that seat.

It’s also not about what a PM tells them to do, BP is the home of the monarch which is I think half the reason people visit it. If it’s the home of past monarchs, that’s less interesting.

 

[MARG]

I don't want to dispute this, but people move all the time, because their needs change.
Once Charles succeeds, he will probably move into BP, for example.

(The Queen had to, even though she had spent money renovating Clarence House). That's how it works in the RF.


As for costly renovations, there's a big difference between giving rooms a new coat of paint, and knocking out walls. JMO.

HM and the government would never want the situation that occurred in KP Apt 1 and Frogmore Cottage to occur again. Apt 1 had not been renovated or, nor importantly, rewired since Princess Margaret moved in as a young bride.

Frogmore hadn't had anything but a lick of paint since it was chopped into five flats. Both had wiring from the fifties and sixties, not to mention a tiny asbestos problem.

In short, they are playing catch up since nobody wants a repeat of the Windsor fire where so much history was lost. That is also why just about all the BP tenants and all the offices have moved to enable a smoother faster renovation. They don't take as long to fix.

 

[Hallo girl]

I can almost guarantee it won’t be Johnson or Corbyn in that seat.

It’s also not about what a PM tells them to do, BP is the home of the monarch which is I think half the reason people visit it. If it’s the home of past monarchs, that’s less interesting.

Yes but more access to the public would be a bonus. At the moment it is a few weeks in the summer. I will be one of them this summer.

 

[Pranter]

It makes sense to me Camilla/Charles staying in CH ...it goes with his reported more streamlined monarchy. BP will be used as a museum and hold state dinners etc there perhaps..they only do a small handful of those a year.

By the time William is King they could shift to CH and George could go to KP apartments etc.


LaRae

 

[wyevale]

^ And generations to come ? Are the core Royal family [likely with young Children] to be expected to live in a place so woefully 'unfit for purpose' [as I detailed above] ?

 

[Pranter]

^ And generations to come ? Are the core Royal family [likely with young Children] to be expected to live in a place so woefully 'unfit for purpose' [as I detailed above] ?

Well with the longevity rates we see now...it's not likely (barring tragedy) that would be an issue. But KP would still have two sets of apartments ..both could be in use separately, not just used by one family member.

There are other locations family members could be housed (outside of the heir).



LaRae