General Discussion about Royal Residences 2: Sep 2022 -

[Durham]

You may be right. It is entriely possible that, in time, fewer and fewer royals occupy KP, and the apartments are provided to senior courtiers and senior members of the armed forces. W&C may retain their KP apartment till they are monarch and consort.

I've always thought that the private side of KP is a much more pleasant place to live than St James's.

Aa you say apartments not currently occupied by members of the rf can be allocated to senior staff or the armed forces. Or even open to the public like appt 1a.

 

[royal-blue]

The changes to royal residences in the past year have been very low key indeed:
* Charles has given up his Welsh property
* The Sussexes have vacated Frogmore Cottage
* Andrew was reportedly asked to move but is staying put

 

[SirGyamfi1]

I still say that King Charles and Prince William have too many homes between them: I counted fourteen including Buckingham Palace and the Castle of Mey.

I think it has been emphasised what they own and what they don’t own. Castle of Mey is managed by a trust and it is a bed and breakfast.

 

[HRHHermione]

I think it has been emphasised what they own and what they don’t own. Castle of Mey is managed by a trust and it is a bed and breakfast.

Additionally, not all of them are “homes” the way you’d normally think about a home. I’d argue Buckingham Palace, Windsor and Kensington are more “workplaces with adjacent lodging.” They aren’t family homes in a way that really offer privacy and the ability to do what you want with the house.

I think for the King, his real family home is Highgrove and for William, it’s Anmer, and I do believe the royal family deserves to have that. There’s a lot of downsides that come with those roles and I can support some of the upsides being places to get away to when you want to be more the person than the role.

 

[Curryong]

Where would you place Sandringham and Balmoral, then?

 

[HRHHermione]

Where would you place Sandringham and Balmoral, then?

Honestly, they are tougher to categorize. Somewhere in the middle? Those properties may not make sense to maintain in the long term as residences but they are also culturally and historically important. That’s probably at least a part of ongoing discussion and debate.

They feel less like “family homes” because they only go monarch to monarch- it’s not like they remain a home to say, Camilla if Charles passes away first or to Catherine if William does. That might actually be good criteria to think about when determining what’s a private residence and what’s a royal residence- how much control the family actually has over the property.

 

[Curryong]

Yes I think that is true. It’s probably been masked in the past by Queen Elizabeth’s abiding love for Balmoral (which, to be fair, Charles shares as far as the estate goes, but I think he’s fonder of Birkhall than the castle.) I think the Queen was more at home there than anywhere else. There was also the deep love George V had for Sandringham (or at least York Cottage) which coloured his children’s views on ‘dear old Sandringham’. George VI certainly felt it was a family home I believe.

 

[Mirabel]

I always thought the Queen's favorite residence was Windsor Castle; that's where she mostly stayed during WWII.

 

[Curryong]

She certainly preferred it over Buckingham Palace, an opinion she shared with virtually every other royal since, and including, Queen Victoria. I do think though that later in life Balmoral held a special place in her heart.

 

[SirGyamfi1]

Where would you place Sandringham and Balmoral, then?

Those are private properties

 

[Curryong]

Those are private properties

They are also royal residences which are regarded as ‘homes’ (or not) which was what we were discussing in the last few posts.

 

[SirGyamfi1]

They are also royal residences which are regarded as ‘homes’ (or not) which was what we were discussing in the last few posts.

I’d say they are regarded more as homes than most of the others given that they aren’t as well known as BP, Kensington or St. James.

 

[Blog Real]

Photos of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's home in Santa Barbara, Montecito, California:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CpdZi6aP9uk/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading&img_index=1

 

[muriel]

Wouldn't it make more sense for the royal family to make use of the castle outside of the main tourist season altogether, eg in March or October rather than August?

There was a slight shift in the dates this year. Balmoral Castle was open to the public for as long as the Scottish school holidays were on, and only closed after that. That somewhat reduced the time the BRF had access to the estate privately, but also increased the number of days the paying public could visit. I trust that should increase the earnings from the paying public.

 

[royal-blue]

There would be an interesting reallocation of residences in the future, if Camilla was to outlive Charles

Camilla obviously has her own home, Ray Mil House, but woykd the new King William be likely to let his stepmum keep hold of Clarence House and Birkhall, if she so wished?

 

[tommy100]

I think we would certainly allow her to stay at CH, he is unlikely to use it so it probably wouldn't make a difference to him. Birkhall, well I'd think probably so as well, the only slightly different issue there is its a house I could see William using more as its a good way to stay at Balmoral without opening up the "big house", but then there is Craigowan Lodge which could serve the same purpose for King William.

 

[Durham]

I'm sure as a Queen Dowager HM would be appropriately provided for. CH in London &, if not Highgrove, then a country home bought/rented for her lifetime if needed.

 

[Saragli]

If Camilla were widowed, I'd imagine she's just retire to Ray Mill. I don't think she'd want to stay at CH and I can't see anyone telling her she can't visit Birkhall(unless it's leased out) if/when she wants to. She'd probably maintain a small office at BP or St James for the few patronage's she'd keep on, if any. Honestly, if it wasn't for who her husband was, I get the impression Camilla would love nothing more than to be a retired granny but she understands her duty.

 

[muriel]

There would be an interesting reallocation of residences in the future, if Camilla was to outlive Charles

Camilla obviously has her own home, Ray Mil House, but woykd the new King William be likely to let his stepmum keep hold of Clarence House and Birkhall, if she so wished?

If indeed Camilla were to be widowed, I suspect this is how the accommodation would pan out:

> RayMill: Principal residence

> Clarence House: London home

> Birkhall: Scottish home

 

[muriel]

I'm sure as a Queen Dowager HM would be appropriately provided for. CH in London &, if not Highgrove, then a country home bought/rented for her lifetime if needed.

I doubt she would keep Highgrove, or need another home. It is only a short drive from Ray Mill, her private home.

 

[muriel]

Birkhall, well I'd think probably so as well, the only slightly different issue there is its a house I could see William using more as its a good way to stay at Balmoral without opening up the "big house", but then there is Craigowan Lodge which could serve the same purpose for King William.

Your point about the attraction of Birkhall to W&C: A good sized home on the Balmoral estate without having to open up the big and expensive to run castle, However, Birkhall has never really been William's home, and I am sure he is happy to leave it for Camilla to use in her remaining years. There are other properties W&C could use up on the estate, including Craigowan Lodge.

 

[FigTree]

I doubt she would keep Highgrove, or need another home. It is only a short drive from Ray Mill, her private home.

Highgrove belongs to the Duchy of Cornwall. Charles now leases it from William. If Charles died it would become George’s, or as a minor I guess a trust would run it.

 

[muriel]

Highgrove belongs to the Duchy of Cornwall. Charles now leases it from William. If Charles died it would become George’s, or as a minor I guess a trust would run it.

Indeed. But if it was agreed that Camilla would continue to use Highgrove (unlikely as it seems), I am sure suitable lease agreements could be put in place.

 

[An Ard Ri]

The Villa Windsor is currently undergoing a restoration ahead of its opening to the public in 2024​

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Linlithgow Palace was the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots.

 

[Blog Real]

The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are located in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, 15 miles (24 km) west of Edinburgh. The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries.
More information: Linlithgow Palace - Wikipedia

 

[Durham]

Not sure where to post this exactly but I just recently stumbled across this :

x.com

twitter.com

Sadly it no longer seems to be updated on a regular basis. Fascinating stuff none the less.

 

[Hans-Rickard]

In the sad circumstance of Camilla outliving her husband, i can absolutely see her being allowed to continue to use Clarence House as her London home and working residence for the rest of her life…. When she has passed away too, i wouldn’t be surprised if Clarence House being opened to the public and becomes a museum…
William and Catherine would then have both Buckingham Palace, and the use of Apartment 1a at Kensington Palace (wich i can imagine being handed over to George to use as his London home when he is old enough).

Whenever Camilla would not be working from CH, she would probably be most of the time at Ray Mill with her own family and may not need another residence….

We know she loves Scotland and have many patronages there, so if she would want/need a place to stay there, i’m sure it will be provided for….

William seems to not be as fond of Birkhall as his father is, and may well choose to only be in Scotland when Balmoral is closed to the public… Should he be there when Balmoral is open, he may well do like QEII and stay at Craigowan Lodge…

 

[Durham]

I can see William as king using Birkhall as his Deeside annual holiday home for say a few weeks in the summer but I would imagine him not wanting to spend two months there.

The Highlands of course are beautiful but the weather is very variable to put it mildly.

William might want to spend more of the summer further south at Sandringham or even go abroad somewhere warm & sunny like the med.

On the other hand holidaying abroad does raise issues around security & the government might be unhappy with the monarch being out of the country.

 

[muriel]

In the sad circumstance of Camilla outliving her husband, i can absolutely see her being allowed to continue to use Clarence House as her London home and working residence for the rest of her life…. When she has passed away too, i wouldn’t be surprised if Clarence House being opened to the public and becomes a museum…
William and Catherine would then have both Buckingham Palace, and the use of Apartment 1a at Kensington Palace (wich i can imagine being handed over to George to use as his London home when he is old enough).

Whenever Camilla would not be working from CH, she would probably be most of the time at Ray Mill with her own family and may not need another residence….

We know she loves Scotland and have many patronages there, so if she would want/need a place to stay there, i’m sure it will be provided for….

William seems to not be as fond of Birkhall as his father is, and may well choose to only be in Scotland when Balmoral is closed to the public… Should he be there when Balmoral is open, he may well do like QEII and stay at Craigowan Lodge…

I can see a widowed Queen Camilla largely living at Ray Mill, but also maintaining Clarence House and Birkhal;l for her lifetime.