List of British royal residences
British royal residences are palaces, castles and houses occupied by members of the British royal family in the United Kingdom. Some, like Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, are owned by the monarch by virtue of his or her position as king or queen, while others like Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House are personally owned,[1] and they have been passed down for generations. Some royal palaces are no longer residences (e.g., the Palace of Westminster and the Palace of Whitehall). Some remain in irregular use for royal occasions, such as Hillsborough Castle.
The royal palaces enjoy certain legal privileges: for example, there is an exemption from levying duty on alcoholic beverages sold in the bars at the Palace of Westminster and there are exemptions from health and safety legislation. According to Halsbury's Laws of England, it is not possible to arrest a person within the "verges" of a royal palace (though this assertion is contradicted by a memorandum by the Clerk of the House of Commons in respect of the Palace of Westminster)[2] and when a royal palace is used as a residence (regardless of whether the monarch is actually living there at the time), judicial processes cannot be executed within that palace.[3]
The occupied royal residences are cared for and maintained by the Royal Household Property Section. The unoccupied royal palaces of England, along with Hillsborough Castle in County Down, are the responsibility of Historic Royal Palaces.
Current royal residences by members of the royal family
Residence | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|
Buckingham Palace | London, England | Official London residence |
Windsor Castle | Windsor, Berkshire, England | Official country residence |
Palace of Holyroodhouse | Edinburgh, Scotland | Official Scottish residence (whenever the royal family undertake official duties in Scotland: primarily Holyrood week in July) |
Hillsborough Castle | County Down, Northern Ireland | Official residence in Northern Ireland (whenever the royal family undertake official duties in Northern Ireland)[4] |
Inherited from the current Queen's father | ||
Sandringham House | Sandringham, Norfolk, England | Christmas until February |
Balmoral Castle | Aberdeenshire, Scotland | August and September |
Craigowan Lodge | Balmoral, Aberdeenshire | |
Delnadamph Lodge | Balmoral, Aberdeenshire | Being rebuilt for the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall; located on the estate of Balmoral Castle |
Clarence House | London | Official London residence |
Highgrove House | Gloucestershire | |
Llwynywermod | Myddfai, Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, Wales | Usual country residence of the Prince of Wales in Wales |
Tamarisk | Isles of Scilly | |
Birkhall | Balmoral, Aberdeenshire | Previously used by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother; located on the estate of Balmoral Castle |
Kensington Palace | London | Official London residence |
Anmer Hall | Sandringham Estate, Norfolk | Located on the grounds of Sandringham House[5] |
Nottingham Cottage | Kensington Palace, London | |
St James's Palace | London | Official London residence |
Gatcombe Park | Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire | Privately owned home |
Buckingham Palace | London | Official London residence |
The Royal Lodge | Windsor, Berkshire | Official country residence, leased from the Crown Estate |
St James's Palace | London | |
The Royal Lodge | Windsor, Berkshire | |
Ivy Cottage | Kensington Palace, London | |
The Royal Lodge | Windsor, Berkshire | |
Buckingham Palace | London | Official London residence |
Bagshot Park | Surrey | Official country residence, leased from the Crown Estate |
Kensington Palace | London | Official London residence |
Barnwell Manor | Barnwell, Northamptonshire | Not in residence — leased to Berenger Antiques since 1995 |
Wren House | Kensington Palace, London | Official London residence |
St James's Palace | London | Official London residence |
Thatched House Lodge | Richmond, London | Official country residence, leased from the Crown Estate |
Kensington Palace | London | Official London residence |
Current royal residences by type of residence
Residence | Location | Member(s) |
---|---|---|
Buckingham Palace | London | The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, The Yorks, The Wessexes |
Clarence House | London | The Waleses[N 1] |
Kensington Palace | London | The Cambridges, The Gloucesters, Prince and Princess Michael (also a Historic Royal Palace) |
Nottingham Cottage | Kensington Palace, London | The Sussexes |
Wren House | Kensington Palace, London | The Kents |
St James's Palace | London | The Yorks, The Princess Royal, Sir Timothy Laurence, Princess Alexandra |
Windsor Castle | Windsor, Berkshire | Various |
Palace of Holyroodhouse | Edinburgh | Various |
Hillsborough Castle | County Down, Northern Ireland | Various |
The Royal Lodge | Windsor, Berkshire | The Yorks |
Bagshot Park | Surrey | The Wessexes |
Thatched House Lodge | Richmond, Surrey | Princess Alexandra |
Highgrove House | Gloucestershire | The Waleses |
Llwynywermod | Myddfai, Llandovery, Carmarthenshire | The Waleses |
Tamarisk | Isles of Scilly | The Waleses |
Sandringham House: | Norfolk | The Queen (inherited) |
– Anmer Hall | Sandringham Estate, Norfolk | The Cambridges |
Balmoral Castle: | Aberdeenshire | The Queen (inherited) |
– Birkhall House | Balmoral, Aberdeenshire | |
– Craigowan Lodge | Balmoral, Aberdeenshire | |
– Delnadamph Lodge | Balmoral, Aberdeenshire | |
Gatcombe Park | Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire | The Princess Royal |
Former royal residences
Residence | Location | Royal(s) & Date(s) |
---|---|---|
Abergeldie Castle | Abergeldie, Aberdeenshire | Queen Victoria to Elizabeth II (1848–1970) |
Albany | Piccadilly, London | Prince Frederick, Duke of York (1791–1802) |
Allerton Castle | North Yorkshire | Prince Frederick, Duke of York (1786–1789) |
Audley End House | Saffron Walden, Essex | Charles II (1668–1701) |
Banqueting House | Whitehall, London | Last remaining property of the Palace of Whitehall, now a Historic Royal Palace |
Barnwell Manor | Northamptonshire | Princes Henry and Richard, Dukes of Gloucester (1938–1995; still owned) |
Palace of Beaulieu | Chelmsford, Essex | Henry VIII; Edward VI; Mary I; Elizabeth I (1517–1622) |
Beaumont Palace | Oxford | Henry I to Edward II; 1130–1318) |
Fort Belvedere | Windsor Great Park | Prince William, Duke of Cumberland; Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught; Edward VIII, Gerald and Angela Lascelles (1750–1976) |
Bentley Priory | London | Queen Adelaide (leased 1846/8–1849) |
Berkhamsted Castle | Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire | William the Conqueror (1066); Henry I (1123); Edward, the Black Prince (1337); a number of Queens consort (1191–1400); last occupied 1469–1496 by Cecily Neville, Duchess of York |
Birch Hall | Surrey | Bought and sold in 1998 by the trustees representing Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York. Never occupied by the Princesses nor their mother, who claimed that financial difficulties prevented her from running the house (1998) |
Brantridge Park | Balcombe, West Sussex | Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone; Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom (1919–1941) |
Bridewell Palace | London | Henry VIII; Edward VI (1515–1523, owned until 1556) |
Brill Palace | Brill, Buckinghamshire | Edward the Confessor; Harold Godwinson; William the Conqueror; William II; Henry I; Stephen; Henry II; John; Henry III; Edward I; Edward II; Edward III (c. 1042–1337; given to Sir John de Moleyns) |
Bushy House | Teddington, London | William IV; the FitzClarences; Mrs Jordan; Queen Adelaide (1797–1849; still owned) |
Cadzow Castle | South Lanarkshire, Scotland | Scottish crown (David I, Alexander II, Alexander III, John, Robert I); Mary, Queen of Scots (mid-early 12th century to early 14th century, early May 1568) |
Caernarfon Castle | Caernarfon, Wales | Edward I (until 1283; still owned) |
Cambridge Cottage | Kew | |
Cambridge House | Piccadilly, London | Official London residence of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (1829–1850) |
Carisbrooke Castle | Newport, Isle of Wight | Charles I; Princess Elizabeth; Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester and Princess Henrietta; Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom (1647 – c. 1652, 1896–1944; now managed by English Heritage) |
Carlton House | London | George IV (1783–1827; now Carlton House Terrace, still owned by the Crown Estate) |
Castle Hill Lodge | Ealing | Used by Maria Anne Fitzherbert from October 1795 and George, Prince of Wales then bought by Edward, Duke of Kent (father of Queen Victoria) who spent £100,000 enhancing the house. His aide-de-camp General Sir Frederick Augustus Wetherall bought the house to rescue the Duchess from creditors following the Duke of Kent's death. The house was demolished in 1845 by General Sir George Augustus Wetherall. |
Castlewood House | Egham, Surrey | Leased by The Duke and Duchess of York (1987–1990) |
Chelsea Manor | London | Princess Elizabeth; Anne of Cleves (1536–1547, c. 1547–1557) |
Chesterfield House | Greenwich | London home of Princess Mary (1923–1929) — owned by the Estate of Harewood |
Chevening | Kent | Owned by the Crown Estate and used as the official residence of the Foreign Secretary (since 1980) |
Chideock Manor | Dorset | Rented by The Duke and Duchess of York (1986–1987) |
Chiswick House | Burlington Lane, Chiswick, London | Acquired by English Heritage, 1929 |
Christ Church | Oxford | Charles I (1642–1649) |
Claremont | Esher, Surrey | Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales and Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld; Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helena, Duchess of Albany (1816–1831; owned until 1865, 1882–1922) |
Clarendon Palace | Salisbury, Wiltshire | Used for hunting trips during the Middle Ages. Now ruined. |
Cliveden | Buckinghamshire | George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 3rd Duke of Sutherland |
Coombe Abbey | Warwickshire | Owned 16th century–?; Elizabeth of Bohemia (early 17th century) |
Coppins | Buckinghamshire | Princess Victoria; Princes George and Edward, Dukes of Kent (1925–1973) |
Crocker End House | Oxfordshire | Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (1990–?) |
Crosby Hall | Chelsea, London | Richard, Duke of Gloucester (mid-late 15th century)[6] |
Cumberland Cottage | ||
Cumberland House | Pall Mall, London | Prince Edward, Duke of York; Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland (c. 1760–1801; as York House until 1767) |
Cumberland Lodge | Windsor Great Park | Princes William and Henry, Dukes of Cumberland; Anne, Duchess of Cumberland; Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex; Princess Helena, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (1746–1803; 1830–1843; 1872–1923; still owned) |
Dolphin Square | Embankment, London | The Princess Royal, at some point or other, but never owned |
Doune Castle | Stirlingshire | Seat of the Duke of Albany (1380–1603) |
Dover House | London | Prince Frederick, Duke of York (1788–1792) |
Dublin Castle | Dublin, Ireland | Seat of Lords and Kings of Ireland (1171–1922) |
Dunfermline Palace | Dunfermline, Fife | Seat of the King of Scots (1500–1650) |
East Sheen Lodge | London | Princess Louise, Princess Royal (1889–1931) |
Eastwell Park | Kent | Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Maria, Duchess of Edinburgh (rented 1874–1893) |
Edinburgh Castle | Edinburgh | A residence of the Kings of Scots from the 11th to the 17th centuries, last used by Charles I in 1633 (now Historic Scotland) |
Eltham Palace | Kent | The Crown (Edward II to Henry VIII; now managed by English Heritage) |
Falkland Palace | Falkland, Fife | Various, including Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany; David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay (The Scottish Crown 14th century –; now National Trust for Scotland) |
Frogmore House | Windsor | Queen Charlotte and her then-unmarried daughters – Charlotte, Princess Royal, Princesses Princess Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, Amelia; Princess Augusta; Princess Victoria, Duchess of Kent (leased 1792–?) |
Glamis Castle | Glamis, Angus | Residence of the Kings of Scots up to Robert II; much later, three rooms were let to George VI and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother |
Gloucester House | Weymouth | Summer residence of Prince William, Duke of Gloucester (later 18th century) |
Gloucester House, London | Piccadilly, London | Prince William, Duke of Gloucester died here in 1805, as did his daughter-in-law Princess Mary, the last surviving child of George III, on 30 April 1857 |
Gloucester Lodge | Brompton | |
Gunnersbury Park | London | Summer retreat of Princess Amelia (1760–1786) |
Hampton Court Palace | London | The Crown, since Henry VIII (1525), now a Historic Royal Palace) |
Hanworth Manor | London | Henry VII; Henry VIII; Elizabeth I; also Anne Boleyn and Katherine Parr |
Hatfield House | Hertfordshire | The Crown (residents included Prince Edward and Princess Elizabeth; 16th century – 1607) |
Havering Palace | Havering, Essex | c. 1050 – c. 1640 |
Ingestre House | Belgrave Square, London | |
Kent House | Isle of Wight | Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll (from 1901) |
Kew House | Isle of Wight | Alejandro Combarro Martín |
Kew Palace | London | Frederick, Prince of Wales; George III; The Crown since (mid-18th century –; now a Historic Royal Palace) |
Kingsbourne House | Wentworth, Surrey | Leased by Sarah, Duchess of York (1994–1997) |
Kings Langley Palace | Hertfordshire | Used by the Plantagenet to Tudor Kings (1276–1558) |
Lancaster House | London | |
Leeds Castle | Kent | King Edward I and Queen Eleanor of Castile (1278); King Edward II and Isabella of France (1321); King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon (1519) |
Leicester House | London | Frederick, Prince of Wales (c. 1730–1751) |
Les Jolies Eaux | Mustique, St Vincent | Gift to Princess Margaret. Sold by her son Viscount Linley in 2000. |
Linlithgow Palace | West Lothian | |
Tower of London | London | Now a Historic Royal Palace |
Marlborough House | London | Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh; Queen Adelaide (1837–1849); Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and Alexandra, Princess of Wales (1863–1901); George, Prince of Wales and Mary, Princess of Wales (1901–1910). Occupied by Queen Mary 1945–1953. |
The Castle of Mey | nr. John o' Groats | Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (1952–2002) |
Nether Lypiatt Manor | Stroud, Gloucestershire | Former country home of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent |
Nonsuch Palace | London | Built by Henry VIII, later dismantled and sold-off by Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland |
Norfolk House | London | Frederick, Prince of Wales |
Oak Grove House | Sandhurst | |
Oatlands Palace | Weybridge, Surrey | King Henry VIII; King Edward VI; Queen Mary I; Queen Elizabeth I (and the Stuart line) |
Oatlands Park | Weybridge, Surrey | |
Osborne Cottage | Isle of Wight | Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom (1901–1912) |
Osborne House | Isle of Wight | Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (1846–1901). Queen Victoria died there on 22 January 1901. Bequeathed to her successor King Edward VII, who gave it to the nation later that year. |
Palace of Placentia | London | The Palace at Greenwich, acquired by Margaret of Anjou (consort to Henry VI), last used by Charles I |
Queen Charlotte's Cottage | Kew | |
Queen's House | Greenwich | Built in the Gardens of the Palace of Greenwich for Anne of Denmark, consort to James I |
Ranger's House | Greenwich | |
Ribsden Holt | Windlesham, Surrey | Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll; Princess Patricia of Connaught |
Richmond Palace | London | Also known as Palace of Sheen, Royal Residence 1327 to 1649, little remains |
Romenda Lodge | Wentworth Estate, Surrey | Leased by the Duchess of York 1992–1994 |
The Royal Pavilion, Brighton | Brighton, East Sussex | George IV; William IV; Victoria (1786–1838) |
Sagana Lodge | Kenya | |
Savile House | Leicester Square, London | |
Savoy Palace | London | |
Schomberg House | Pall Mall, London | Princess Helena (until 1923) and daughters Princess Helena Victoria and Princess Marie Louise (1920–1939)[7] |
Somerset House | London | Queen Elizabeth I; Queen Henrietta Maria |
Stirling Castle | Stirling | Kings of Scots |
Sunninghill Park | Ascot, Windsor | Prince Andrew, Duke of York and family (c. 1990–2004) |
Sussex House | Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London | Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex |
Theobalds Palace | Hertfordshire | The Crown. James I exchanged it by Act of Parliament with Lord Burleigh; Charles I also lived there; granted in 1 & 2 William and Mary to William, Duke of Portland |
Walmer Castle | Walmer, Kent | |
Westfield | Bonchurch, Isle of Wight | Built as hunting lodge for Queen Adelaide in 1825, now converted into apartments with most of gardens sold off |
Palace of Westminster | London | Anglo-Saxon era – 1530 |
Palace of Whitehall | London | 1530–1698 |
White Lodge | Richmond | Princess Amelia of Great Britain; King George III and Queen Charlotte; Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh; Albert Edward, Prince of Wales; Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge and family; Prince Albert George, Duke of York and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (c. 1740–1923) |
The King's House | Winchester | Proposed royal residence for King Charles II |
Windlesham Moor | Windsor | The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1947–4 July 1949[8]) |
Witley Court | Worcestershire | |
Woodstock Palace | Oxfordshire | |
York Cottage | In the grounds of Sandringham House, Norfolk | Occupied by King George V and his wife Queen Mary as Duke and Duchess of York. They retained use of the small cottage after their accession in 1910. It was later given to George V's son, Prince Albert, Duke of York and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. |
York House, St James's Palace | London | Various royal residents |
See also
Notes
- ↑ Which, following the creation of the Household of Princes William and Harry (now of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry), means the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall
References
- ↑ "Royal Property". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 252. United Kingdom: House of Commons. 16 January 1995. col. 301W.
- ↑ Jack, Malcolm. "ARREST OF MEMBERS AND SEARCHING OF OFFICES IN THE PARLIAMENTARY PRECINCTS" (PDF). Memorandum by the Clerk of the House. Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
- ↑ Halsbury's Laws of England, volume 12(1): "Crown and Royal Family", paragraph 53
- ↑ "Guide to Hillsborough Castle - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk.
- ↑ Ward, Victoria (29 July 2013). "Duke and Duchess of Cambridge 'to move into country bolt-hole'" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ↑ Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea – Interesting Places – Crosby Hall Archived 2007-08-13 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Princess Marie Louise (née Princess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenberg), My Memories of Six Reigns London: Evans Brothers, 1956
- ↑ Royal.gov.uk – 60 Facts, Fact 50 Archived November 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
External links
- Art and residences at the royal family website