List of British royal residences
![]() | This article needs editing to comply with Wikipedia's Manual of Style. In particular, it has problems with section headings. Section headings should be unique within an article and not contain links.. (August 2018) |
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 |
---|---|---|
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh | ||
Crown | ||
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] |
Private | ||
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 |
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall | ||
Crown | ||
Clarence House | London | Official London residence |
Duchy of Cornwall | ||
Highgrove House | Gloucestershire | |
Llwynywermod | Myddfai, Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, Wales | Usual country residence of the Prince of Wales in Wales |
Tamarisk | Isles of Scilly | |
Private | ||
Birkhall | Balmoral, Aberdeenshire | Previously used by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother; located on the estate of Balmoral Castle |
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge | ||
Crown | ||
Kensington Palace | London | Official London residence |
Private | ||
Anmer Hall | Sandringham Estate, Norfolk | Located on the grounds of Sandringham House[5] |
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex | ||
Crown | ||
Nottingham Cottage | Kensington Palace, London | |
The Princess Royal | ||
Crown | ||
St James's Palace | London | Official London residence |
Private | ||
Gatcombe Park | Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire | Privately owned home |
The Duke of York | ||
Crown | ||
Buckingham Palace | London | Official London residence |
The Royal Lodge | Windsor, Berkshire | Official country residence, leased from the Crown Estate |
Crown | ||
St James's Palace | London | |
The Royal Lodge | Windsor, Berkshire | |
Crown | ||
Ivy Cottage | Kensington Palace, London | |
The Royal Lodge | Windsor, Berkshire | |
The Earl and Countess of Wessex | ||
Crown | ||
Buckingham Palace | London | Official London residence |
Bagshot Park | Surrey | Official country residence, leased from the Crown Estate |
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester | ||
Crown | ||
Kensington Palace | London | Official London residence |
Barnwell Manor | Barnwell, Northamptonshire | Not in residence — leased to Berenger Antiques since 1995 |
The Duke and Duchess of Kent | ||
Crown | ||
Wren House | Kensington Palace, London | Official London residence |
Crown | ||
St James's Palace | London | Official London residence |
Thatched House Lodge | Richmond, London | Official country residence, leased from the Crown Estate |
Crown | ||
Kensington Palace | London | Official London residence |
Current royal residences by type of residence
Residence | Location | Member(s) |
---|---|---|
Crown-owned | ||
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 |
Crown Estate Owner | ||
The Royal Lodge | Windsor, Berkshire | The Yorks |
Bagshot Park | Surrey | The Wessexes |
Thatched House Lodge | Richmond, Surrey | Princess Alexandra |
Duchy of Cornwall-owned | ||
Highgrove House | Gloucestershire | The Waleses |
Llwynywermod | Myddfai, Llandovery, Carmarthenshire | The Waleses |
Tamarisk | Isles of Scilly | The Waleses |
Privately owned | ||
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
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). Vol. 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