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Wales Online
National
Cathy Owen

The Royal Family members living in Balmoral, Buckingham Palace and Sandringham after Queen's death

The Royal Family own and live in some of the most beautiful and opulent buildings in the UK. Buckingham Palace is the most well-known, but there are lesser-know residences that are occupied by members of the family.

Steeped in history, they are situated around different parts of the country. Some, like Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, are held in trust by Crown Estates while others like Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House are personally owned.

Some royal palaces, such as the Palace of Westminster are no longer residences, while some remain in irregular use for royal occasions. But, with the death of the Queen, there could be shake-up of the property portfolio.

Read more: The gorgeous Welsh home that's just been inherited by Kate and William

Last year, it was reported that then Prince Charles was planning changes, with a source telling The Sun: "The central point is: when the Queen is no longer here, how do you effectively spread two generations of the family across quite a large number of properties?

"The Prince of Wales (now King) strongly believes that these places have got to deliver something for the public beyond just being somewhere for members of the Royal Family to live. Everything is seen through the lens of the question: 'What value is this offering to the public?'

"Everybody recognises it makes no sense to run so many residences but if you give them up entirely you will never get them back when Prince George and the younger royals grow up and need somewhere to live."

Buckingham Palace

Guards outside Buckingham Palace, ahead of the ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II (Daniel Leal - WPA Pool/Getty Image)

The most well-known and most visited of all the properties, but the one where the Queen rarely stayed. It has been reported that King Charles is going to live in a 'flat above the shop', while more of the Palace is opened up to the public.

It has been the official London residence of the UK's monarch since 1837, and was designed in a neoclassical style. The palace has a total of 775 rooms, including 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, 78 bathrooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, and 19 state rooms.

The Palace is undergoing a ten-year, £369 million renovation, and is set to be opened up for public access all year-round.

Windsor Castle

A man is said to have been caught with a crossbow at Windsor Castle (Steve Parsons/PA Wire)

The Queen would spend weekends at the castle, which is more than 900 years old, stayed for a month over Easter and lived there through the coronavirus pandemic. It is also the Queen and Prince Philip's final resting place.

Hundreds of people queued outside the Castle when it opened to members of the public for the first time since the Queen's death. Members of the public have the chance to see the ledger stone in the George VI memorial chapel, which is inscribed with her name. Read more here.

Inside the property is the famous St George’s Chapel, the location where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married in May 2018 and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbanks married in October 2018.

Kensington Palace

(Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire)

The birthplace and childhood home of Queen Victoria, the 547-room palace is the London home and office to a number of royals. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had lived there during the week until their move last month.

Since the middle of 2017, Apartment 1A had been the main residence for Prince William and Catherine Middleton's family, which has four floors and 20 rooms.

The Palace is probably best known as being the former home of Princess Diana as well as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Balmoral

Balmoral Castle (Daily Record)

The castle in Aberdeenshire served as the Queen's summer home and sits on 50,000 acres with 150 buildings. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert originally purchased it in 1852, and it's remained one of the Royal Family's favourite holiday homes.

Last year, before the Queen's death it was reported there had been talks that Balmoral could turn into a "museum" dedicated to the Queen as part of a property reshuffle. Balmoral - which is the Queen's favourite - is closed to the public in the summer, but under Charles, there is set to be far greater access to the royal grounds.

King Charles and Queen Consort pictured in the ground of Birkhall (PA)

A part of the Balmoral Castle estate, Birkhall was bought by Queen Victoria for her son Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1849. The former home of the Queen Mother, King Charles often stayed at the home when visiting Scotland.

Technically on the grounds of the Balmoral estate, Craigowan Lodge is a more rustic stone cottage about a mile from the main castle. Then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana would often opt to stay in the seven-bedroom house during their visits to the Scottish countryside.

Another Scottish home is The Castle of Mey. It was depicted in the first season of The Crown as it was the Queen Mother who purchased deteriorating Barrogill Castle in 1952 after seeing it on her visit with Commander and Lady Doris Vyner. After extensive renovations of the castle and gardens in 1955, the Queen Mother made the decision to restore the structure's original name, The Castle of Mey. Today, the property is under the stewardship of The Prince's Foundation, which recently opened a bed and breakfast in on the grounds.

Sandringham

(Getty Images)

This 19,000-acre estate is a private residence of the royal family near Norfolk.

The Queen inherited the property from her family in 1952, with Prince Philip taking charge of the home’s management and upkeep. The Royal Family would normally celebrate Christmas at Sandringham House and attend religious services at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, which is located on the grounds.

King Charles took over management of the Sandringham Estate in 2017, and has implemented sustainable processes into its farm and gardens in a bid to turn the estate fully organic in the coming years.

From organic farming to restoring hedgerows, the new monarch had begun to make Sandringham as eco-friendly as possible. A herd of 500 red poll cattle, a rare hornless breed, is planned to be introduced on the Norfolk estate, as well as 3,000 sheep.

The Royal Lodge

Three miles south of Windsor Castle, the Royal Lodge was the longtime country home of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. The Queen Mother continued to use the lodge as one of her country retreats until her death in 2002. After extensive renovations, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, moved into the 30-room home in 2004 and continues to live there with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.

Anmer Hall

(PA)
(Kensington Palace via Getty Imag)

The 10-bedroom Georgian home was gifted to Prince William and Catherine Middleton by the Queen after their wedding. Located on the Sandringham Estate, the couple lived in the country home full time until they moved to Kensington Palace.

They have recently left this home, to move to a property in the grounds of Windsor Castle. The 200-year-old Adelaide Cottage , has four bedrooms.

Gatcombe Park

Gatcombe Park in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire (John Fielding (CC BY 2.0))

Gatcome Park is the Gloucester residence of Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth's only daughter, and her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence.

The country house and farm were purchased by the Queen in 1976 for her only daughter. Her daughter, Zara Tindall, moved her family to the estate in 2013.

Clarence House

Charles' official residency at Clarence House was at first going to be given to Harry - but plans changed after he and Meghan Markle quit official Royal duties and moved to California.

But a source added: "No one is terribly fond of Clarence House because it's still seen very much as the Queen Mother's place."

Highgrove

Highgrove House is one of Charles' best-loved homes (Getty Images)

Highgrove is not an official royal residence, but it is the place where King Charles has retreated to since he bought it in 1980. The stunning home not far from the Welsh border is where he loses himself in the elaborate gardens of the garden retreat.

After his marriage to Diana in 1981, the Cotswolds mansion became their marital home and it was there where the couple and their sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, would spend their weekends.It is likely that the new King will keep this property as a place for him to retreat. Read more about the home here.

Bagshot Park

(Surrey Live - Grahame Larter)

One of the lesser-known homes in the royal portfolio is Bagshot Park which has been home to Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex since they married in 1999. The 57-room home, that is set within 87 acres of land, is estimated to be worth £30m.

Because it was just 11 miles from Windsor Castle it meant that the Wessex family were close to the Queen and Prince Philip. In an interview with Sky News, Sophie said it meant their children, Lady Louise and Viscount Severn, would have tea with their grandparents on a regular basis. Read more here.

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