By Megan Riedlinger
11:22am PST, Jan 6, 2024
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We love to follow the royal family's every move, and it seems that they're always on the go! But after duty calls, they all head home — to some of the most incredible and history-rich places you've ever seen. We're running down the royal residences, so keep reading to see where King Charles III, Prince William and Princess Kate, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan, Prince Edward and the rest of Britain's most famous family live…
Queen Elizabeth II's second son, Prince Andrew, has spent nearly two decades living in the 30-room Royal Lodge in Great Windsor Park just three miles from Windsor Castle. Though Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York divorced in 1996, Fergie also lives there with him, as they've maintained a close friendship despite their split (it's also where they hosted daughter Princess Eugenie's evening wedding reception in 2018).
Before Royal Lodge was leased to Andrew (who extensively renovated it at his own expense) by the Crown Estate, it was the country residence of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who died there in 2002.
In early 2023, it was alleged that King Charles III had asked Andrew to leave the property. The king reportedly offered his brother Frogmore Cottage, which is nearby on the Windsor estate, after evicting son Prince Harry and daughter-in-law Duchess Meghan from the home they paid to renovate. But Andrew stayed put all year long. In January 2024, however, a report from DailyMail.com claimed that newly released court documents further detailing Andrew's relationship with late disgraced pedophille Jeffrey Epstein would strengthen the monarch's resolve to get his brother to move out of Royal Lodge and into a less grand property.
Keep reading to see more royal residences…
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Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan moved into Frogmore Cottage, a five-bedroom property in Windsor Great Park near England's Windsor Castle, in 2019, after it underwent extensive renovations. They also voluntarily repaid the $3.2 million in taxpayer-funded costs it took to upgrade and restore the building before they moved there. Interior designer Vicky Charles — who's also worked with George and Amal Clooney as well as Victoria and David Beckham — reportedly handled the interior design for the historic cottage along with business partner Julia Corden, the wife of late night host James Corden. Though the Sussexes moved to America in 2020, they maintained Frogmore as their home base during their U.K. visits, thanks to a long-term lease agreement approved by the late Queen Elizabeth II, and in 2020, they invited cousin Princess Eugenie and her husband to live there as they started a family.
However, in February 2023, The Sun revealed that shortly after the publication of Prince Harry's memoir, "Spare," in January, King Charles III evicted his son and daughter-in-law from Frogmore Cottage and offered the property to his disgraced brother, Prince Andrew, who was reportedly asked to leave Royal Lodge — the far grander home he's for years shared with ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, nearby. Andrew reportedly pushed back as he didn't want to relocate.
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While it's not technically an official royal residence, two world-famous royals live there! Months after moving to America from Britain following their exit as senior royals in 2020, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan purchased a home in Montecito, California, for $14.65 million. The nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom property sits on a five-acre estate that has a chicken coop, a playground, rose gardens, century-old olive trees, an outdoor pizza oven, a swimming pool, a tennis court, a vegetable garden, a two-bedroom guest house and more.
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Clarence House is the London residence of King Charles III and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, who've lived there since 2003. (Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, they're expected to relocate to nearby Buckingham Palace once renovations are completed.)
Clarence House was also Prince William's official residence from 2003 until 2011, the year he married Kate Middleton. It was also the London home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother from 1953 until 2002 as well as the home of then-Princess Elizabeth and husband Prince Philip following their marriage in 1947.
Royal fans, take note: You can actually visit Clarence House! The home allows visitors one month out of the year during the summer, typically in August.
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Everyone knows Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of Britain's monarchs since 1837. Aside from being a tourist attraction, Buckingham Palace also serves as the sovereign's administrative headquarters. Following the 2022 death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III is expected to eventually make Buckingham Palace his official London residence after ongoing renovations are completed. It was originally known as Buckingham House and was first acquired by King George III back in 1761. It was dubbed the Queen's House after becoming Queen Charlotte's residence. Around 800 staff members also call Buckingham Palace home. It boasts an incredible 775 rooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms.
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Kensington Palace is best known as the onetime residence of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, who lived there with sons Prince William and Prince Harry during their marriage. Until the summer of 2022, William and wife Princess Kate were based in the 20-room Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Though they've since moved to Windsor, they still stay in Apartment 1A — which was previously Princess Margaret's residence — when they're in London.
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London's Kensington Palace also houses smaller properties where other well-known royals have resided. Nottingham Cottage (the building on the right, middle row, circled area) is the two-bedroom, 1,300-square foot residence where Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan lived from 2017 to early 2019, and where Prince William and Duchess Kate lived early in their marriage. Nearby Ivy Cottage (bottom left in the circle) was home to Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank when they were newlyweds (they moved into Harry and Meghan's Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, England, in 2020 and in 2022 relocated to Portugal for Jack's job for part of the year). The late Queen Elizabeth II's first cousin, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, lives with his wife at Wren House (bottom row, center, in the circle).
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In the summer of 2022, Prince William and Duchess Kate — who just weeks later took the titles Prince and Princess of Wales upon the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II — moved with their three children from Kensington Palace in London to Adelaide Cottage, a four-bedroom home in Windsor Great Park in Windsor, England, that's just a 10-minute walk from Windsor Castle. The cottage was originally built for Queen Adelaide, the wife of King William IV, in 1831.
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A home for a wedding present? Yup. Prince William and Duchess Kate received Anmer Hall as a wedding gift from his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. It's a privately owned 10-bedroom Georgian-style mansion in Norfolk, England, on the monarch's extensive Sandringham estate. The couple, now the Prince and Princess of Wales, lived there full-time when their first child, Prince George, was young and now use it as their country and summer home.
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Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, has been in the royal family for more than 900 years. It was the preferred weekend home of the late Queen Elizabeth II and husband Prince Philip, who also typically spent the Easter holiday there. The queen moved there full time in 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Royals fans will also recognize this residence from some of the headline-making weddings that took place at the church on its premises — Prince Harry wed Meghan Markle at St. George's Chapel in 2018, and Princess Eugenie exchanged vows with Jack Brooksbank there later the same year. It's also where Philip was buried in 2021 and where the queen was laid to rest in 2022. Windsor Castle has the distinction of being both the largest inhabited castle in the world and the longest occupied castle in Europe.
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Queen Elizabeth II's youngest son, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, lives at Bagshot Park in Bagshot, Surrey, England, which is close to Windsor, with wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and their two children. The home was leased to Edward by the Crown Estate for 50 years starting in 1998, and since then, the couple have extended their lease for another 150 years at a cost of $5.7 million.
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King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla's family home outside of London is Highgrove House. Charles purchased the property, which came with 347 acres of land, in 1980 through the Duchy of Cornwall — a private estate that provides income to the heir to the throne. The house, which is located in Doughton, Gloucestershire, England, became Charles's weekend home with Princess Diana after their 1981 nuptials. (The swimming pool was a wedding gift from the British Army.) Its gardens are famous — they receive more than 30,000 visitors a year and inspired the Highgrove retail shops, which sell home and garden products. Now that Prince William has assumed the Duke of Cornwall title from his father, the Duchy — and Highgrove House — belong to him, which means the king must pay him rent (reportedly close to $1 million a year!).
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Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, has a beautiful country estate — Gatcombe Park — in England's Gloucestershire region that's just six miles from brother King Charles III's Highgrove House. The queen purchased the estate for Anne and her first husband in 1976; the Princess Royal now lives there with her second husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence. Anne's daughter, Zara Tindall, also lives on the 700-plus-acre property with husband Mike Tindall and their three children.
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St. James's Palace — the ceremonial meeting place of the Accession Council, which came together in September 2022 for the first time in 70 years to formally proclaim King Charles II Britain's sovereign following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II — is located in London. The stunning property, built of red brick in the Tudor style, is also home to three princesses, who live in its apartments — Princess Beatrice (who lives there with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, their daughter and his son from a previous relationship); Princess Anne (it's her London residence); and Princess Alexandra (Queen Elizabeth II's first cousin). Built in the 1530s by King Henry VIII, it's the most senior royal palace in the U.K.
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A home just for Christmas? That's Sandringham House, Queen Elizabeth II's privately owned holiday residence located on a 20,000-acre estate in Norfolk, England. She inherited it from her father, King George VI, after he died there, and her eldest son, King Charles III, inherited it from her in 2022. For decades, the royal family has celebrated Christmas at this beautiful property, which has an added benefit: When it comes time to attend Christmas Day services, it's just a short walk to the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, which is located on the estate.
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King Charles III inherited Balmoral Castle, Queen Elizabeth II's privately owned summer home nestled on 50,000 acres in the Scottish Highlands, which is where she died in September 2022. The gorgeous piece of real estate in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, was originally purchased in 1852 by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The grounds were traditionally open to the public from April to July each year before Elizabeth arrived to spend her summers there.
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When King Charles III was still the Prince of Wales and visited his namesake country inside Great Britain, he and his second wife stayed at Llwynywermod in Carmarthenshire, a property he first leased, along with the 192 acres around it, through the Duchy of Cornwall in 2007. This royal residence is considerably less ostentatious than most others — it's a three-bedroom home that's actually a refurbished farmhouse.
Though Charles briefly rented the Welsh home from son William — who in September 2022 became the new Duke of Cornwall and Prince of Wales, and therefore the property's new landlord — in June 2023, it emerged that Charles had decided to give up his Llwynywermod lease that summer since as king, he was unlikely to spend as much time in Wales. For his part, William decided he and his family did not want to use the Welsh home and would instead stay at hotels or bed and breakfasts when they visitedWales, People magazine confirmed. Moving forward, the former royal home will likely be leased out commercially.
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King Charles II and Queen Consort Camilla's summer home is Birkhall. It's located in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on the same estate as Balmoral Castle. Charles inherited the residence from his maternal grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, after she died in 2002. It's where he honeymooned with Camilla in 2005.
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If the king travels to Northern Ireland, he has a royal residence waiting. Hillsborough Castle is the royal family's official home there. It's located in Belfast in County Down and is sometimes open to the public.
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When Queen Elizabeth II was in Edinburgh, Scotland, she called the Palace of Holyroodhouse home for one week in the summer each year; it's unclear if King Charles III will do the same. Like many other royal properties, this one is occasionally open to the public.
