Since King Charles III ascended the throne, he’s indicated he wants to reduce the number of working royals carrying out engagements on his behalf. Surrounding himself with a few trusted family members, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, his sister Princess Anne and younger brother, Prince Edward, and their spouses, he's formed a core team of unwavering support for himself and Queen Camilla. We go inside the homes of this group of senior royals and discover where they retreat to when they need to relax...
So, who are these confidants and where are they living? Using our handy map you’ll see, that the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children, currently live at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, although their ‘official residence’ is Kensington Palace in London. Prince Edward, his wife Sophie and their two children reside in Bagshot Park in Surrey. Princess Anne's principal residence is Gatcombe Park in the heart of the Cotswolds, but she also keeps an apartment in St James’s Palace, London for official business. While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are no longer officially members of the senior royal family, they remain a major part of the monarchy and live in California, in their mansion Château of Riven Rock. Prince Andrew has been stripped of his official royal duties but lives far closer at Royal Lodge in Windsor’s Home Park. There are also royal residences in Balmoral, Scotland and Clarence House, London where Charles and Camilla live and holiday through the year.
King Charles III inherited a vast fortune and portfolio of properties when he became monarch. He was the sole beneficiary of the late Queen’s personal fortune, estimated to be worth between £370 million ($471m) and £650 million($828m), as well as the private estate known as the Duchy of Lancaster, worth nearly £650 million ($828m). In 2023 the King received the annual Sovereign Grant of £86.3 million from the Crown Estate towards the running of the Royal household and he has several castles and estates at his disposal, including Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace.
Although King Charles III and Queen Camilla could have moved into Buckingham Palace following their coronation, it was never likely. Besides always being more of an 'office space' for the monarchy, the property is undergoing a massive £369 million ($471m) refurbishment (including an overhaul of cabling, plumbing and heating) with an estimated completion date in 2027. The palace is part of the Crown Estate, an enormous portfolio of land and property worth £15.6 billion ($20b), which belongs to the monarch for the duration of their reign.
For the time being at least, the King and Queen will remain at Clarence House, where they have lived since before their marriage in 2005. The King took possession of the John Nash-designed property in 2002 after the death of the Queen Mother, who had lived there since 1953. The four-storey stucco-fronted house was also home to Prince William and Prince Harry until 2012.
Prior to moving in, the King undertook a £4.5 million ($5.7m) refurbishment, engaging his favourite interior designer, Robert Kime, and spending a further £1.6 million ($2m) of his own money on soft furnishings. The King is pictured here in 2018 hosting King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in the formal living room with its green-toned furniture and historic artworks from the King’s own collection.
Commissioned by the Duke of Clarence, who became King William lV of the United Kingdom in 1830, it was completed in 1827, and is also part of the Crown estate. Its elegant rooms have hosted countless international figures, including former US president Donald Trump and his wife, Melania. But it was once also a family home to the late Queen Elizabeth ll and the Duke of Edinburgh before the Queen’s Coronation in 1953.
The King and senior members of the royal family have followed in the late Queen's tradition of spending the summer at Balmoral in Scotland. The late Queen died at the castle, which she described as her “favourite place on Earth” in September 2022, and while family members have spent time here over the summer, it is not believed there will be any formal private gathering to mark the first anniversary of her death in 2023.
Many happy summers were spent running wild on the estate and now the Scottish Baronial-style castle sits on 50,000 acres of wild Highlands countryside and is privately owned by the King. But like all second homes, it comes at a price. According to recent reports, it costs £3.3 million ($4.2m) a year to maintain. No wonder the King is said to be thinking of opening it up more regularly to the public and eventually turning it into a museum.
When the King is at Balmoral, he usually stays at Birkhall, which dates back to 1715 and which he inherited from his grandmother, the Queen Mother, following her death in 2002. It has been the location of no less than six royal honeymoons, including that of the King and Queen in 2005. The couple undertook a sensitive redecoration of the property, hiring their favourite designer, Robert Kime, and made improvements to the garden.
The poster couple of the Royal Family, the Prince and Princess of Wales will see their profile grow even more in the years ahead. Now that Prince William is heir to the throne and has inherited the Duchy of Cornwall, a vast estate with assets valued at nearly £1 billion ($1.2b), he will be expected to take on a greater workload and more responsibility. The upside is there will be even more stunning homes where he can spend his downtime.
The Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte, currently live at Adelaide Cottage, located in Home Park on the King’s Windsor estate. The family moved to the four-bedroom house in summer 2022 to be closer to the late Queen and to give their children a more normal childhood in a rural setting. All three children attend Lambrook School in Berkshire.
Built in 1831 for King William lV’s wife, Queen Adelaide, the Grade ll-listed property was renovated in 2015 and didn’t require a costly refurbishment when the family moved in last year. Once upon a time, it reportedly boasted a ceiling decorated with gilded dolphins and a stately marble Graeco-Egyptian fireplace, but is much more low-key these days to judge by this snap of Kate in the home’s classic country-style living room.
Now their country residence, Anmer Hall was given to the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as a wedding gift by the late Queen. The couple moved into the stunning Georgian mansion in 2015 and used it as their main home until 2017, when Prince George started at Thomas’s School in London. At the time, Prince William was serving as a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance.
The couple will have fond memories at the home, when their children were little and they could live a relatively normal life in the Norfolk countryside. The then Duchess of Cambridge took this adorable picture of Princess Charlotte and their newborn son, Prince Louis, at the home just prior to moving back to London full-time in 2017, but the couple have continued to use the property for long weekends and during the school holidays.
Although Prince William is now officially the owner of Highgrove House in the Cotswolds, since it forms part of the Duchy of Cornwall, the chances of him and his family moving in are slim. The property is almost synonymous with his father, the former Prince Charles, who bought the property back in 1980 and set about creating a showcase organic garden on the estate’s 37 acres of land. He will continue to use it as his country base because it’s where he can truly be himself, according to royal experts.
The youngest son of the late Queen Elizabeth ll and Prince Philip is Prince Edward. He and his wife Sophie Rhys-Jones, who have been married for 24 years and have two children, have become two of the most valued members of the British royal family. In fact, King Charles recently gave the title 'Duke of Edinburgh' to his brother on his 59th birthday in March 2023, in accordance with the wishes of the late Queen and her husband, the former Duke of Edinburgh.
The couple and their two children, Lady Louise Windsor, and James, Viscount Severn, reside in the stunning Bagshot Park in Surrey, where they have lived since shortly after their marriage in 1999. Nestled in 51 acres of land, the Grade ll-listed building has 120 rooms and is said to be worth £30 million ($38m). The couple recently renewed their lease on the property for another 150 years at a reported cost of around £5 million ($6.3m).
Prior to their wedding, the couple's manor underwent extensive renovations, costing an estimated £2 million ($2.5m), which was part-funded by the Crown Estate, which owns the property, and partly by Prince Edward himself. We were given a glimpse of the interiors during a BBC interview in which we can see a stunning reception room with green striped upholstered chairs and some exquisite gilt-framed paintings and antique mirrors.
Another peek inside the property came via a video call during the pandemic. We see something of the lavish interior that was installed by former resident, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn. A son of Queen Victoria, the Duke commissioned the carved panels visible behind Edward and Sophie, in Amritsar in India and exhibited them in his home to showcase Indian design.
Sophie even treated us to a brief peep at her stylish kitchen when she joined a call with the Thames Valley Air Ambulance. The Duchess revealed in one interview that the family regularly had tea with the late Queen in her latter days because Windsor is so close at hand. And to judge by this snapshot and the fine china on display, she has a tea set that would be fit for a Queen herself!
Prince Edward and his family could always be relied upon to join the late Queen for her annual Christmas celebration at Sandringham House in Norfolk, which, like Balmoral, is privately owned by the monarch. The Queen would stay until 6 February, the date of her father King George Vl’s death and her ascension to the throne. The house dates back to Elizabethan times and was purchased by Queen Victoria in 1862 as a gift for her son, the future King Edward Vll.
Compared to many other royal homes, Sandringham is known to have a much more relaxed atmosphere and has been described as “the most comfortable house in England” by some insiders. Decorated in elegant Edwardian style, a fireplace takes centre stage in this cosy reception room where Prince Edward appears to be reading the newspaper with his father, Prince Philip.
Sophie is known to have had a very special bond with the late Queen, so much so that she was considered the monarch’s “second daughter” according to some reports. In this photograph, which demonstrates their close connection and shared sense of fun, the late Queen straightens Sophie’s hat while they are waiting to attend a Christmas Day service at Sandringham.
Described as King Charles’s “secret weapon” by some, Princess Anne has been a source of strength and support to her brother for decades. She’s involved with over 300 charities and is often acknowledged as the hardest-working member of the royal family. She’s married to Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and has two children, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, from her first marriage to Captain Mark Phillips.
Her principal residence is Gatcombe Park in the heart of the Cotswolds, which was gifted to her by the Queen in 1976, a few years after she tied the knot with Mark Phillips. The nine-bedroom Grade ll-listed house reportedly cost between £500,000 ($636k) and £750,000 ($954k) at the time. Also resident on the 730-acre estate are her children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, along with their families.
It’s rare that we get the chance to see inside the royal’s rural home, but we were treated to a glimpse of her laid-back interiors when she shared an image of her and her husband watching a rugby match in 2021. With every surface covered in books, magazines and family photographs, it was endearing to see that the Princess doesn’t stand on ceremony when she is at home at least!
The first ever British royal to compete in the Olympics in the equestrian event in 1976, Princess Anne is usually associated with a love of horses. But she’s passionate about dogs, too, and can often been seen walking her English Bull Terriers during the annual Festival of British Eventing, when the grounds of Gatcombe Park are open to the public. The estate is also just a few miles from her brother the King’s country home of Highgrove.
Another permanent fixture on the estate is her daughter Zara, who, with husband Mike Tindall and their three children, have moved into Aston Farm, the former home of her father Captain Mark Phillips. According to Vogue, the property has been totally renovated and boasts a gun room, gym, cinema and games room, as well as “the party barn” which has a bar, catering facilities and a giant screen for family gatherings.
As well as her country home, the Princess, who was given the title of Princess Royal in 1987, keeps an apartment in St James’s Palace, which is considered the most senior palace in the United Kingdom. The Tudor building, which was built by King Henry Vlll and was completed in 1536, is located on the site of a 12th-century leper hospital.
Little is known about the interiors of her private apartments there, although judging by the relaxed atmosphere of her home in the county, it’s unlikely to be too stuffy. These days the palace is used for ceremonial occasions and entertaining. But it must be nice for the royal to know that sometimes at least she can just pop upstairs and she’s home!
While Harry and Meghan have stepped back from royal duties and Prince Andrew has been sidelined due to his association with Jeffrey Epstein, Charles has been left with a slimmed-down monarchy. This forces those at the heart of the institution to take on greater responsibilities. The 'problem' princes have made numerous headlines over Charles' first year as king, especially concerning their living arrangements...
Although the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are no longer officially members of the royal family, they are rarely out of the news. The couple have made a new life for themselves in sunny California since they stepped back from royal duties in January 2020, signing lucrative deals with Netflix, which produced their successful documentary Harry & Meghan, and Spotify, who announced in June 2023 it would not be making a new series of Meghan’s podcast Archetypes.
The couple purchased their current home, Château of Riven Rock, for $14.7 million (£11.5m) in July 2020. Nestled in the heart of Montecito in California’s Santa Barbara County, public documents reveal the couple secured a $9.5 million (£7.5m) mortgage for the property. They appear to have got themselves a bargain, however, as the previous owner, Russian businessman Sergey Grishin, bought the estate for $25.3 million (£20m) in 2009.
Constructed in 2003, the property has nine bedrooms and 16 bathrooms. The master suite features a wooden-beamed ceiling, an en-suite bathroom and access to a private balcony. The house is fully equipped with all the amenities necessary for a luxurious lifestyle, including a library, gym, sauna, home cinema and lift, as well as a children’s cottage and playground area.
The couple gave us various glimpses inside the home during the pandemic, including this shot of Meghan’s stylish home office, with its neutral palette and wooden desk in front of a rustic stone fireplace. Since they moved here, Meghan gave birth on 4 June 2021 in Santa Barbara to the couple’s second child, Lilibet, which was a family nickname for the late Queen. Their first child, Archie, was born in London on 6 May 2019.
Hopefully, the tots have learned to swim because there is an enormous swimming pool in the backyard at their disposal. The grounds have been exquisitely landscaped with picturesque olive and Italian cypress trees, and there’s a full-size tennis court in case Meghan’s pal Serena Williams wants to put the kiddies through their paces. The laid-back neighbourhood is also home to Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres, who are friends of the couple.
While the couple have suggested they would never move back to the UK permanently, they were said to be “stunned” when it was announced in March 2023 that they had been “asked to vacate” Frogmore Cottage, their only base in the UK, which was gifted to them by the late Queen following their wedding. The request came after the couple’s controversial criticism of the royal family in their Netflix documentary, as well as Harry’s autobiography, Spare, in which he openly accuses his father, brother and stepmother of creating a rift in the family.
Recent reports, though not confirmed, suggest that the pair are hoping to repair their relationship with the family by renting an apartment in Kensington Palace. Meanwhile, back in the US, there has been talk of them wanting to move on from their Montecito home, with a possible relocation to either Malibu or the quiet beachside community of Hope Ranch, pictured here, in Santa Barbara.
Often called the favourite son of the late Queen Elizabeth ll, Prince Andrew has fallen from grace as a result of his association with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He has stepped back from public duties and the King has slashed his annual $249,000 ($317k) grant. The disgraced royal has been banned from his former suite at Buckingham Palace and may even be evicted from his home at Royal Lodge, although this plan has been shelved while his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson recovers from a mastectomy following a breast cancer diagnosis.
Andrew's property journey has never been straightforward. The 12-bedroom home he built on a 665-acre parcel of land gifted to him by the Queen, was dubbed “Southyork” and “Dallas Palace” due to its resemblance to the ranch house in the 1980s soap. The property fell to ruin after the family left in 2006, and is currently under scrutiny, according to The Sun, following its suspect sale in 2007 to a Kazakh billionaire for £15 million ($18m), which was £3 million($3.8m) more than the £12 million ($15.2m) asking price.
Prince Andrew took up residence at Royal Lodge in Windsor’s Home Park in 2002 following the death of the Queen Mother, who had lived there for 50 years. The Duke of York reportedly signed a 75-year lease for the 30-room mansion in 2003 and is said to have spent £7.5 million ($9.5m) in refurbishments, as well as putting down an initial £1 million ($1.3m) payment to secure the lease and paying a weekly rent of £250 ($318).
Luxury additions to the property included an indoor swimming pool, and the property also boasts a private chapel and eight additional buildings for staff and guests. The house sits in 21 acres of secluded gardens and is so extensive that the Prince’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, were able to hold their wedding receptions at the family home.
The décor has been updated over the years but we get a sense of the gothic interiors in this charming photograph of the Queen and Princess Margaret reading in the sitting room in 1942. The Princesses spent much of their childhood at Royal Lodge, as did Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, whose name remains engraved on the swing in the garden.
Unusually, Andrew still lives with his ex-wife at the £30 million ($38m) property, despite their divorce in 1996, and is apparently reluctant to leave. The house is in need of extensive repairs, including a new roof and reports say the King felt his brother wouldn’t be able to foot the bill for the upkeep of the house after being cut off from the royal purse in 2020.
There are also suggestions that the Prince of Wales has his eye on the property as a more appropriate home, in size and grandeur, than the much smaller Adelaide Cottage, for the heir to the throne and his family. Prince Andrew has apparently been offered Frogmore Cottage as an alternative home, now that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have vacated the premises, but the future looks less than certain for the disgraced royal. The plot thickens...
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