Buckingham Palace might be the first royal residence to spring to mind, but the London landmark is far from the only beautiful palace in the UK. Here we take a look at eight other sumptuous homes that have played host to kings, queens, VIPs and the aristocracy throughout time. 

Majestic Blenheim Palace, near Oxford, was built in the early 18th century as a gift from Queen Anne to John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough to thank him for his role in the victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. The grand piece of Baroque architecture is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Currently home to the 12th Duke of Marlborough, in 1874 it was also the birthplace of former British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.

While the impressive structure dazzles from the outside, its interiors are equally remarkable. The palace houses one of Europe’s most important historic art collections, which includes priceless family portraits, sculptures, tapestries and furniture. The magnificent entrance hall, with a 67-feet-high painted ceiling, is an excellent starting point for visitors.

The palace dates back to over 300 years ago, but its many lavish rooms still look pristine thanks to an extensive restoration and conservation programme. Visitors can explore the elaborate State Rooms, where among exquisite furniture and impressive portraits, you’ll be able to view the famous Marlborough Tapestries. There’s also the imposing Long Library lined with over 10,000 important books.

No royal residence would be complete without a suitably grand garden, and Blenheim Palace has 2,000 acres of landscaped parkland and formal gardens. Discover ancient oaks, with the oldest over 1,000 years old, and take in the views of the postcard-pretty 110-acre Great Lake.

Visitors to the palace can learn more about the history of Sir Winston Churchill and see the room where the great Prime Minister was born, (pictured here). The palace was also where Churchill proposed to Clementine Hozier. The “Walk in Churchill’s Footsteps” trail means you can take a journey through the legend’s life as you stroll around the Palace. It's perfect for fans of Netflix show The Crown!

First built in 1631 for a silk merchant, Kew Palace in Richmond, south-west London, came into royal possession around 100 years later, when it was leased by Queen Caroline. It was later bought by George III, who spent many years at the palace with his wife, Queen Charlotte, and their 15 children. But after Queen Charlotte’s death in 1817, the palace was closed up until it was acquired by Kew in 1898 and opened to the public.

The red-hued palace, set in Richmond's Royal Botanic Gardens might be Britain’s smallest royal palace, but it couldn’t be more picturesque. Inside, it’s a treat for the eyes, too: the King’s Dining Room is regal and retains many original features, such as the Portland stone chimney-piece and the ceiling rose, which date back to the 1730s.

The royal drawing room might be less lavish than those of grander homes, but it has a sense of being enjoyed and lived in as a family home. Royal weddings took place here, and the drawing room was often used for intimate concerts too, as George III was passionate about music.

One of the palace’s most impressive rooms is the bedroom of Princess Elizabeth, George and Charlotte's seventh child. The princess herself had an input into the design giving a European twist to the room’s decor with a Grecian couch-bed as a centrepiece. The walls are covered in green wallpaper with a patterned border, while yellow and maroon chintz furnishings complete the look.

This eye-catching room is the Queen’s Boudoir. It was used as a private drawing room by Queen Charlotte and the princesses; they would spend time here sewing, painting and playing cards. The same wallpaper, as seen in Princess Elizabeth’s room was used here, with Greek revival furniture and striking black and yellow upholstery bringing a colourful sense of elegance.

In the grounds, you can spot Queen Charlotte’s cottage, idyllically set among bright bluebells. The royal family used to picnic and take tea at this spot. Inside, the look is simple but elegant, with a terracotta-tiled floor and over 150 hanging satirical engravings.

Starting life in 1605 as a private country mansion called Nottingham House, Kensington Palace was bought by William III and Queen Mary II in 1689 at a cost of £20,000. The monarchs asked Christopher Wren, the architect behind St Paul’s Cathedral, to turn the house into a palace. Over the following years, various monarchs renovated and updated the residence, transforming it from a suburban villa into the luxurious central London palace it is today.

Kensington Palace has been the home of numerous monarchs over the centuries: Queen Victoria was born and spent her childhood there while Princess Margaret and Diana, Princess of Wales, have also lived at the palace. Today, it's home to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children, and the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who live in the grounds at the two-bedroom Nottingham Cottage. See inside Harry and Meghan's palace home here.

Inside the palace is full of historical intrigue. The ornate Cupola Room was the palace’s principal state room and is the place where Queen Victoria was christened in 1819. The grand room has a regal appearance, with painted decorations on the walls and ceilings, dramatic chandeliers, gilt-lead statues and an 18th-century musical clock at its centre.

The King’s Gallery was initially built for King William in the late 17th century. While today the room is furnished with luxurious red walls, hanging red curtains and elaborately framed paintings, it was originally home to green velvet hangings and white damask curtains. The King’s Gallery contains a number of important Italian artworks, including Camillo Rusconi’s The Four Seasons series of sculptures.

The Presence Chamber was used for formal receptions. With its imposing throne, intricate ceiling decorations, large tapestry, deep red wall hangings and fireplace surrounded by limewood carvings, it's a good example of the extravagant decor you'll find throughout the palace.

The Queen Anne Throne Canopy is on display to visitors, looking beautifully regal after a two-year conservation project. But while rooms like this give visitors a traditional view of royalty, the palace has seen its share of more unconventional visitors and residents. Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon lived at the palace from the 1960s and many celebrities, pop stars and artists – from Victoria Beckham to Al Gore – have been entertained at swish parties here too.

St James’s Palace, in the heart of London, is not just the home of several members of the Royal Family and the most senior palace in the UK, but is also a busy working palace, hosting up to 100 receptions every year for charities associated with the Royal Family. It was built in the 1530s by Henry VIII, and much of the original building still stands today.

There are several Royal residents including Anne, Princess Royal and Charles, Prince of Wales. Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie shared a four-bedroom apartment within the palace until recently, when Princess Eugenie moved into Kensington Palace with her fiancé Jack Brooksbank. As the sisters aren’t full-time working royals, their father the Duke of York reportedly paid £20,000 a year of his own money to rent the flat.

The Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace dates back several centuries: it’s part of the original red-brick building built by Henry VIII that still survives today. It’s seen major royal events take place, such as the wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840.

The State Apartments of St James’s Palace aren’t just used for charity events: they’re used for a variety of royal occasions, such as incoming state visits and formal dinners. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge posed in the State Apartments to mark their engagement in 2010.

The elaborate rooms are perfect for the glittering events that take place within the palace walls: impossibly high ceilings, ruby red walls, ornate ceilings and luxurious chandeliers are just a few of the palace’s perfectly regal decorative elements.

With a history dating all the way back to the Domesday survey of 1086, Eltham Palace, south-east London, is a fascinating building with decorative quirks from several different eras. In 1295, the Bishop of Durham acquired the palace and gave it to the future Edward II ten years later. Over the following years, monarchs from Richard II to Henry IV spent large sums of money enlarging and revamping the palace.

However, while lots of money was spent refurbishing the palace in its earlier years, Henry VIII was the last monarch to spend much time or money there. The palace was poorly maintained and fell into disrepair in the 17th century. In the 19th century buildings were added and repaired and in 1933, the palace was leased by millionaires Stephen and Virginia Courtauld, who designed a modern Art Deco home while retaining the palace’s history.

The palace was designed to display the Courtauld’s impressive art collection, which ranged from Old Masters to more modern pieces. New technology was used throughout the home, with electric fires, a loudspeaker system and even underfloor heating. The couple were avid horticulturalists and also created several gorgeous features including a sunken rose garden.

The palace, which is now looked after by English Heritage, has undergone significant restoration work to return it to its appearance at the time of the Courtaulds, who moved out in 1944 after bombing during the Second World War damaged the palace. For example, the great hall has been painstakingly repaired: it’s the most substantial surviving part from the medieval royal palace, and was incorporated into the Courtauld’s design.

This curious mix of a medieval and Tudor palace and a 20th century millionaires’ mansion is what makes Eltham Palace so fascinating. The interiors and furniture are not bound by one era but merge together different historic styles. For example, this is the Art Deco dining room, with an aluminium leaf ceiling, maple veneer walls and black and silver doors depicting animals and birds drawn at London Zoo.

Possibly the most striking room of all is the entrance hall, dreamed up by a Swedish designer. It’s quirkier than the entrance halls of most palaces, but no less regal, with walnut and blackbean furniture, intricate marquetry on the walls and a glass ceiling dome letting in plenty of light.

Built in the 1770s by the first Marquis of Downshire, Hillsborough Castle functions as the official residence of the Royal Family when they’re in Northern Ireland, and is also the home of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

The late Georgian mansion was remodelled both in the 19th and 20th century, but has lost none of its grandeur, with its stately facade impressing visitors before they’ve even stepped inside. A stroll through the 96-acre gardens reveals plenty of picturesque treasures, from statues and waterways to trimmed lawns and the neo-classical Lady Alice Temple (pictured).

The State Dining Room, with its large sash windows, ruby red curtains, framed portraits of former monarchs and elegant Waterford crystal chandelier, is just as you’d expect a palace’s dining room to look. The room pays homage to the palace’s location, with the design of the locally-woven carpets inspired both by Northern Ireland’s national flower, the flax flower and the County Down linen trade.

Once a library, the State Drawing Room is regal but unstuffy and cosy, with a marble fireplace, paintings hung in ornate frames and antique furniture. This elegant room was the place where Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Irish Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald signed the Anglo-Irish agreement in 1985.

The Red Room continues the traditionally regal theme with sumptuous furnishings. Deep red damask walls, a William Kent-designed fireplace dating back centuries, important oil paintings and a solid oak floor are some of the room’s standout features.

A royal palace wouldn’t be complete without a suitably grand Throne Room and it's the castle’s largest space. Paintings by Old Masters hang on the walls, the thrones represent the monarch when she is not in residence, while the silk coat of arms, made by the Belfast School of Needlework, dates back to the 1930s.

Built in the late 15th century and owned by monarchs including Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, and lived in regularly by James I and Charles I, Apethorpe Palace, in Northamptonshire, owns a special place in royal history.

James I was so fond of the palace that he extended it greatly to make it more suitable for his hunting needs. He built a series of grand living quarters, including the King’s Bedchamber and the Long Gallery, which are some of the most complete surviving staterooms from the Jacobean period.

The palace changed hands countless times, even serving as a school at one point. But in the 1980s it fell into disrepair, to the extent that damp was threatening its complete collapse

Thankfully, in the last couple of years, the palace has been saved: working with English Heritage, French diplomat Jean Christophe Iseux, Baron von Pfetten has spent millions of pounds restoring the palace to its former glory. The new owner has agreed to open the hall to the public for 50 days every year for the next 80 years.

The majestic Hampton Court Palace, in Richmond upon Thames, was first built in the early 16th century and soon caught Henry VIII’s eye. The King transformed what was then a country manor into a sprawling palace, one in which he could joust, hunt, entertain and enjoy feasts fit for a royal. In 1689, when William III and Mary II ascended to the throne, there was a second period of building at the palace, with the monarchs commissioning Sir Christopher Wren for the ambitious project.

The palace was opened to the public by Queen Victoria in 1838, and has continued to draw crowds thanks to the impressive interiors, artworks and beautiful gardens. Pictured here is the Queen's Drawing Room, with intricate paintings depicting fantastical stories about Queen Anne and her husband, George, Prince of Denmark.

This stately room may conjure up magical images reminiscent of Hogwarts, but is actually Hampton Court Palace’s Great Hall, constructed by Henry VIII. With its hammerbeamed ceiling, stained glass windows and intricate tapestries, it not only provided a grand communal dining room in which hundreds of members of the court could eat together, but also a suitably regal entrance to the nearby State Apartments.

Not all royal meals in the palace were so communal. The Queen’s Private Dining Room is where monarchs could dine quietly eating off silver dishes in candlelight without the rest of the court to disturb them.

If you love historic portraits, the Communication Gallery will be your favourite room. In the gallery you'll find a series of portraits painted by Sir Peter Lely in the 17th century. This famous series called “The Windsor Beauties” depicts life at the court of Charles II.

Another impossibly opulent room in the palace was the King's Privy Chamber. Completed in 1699, the room was originally created for William III and was the palace’s main venue for court functions and receiving ambassadors. The crimson throne, dramatic chandelier, elaborate wall hangings and coat of arms are all suitably regal features that add to the room’s sense of drama.

Outside gardeners will find inspiration in the manicured grounds, including the Royal Kitchen Garden and Privy Garden. And what better entertainment for royalty than a maze? Planted between 1689 and 1695 by George London and Henry Wise, Hampton Court's is one of the most famous hedge mazes in the world, baffling visitors and aristocrats alike with its twists and turns for centuries. 
READ MORE: Behind the scenes of Harry and Meghan's royal wedding venues.