Rachel Fieldhouse
Real Estate

Game of Thrones: King Charles III’s choice of royal residences

After King Charles III was sworn in as England’s next monarch, he isn’t just assuming his late mother’s royal duties, but also ownership of her residences.

Charles has a choice of five palaces when it comes to his official home, though he doesn’t necessarily have to select just one.

If he follows in his mother’s footsteps, he could choose to travel between several locations for official duties and downtime.

"He is going to have to weigh up the cost against the importance of keeping these palaces and castles and residences truly royal by using them," a source told The Times.

With choices spanning London to Berkshire, here’s a whirlwind tour of the residences King Charles III can choose from.

Buckingham Palace, London

Having been the official London residence for monarchs for 185 years, when Queen Victoria first took up residence there in 1837, Buckingham Palace has a lengthy history.

The 775-room building is now used as the administrative headquarters, or royal office, of the monarch thanks to its 92 offices, 188 staff bedrooms, and 52 royal and guest bedrooms.

But, if Charles does want to move in, current renovations to the palace mean he’ll have to wait. The changes are estimated to cost over $700 million, with an expected completion date in 2027.

Clarence House, London

Located beside St James’ Palace, Clarence House has been a royal residence for slightly longer than Buckingham Palace, having been built in 1827 for Prince William Henry, Duke of Clarence.

King Charles and Camilla, now the Queen Consort, have called Clarence House home since 2003.

Sandringham House, Norfolk

The 20,000-acre Norfolk property is known as the royal’s country house and has been passed down through the royal family for centuries.

With its sprawling acreage, more than 200 people make their living from the estate, including gamekeepers, gardeners, farmers and workers at Sandringham’s sawmill.

Sandringham House has also gone down in history as the location of Queen Elizabeth II’s first televised Christmas message.

Highgrove House, Gloucestershire

King Charles has used Highgrove House as his private residence since the 1980s - over 180 years after it was built.

Before Charles lived there, the Georgian home belonged to Maurice Macmillan, the son of former British PM Maurice Macmillan.

Nowadays, Highgrove House sees around 40,000 visitors walk through the estate’s expansive gardens each year.

Windsor Castle, Berkshire

With more than 1000 rooms and over 300 fireplaces, Windsor Castle has been in the royal family for 900 years.

But it isn’t the only building located on the property, with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s residence, Frogmore Cottage.

Images: Getty Images

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Property, King Charles III, Royalty, Palaces, England