This is a list of residences occupied by the British Royal family, noting the seasons of the year they are traditionally occupied.
Members of the British Royal Family inhabit a range of residences around the United Kingdom. Some are royal palaces, owned by the Crown and held in trust by the monarch; others are privately owned. Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House have been inherited as private property for several generations. Other royal palaces are no longer residences (e.g. the Palace of Westminster, the Palace of Whitehall). Some remain in irregular use for royal occasions. The Royal Palaces enjoy certain legal privileges, for example there is an exemption from levying duty on alcoholic beverages sold in the bars at the Palace of Westminster and there are exemptions from Health and Safety legislation. According to Halsbury's Laws of England, it is not possible to arrest a person within the "verges" of a royal palace (though this assertion is contradicted by a memorandum by the Clerk of the House of Commons in respect of the Palace of Westminster),[1] and when a royal palace is used as a residence (regardless of whether the monarch is actually living there at the time), judicial processes cannot be executed within that palace.[2]
The occupied royal residences are cared for and maintained by the Royal Household Property Section. The unoccupied royal palaces of England are now within the responsibility of the Historic Royal Palaces Agency.
| Residence | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh |
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Official |
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| Buckingham Palace | London | Official London residence (Monday to Friday) |
| Windsor Castle | Windsor, Berkshire | Official country residence (Most weekends; a month over Easter; a week in June for Royal Ascot and the service of the Order of the Garter) |
| Palace of Holyroodhouse | Edinburgh | Official Scottish residence (Whenever the Royal Family undertake official duties in Scotland: primarily Holyrood week in July) |
Private |
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|
inherited from her father |
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| Sandringham House | Norfolk | Christmas until February |
| Balmoral Castle | Aberdeenshire | August and September |
| Craigowan Lodge | Balmoral, Aberdeenshire | — |
| Delnadamph Lodge | Balmoral, Aberdeenshire | Being rebuilt for the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall |
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall |
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Official |
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| Clarence House | London | Official London residence |
Private |
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| Highgrove House | Gloucestershire | |
| Birkhall | Balmoral, Aberdeenshire | previously used by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother |
| Llwynywormwood | Myddfai, Llandovery, Carmarthenshire | |
| Tamarisk | Isles of Scilly | |
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge |
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Official |
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| Kensington Palace | London | Official London residence |
Prince Harry of Wales |
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Official |
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| Clarence House | London | Official London residence |
The Duke of York |
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Official |
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| Buckingham Palace | London | Official London residence |
| The Royal Lodge | Windsor, Berkshire | Official country residence, leased from the Crown Estate |
The Earl and Countess of Wessex |
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Official |
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| Buckingham Palace | London | Official London residence |
| Bagshot Park | Surrey | Official country residence, leased from the Crown Estate |
The Princess Royal |
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Official |
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| St. James's Palace | London | Official London residence |
Private |
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| Gatcombe Park | Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire | Privately owned home |
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester |
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Official |
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| Kensington Palace | London | Official London residence |
| Barnwell Manor | Barnwell, Northamptonshire | Not in residence - leased since 1995 |
The Duke and Duchess of Kent |
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Official |
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| Wren House | Kensington Palace, London | Official London residence |
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent |
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Official |
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| Kensington Palace | London | Official London residence |
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy |
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Official |
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| St James's Palace | London | Official London residence |
| Thatched House Lodge | Richmond, Surrey | Official country residence, leased from the Crown Estate |
| Residence | Location | Member(s) |
|---|---|---|
State-owned |
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| Buckingham Palace | London | The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, The Yorks, The Wessexes |
| Clarence House | London | The Waleses[N 1] & Prince Harry |
| Kensington Palace | London | The Cambridges, The Gloucesters, Prince and Princess Michael (also an Historic Royal Palace) |
| Wren House | Kensington Palace, London | The Kents |
| St James's Palace | London | The Princess Royal, Sir Timothy Laurence, Princess Alexandra |
| Windsor Castle | Windsor, Berkshire | Various |
| Palace of Holyroodhouse | Edinburgh | Various |
| Hillsborough Castle | County Down, Northern Ireland | Various |
Crown Estate leases |
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| The Royal Lodge | Windsor, Berkshire | The Yorks |
| Bagshot Park | Surrey | The Wessexes |
| Thatched House Lodge | Richmond, Surrey | Princess Alexandra |
| Barnwell Manor | Barnwell, Northamptonshire | The Gloucesters |
Privately-owned |
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| Gatcombe Park | Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire | The Princess Royal |
| Sandringham House | Norfolk | The Queen (inherited) |
| Balmoral Castle | Aberdeenshire | The Queen (inherited) |
| Craigowan Lodge | Balmoral, Aberdeenshire | The Queen (inherited) |
| Delnadamph Lodge | Balmoral, Aberdeenshire | The Queen (inherited) |
| Highgrove House | Gloucestershire | The Waleses (owned by Duchy of Cornwall) |
| Birkhall House | Balmoral, Aberdeenshire | The Rothesays |
| Llwynywormwood | Myddfai, Llandovery, Carmarthenshire | The Waleses (owned by Duchy of Cornwall) |
| Tamarisk | Isles of Scilly | The Cornwalls |
| Residence | Location | Royal(s) & Date(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Ailesbury House | Leicester Square, London | |
| The Albany | Piccadilly, London | Prince Frederick, Duke of York (1791–1802) |
| Allerton Castle | North Yorkshire | Prince Frederick, Duke of York (1786–1789) |
| Anmer Hall | Anmer, Norfolk (Sandringham Estate) | Leased by the Kents (1972–1990) |
| Audley End House | Saffron Walden, Essex | Charles II (1668–1701) |
| Banqueting House | Whitehall, London | Last remaining property of the Palace of Whitehall, now a Historic Royal Palace |
| Barnwell Manor | Northamptonshire | Princes Henry and Richard, Dukes of Gloucester (1938–1995, still owned) |
| Palace of Beaulieu | Chelmsford, Essex | Henry VIII; Edward VI; Mary I; Elizabeth I (1517–1622) |
| Beaumont Palace | Oxford | Owned by The Crown (Henry I through Edward II; 1130–1318) |
| Fort Belvedere | Windsor Great Park | Prince William, Duke of Cumberland; Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught; Edward VIII (1750–1936; still owned by the Crown Estate) |
| Bentley Priory | London | Queen Adelaide (leased 1846/8–1849) |
| Birch Hall | Surrey | Bought and sold in 1998 by the trustees representing Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York. Never occupied by the Princesses nor their mother, who claimed that financial difficulties prevented her from running the house (1998) |
| Brantridge Park | Balcombe, West Sussex | Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone; Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom (1919–1941) |
| Bridewell Palace | London | Henry VIII; Edward VI (1515–1523, owned 'til 1556) |
| Bushy House | Teddington, London | William IV; the FitzClarences; Mrs Jordan; Queen Adelaide (1797–1849; still owned) |
| Cadzow Castle | South Lanarkshire, Scotland | Scottish crown (David I, Alexander II, Alexander III, John, Robert I); Mary, Queen of Scots (mid-early twelfth century - early fourteenth century, early May 1568) |
| Caernarfon Castle | Caernarfon, Wales | Edward I (1283– still owned) |
| Cambridge Cottage | Kew | |
| Cambridge House | Piccadilly, London | Official London residence of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (1829–1850) |
| Carisbrooke Castle | Newport, Isle of Wight | Charles I; Princess Elizabeth; Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester and Princess Henrietta; Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom (1647-c. 1652, 1896–1944; now English Heritage) |
| Carlton House | London | George IV (1783–1827; now Carlton House Terrace, still owned by the Crown Estate) |
| Castle Hill Lodge | Ealing | Used by Maria Anne Fitzherbert from October 1795 and George, Prince of Wales then bought by Edward, Duke of Kent (father of Queen Victoria) who spent £100,000 enhancing the house. His aide-de-camp General Sir Frederick Augustus Wetherall bought the house to rescue the Duchess from creditors following the Duke of Kent's death. The house was demolished in 1845 by General Sir George Augustus Wetherall. |
| Castlewood House | Egham, Surrey | Leased by The Duke and Duchess of York (1987–1990) |
| Chelsea Manor | London | Princess Elizabeth; Anne of Cleves (1536–1547, c. 1547–1557) |
| Chesterfield House | Greenwich | London home of Princess Mary (1923–1929) - owned by the Estate of Harewood |
| Chevening | Kent | Owned by the Crown Estate and used as the official residence of the Foreign Secretary (1980–) |
| Chideock Manor | Dorset | Rented by The Duke and Duchess of York (1986–1987) |
| Chiswick House | Burlington Lane, Chiswick, London | Acquired by English Heritage, 1929 |
| Christ Church | Oxford | Charles I (1642–1649) |
| Claremont | Esher, Surrey | Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales and Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld; Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helena, Duchess of Albany (1816–1831; owned 'til 1865, 1882–1922) |
| Clarendon Palace | Salisbury, Wiltshire | Used for hunting trips during the Middle Ages. Now ruined. |
| Cliveden | Buckinghamshire | George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 3rd Duke of Sutherland |
| Coppins | Buckinghamshire | Princess Victoria; Princes George and Edward, Dukes of Kent (1925–1973) |
| Crocker End House | Oxfordshire | Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (1990-?) |
| Crosby Hall | Chelsea, London | Richard, Duke of Gloucester (mid-late 15th Century)[3] |
| Cumberland Cottage | ||
| Cumberland House | Pall Mall, London | Prince Edward, Duke of York; Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland (c. 1760–1801; as York House 'til 1767) |
| Cumberland Lodge | Windsor Great Park | Princes William and Henry, Dukes of Cumberland; Anne, Duchess of Cumberland; Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex; Princess Helena, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (1746–1803; 1830–1843; 1872–1923; still owned) |
| Dolphin Square | Embankment, London | The Princess Royal, at some point or other, but never owned |
| Doune Castle | Stirlingshire | Seat of the Duke of Albany (1380–1603) |
| Dover House | London | Prince Frederick, Duke of York (1788–1792) |
| Dublin Castle | Dublin, Ireland | Seat of Lords and Kings of Ireland (1171–1922) |
| Dunfermline Palace | Dunfermline, Fife | Seat of the King of Scots (1500–1650) |
| East Sheen Lodge | London | Princess Louise, Princess Royal (1889–1931) |
| Eastwell Park | Kent | Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Maria, Duchess of Edinburgh (rented 1874–1893) |
| Edinburgh Castle | Edinburgh | A residence of the Kings of Scots from the 11th to the 17th centuries, last used by Charles I in 1633 (now Historic Scotland) |
| Eltham Palace | Kent | The Crown (Edward II through Henry VIII; now English Heritage) |
| Falkland Palace | Falkland, Fife | Various, including Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany; David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay (The Scottish Crown 14th Century –; now National Trust for Scotland) |
| Frogmore House | Windsor | Queen Charlotte and her then-unmarried daughters – Charlotte, Princess Royal, Princesses Princess Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, Amelia; Princess Augusta; Princess Victoria, Duchess of Kent (leased 1792–) |
| Gloucester House | Weymouth | Summer residence of Prince William, Duke of Gloucester (later 18th Century) |
| Gloucester House, London | Piccadilly, London | Prince William, Duke of Gloucester died here, 1805, as did his daughter-in-law Princess Mary, last surviving child of George III, on 30 April 1857 |
| Gloucester Lodge | Brompton | |
| Gunnersbury Park | London | Summer retreat of Princess Amelia (1760–1786) |
| Hampton Court Palace | London | The Crown, since Henry VIII (1525–; now a Historic Royal Palace) |
| Hatfield House | Hertfordshire | The Crown (residents included Prince Edward and Princess Elizabeth; 16th Century – 1607) |
| Ingestre House | Belgrave Square, London | |
| Kent House | Isle of Wight | Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll (from 1901) |
| Kew House | Isle of Wight | Alejandro Combarro Martín |
| Kew Palace | London | Frederick, Prince of Wales; George III; The Crown since (Mid-18th Century –; now a Historic Royal Palace) |
| Kingsbourne House | Wentworth, Surrey | Leased by Sarah, Duchess of York (1994–1997) |
| Kings Langley Palace | Hertfordshire | Used by the Plantagenet to Tudor Kings (1276–1558) |
| Lancaster House | London | |
| Leeds Castle | Kent | |
| Leicester House | London | Frederick, Prince of Wales (c. 1730–1751) |
| Les Jollies Eaux | Mustique, St Vincent | Gift to Princess Margaret. Sold by her son Viscount Linley in 2000. |
| Linlithgow Palace | West Lothian | |
| Tower of London | London | Now a Historic Royal Palace |
| Marlborough House | London | Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh; Queen Adelaide (1837–1849); Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Alexandra of Denmark (1863–1901); George, Prince of Wales and Mary, Princess of Wales (1901–1910). Occupied by Queen Mary, Dowager Queen 1945-1953. |
| The Castle of Mey | nr. John o' Groats | Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (1952–2002) |
| Nether Lypiatt Manor | Stroud, Gloucestershire | former country home of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent |
| Nonsuch Palace | London | built by Henry VIII, later dismantled and sold-off by Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland |
| Norfolk House | London | Frederick, Prince of Wales |
| Oak Grove House | Sandhurst | |
| Oatlands Palace | Weybridge, Surrey | King Henry VIII; King Edward VI; Queen Mary I; Queen Elizabeth I (and the Stuart line) |
| Oatlands Park | Weybridge, Surrey | |
| Osborne Cottage | Isle of Wight | Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom (1901–1912) |
| Osborne House | Isle of Wight | Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (1846–1901). Queen Victoria died there on 22 January 1901. Bequeathed to her successor King Edward VII, who gave it to the nation later that year. |
| Palace of Placentia | London | The Palace at Greenwich, acquired by Margaret of Anjou (consort to Henry VI), last used by Charles I |
| Queen Charlotte's Cottage | Kew | ? |
| Queen's House | Greenwich | Built in the Gardens of the Palace of Greenwich for Anne of Denmark, consort to James I |
| Ranger's House | Greenwich | |
| Ribsden Holt | Windlesham, Surrey | Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll; Princess Patricia of Connaught |
| Richmond Palace | London | Also known as Palace of Sheen, Royal Residence 1327 to 1649, little remains |
| Romenda Lodge | Wentworth Estate, Surrey | Leased by the Duchess of York 1992-1994. |
| Royal Hospital | Dublin | ? |
| The Royal Pavilion, Brighton | Brighton, East Sussex | George IV; William IV; Victoria (1786–1838) |
| Sagana Lodge | Kenya | |
| Savile House | Leicester Square, London | |
| Savoy Palace | London | |
| Schomberg House | Pall Mall, London | Princess Helena (until 1923) and daughters Princess Helena Victoria and Princess Marie Louise (1920–1939)[4] |
| Somerset House | London | Queen Elizabeth I; Queen Henrietta Maria |
| Stirling Castle | Stirling | Kings of Scots |
| Sunninghill Park | Ascot, Windsor | Prince Andrew, Duke of York and family (c. 1990—2004) |
| Sussex House | Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London | Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex |
| Theobalds Palace | Hertfordshire | The Crown. James I exchanged it by Act of Parliament with Lord Burleigh; Charles I also lived there; granted in 1 & 2 William and Mary to William, Duke of Portland |
| Walmer Castle | Walmer, Kent | |
| Palace of Westminster | London | Saxon-1530 |
| Palace of Whitehall | London | 1530–1698 |
| White Lodge | Richmond | Princess Amelia of Great Britain; King George III and Queen Charlotte; Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh; Albert Edward, Prince of Wales; Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge and family; Prince Albert George, Duke of York and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (c. 1740–1923) |
| The King's House | Winchester | Proposed royal residence for King Charles II |
| Windlesham Moor | Windsor | The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh & Prince Charles of Edinburgh (1947–4 July 1949[5]) |
| Witley Court | Worcestershire | |
| Woodstock Palace | Oxfordshire | |
| York Cottage | In the grounds of Sandringham House, Norfolk | Occupied by King George V and his wife Queen Mary as Duke and Duchess of York. They retained use of the small cottage after their accession in 1910. It was later given to George V's son, Prince Albert, Duke of York and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. |
| York House, St James's Palace | London | Various royal residents |