Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III will move out of Clarence House with Queen Consort Camilla.
He will likely spend most of his time at Buckingham Palace, the headquarters of the British monarchy – and will no doubt also spend time at Windsor Castle and the Balmoral and Sandringham Estates.
King Charles is not the only royal to relocate in recent years, after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Estate in early 2020 to begin a new life in the USA.
In more recent memory the Prince and Princess of Wales moved out of Kensington Palace in London and settled with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Here, FEMAIL takes a look at some of the royal residences where the senior members of the Royal Family spend their time…
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s former home, may be too large, impersonal and draughty for King Charles, but he has confirmed
Queen Elizabeth II bestows investitures in The Ballroom inside Buckingham Palace in London in October 2008
The majesty of Buckingham Palace cannot be denied as the grand royal residence, which is more than 300 years old, sits in the City of Westminster.
Originally built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703, the 830,000 square feet was designed to include a 39-acre garden.
According to the royal website, the Palace has 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 bedrooms for live-in staff, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms.
However King Charles has alwyas been said not to be particularly fond of the Palace, which he feels is too big and impersonal.
Nonetheless just a few months ago the then then-Prince of Wales let it be known that as King he would live at Buckingham Palace.
It was only a few months ago that the It was intriguing that it even needed to be said, but then uncertainty has long hovered over his plans.
Returning to the 775-room Palace may not necessarily appeal, but as an aide explained: ‘He is firmly of the view that it is the most distinct symbol of the monarchy in the heart of the nation’s capital and therefore it must be his home.
‘He also thinks it would be strange to have Buckingham Palace without royals living there.’
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle was a royal residence at which the Queen hosted many visitors during her 70 year-long reign
Her late Majesty gave us a glimpse into the Oak Room in February this year as she met Defence Services Secretary Major General Eldon Millar and his predecessor Rear Admiral James Macleod
Over the years the Queen hosted many meetings with guests in the Oak Room, which was her sitting room
Much of Windsor Castle, where Her late Majesty spent a great deal of her time, has always remained private, with the Royal Family not wanting to share too much of their family space.
However during a meeting between the Queen and Defence Services Secretary Major General Eldon Millar and his predecessor Rear Admiral James Macleod earlier this year, she gave us a glimpse into her private sitting room.
With family photographs, half-eaten chocolate boxes and a TV next to the fireplace, the comforting space is full of home comforts that are not dissimilar to our own.
Only, of course, hers are interspersed with priceless artwork, gold-plated ornaments and personal treasures that document her extraordinary life and 70 years on the throne.
Also known as the Oak Room, the sitting room is located in the Queen’s private apartments and was used by Her Majesty for intimate audiences and photoshoots.
Over the years, presidents and ambassadors have walked through its doors. In lockdown, the Queen chose the Oak Room for her virtual engagements and was often photographed sitting on a straight-backed wooden dining chair as she carried out a video call.
Balmoral Castle
The Queen (pictured with Prince Andrew, left, Prince Philip, back centre, and Prince Edward, right) at Balmoral in 1972
In the photographs released just days before her death, the Queen could be seen standing close to a roaring log fire within the ornate fireplace
To the right of the fireplace, a painting of Queen Victoria at Osborne House can be seen. The moody image shows the monarch on horseback in front of Osborne House, the former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight
Behind one of the sofas in the Drawing Room, is a dark wooden table, which appears to have been covered in several newspapers (pictured). A pile of photo albums appeared to have been stored on the same table
Just days before she passed away the Queen gave us a glimpse of the green-carpeted Drawing Room at Balmotal Castle when she met the new prime minister, Liz Truss.
The Drawing room has matching green sofas, a leaf-patterned fabric chair, an open fire and a number of equine-themed antique paintings on the walls.
Interior designer Benji Lewis noted: ‘Everything about the interior here suggests welcome reliability.
‘The antique furniture, the lit fire, the matched sofas, the balanced accessories on the mantel and sumptuous flower arrangements either side of the chimney.
‘In spite of how homely the room appears, notable by their absence are personal effects – I’d hazard a guess that these likely exist – framed family photos in traditional silver frames on the two side tables but for the purposes of suggesting the room is being used for formal purposes these have been tidied away for the time being’.
Over to the left hand side of the fireplace is a painting which shows a hunting scene.
The painting is known as Death of the Royal Stag with the Queen riding up to congratulate His Royal Highness’, by Sir Edwin Landseer in 1860.
It depicts a scene on the estate, showing Queen Victoria riding up to a pair of men who had killed a stag. She can be seen arriving at the scene of the kill on a horse, being lead by her favourite servant John Brown.
Clarence House
Clarence House is attached to St. James’s Palace and shares its garden. For nearly 50 years, from 1953 to 2002, it was home to the Queen Mother
Clarence House’s Morning Room was in the spotlight as King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, left, dropped into Clarence House for tea as part of their state visit to the UK in 2018
The then-Prince of Wales was pictured leading King Willem-Alexander into the extravagant Morning Room
Filled with priceless antiques and curiosities from around the world, King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla’s London palatial townhouse has hosted several official guests over the years, including foreign royal families.
On an official visit from Queen Máxima and King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, royal fans got a glimpse inside the Morning Room.
The elegant drawing room was reportedly Camilla’s favourite part of the house – from the official christening portraits of Prince George and Prince Louis.
The Morning Room was once known as the Breakfast Room in John Nash’s original design for the Duke of Clarence in 1825, with King Charles and the Queen Consort moving in a year after the Queen Mother’s death in 2002 – and its current inhabitants have paid tribute to former residents with the addition of countless portraits and busts.
Clarence House is attached to St. James’s Palace and shares its garden. For nearly 50 years, from 1953 to 2002, it was home to the Queen Mother, and is still largely decorated to her taste with a few modern touches.
The house was the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh’s home when they were first married and Prince Charles was brought up in the stately home by his parents until the age of three.
It served as the official residence for Prince William from 2003 until his 2011 marriage and for Prince Harry from 2003 until 2012, and is now the much-loved London home of Charles and Camilla.
Highgrove
A view of the gardens at Highgrove in Tetbury, which was purchased from Tory MP and publishing chief Maurice Macmillan on Charles’s behalf by the Duchy of Cornwall
Charles developed his love of gardening at Highgrove (pictured with Princes William and Harry and Princess Diana in the Flower Meadow)
Camilla stands outside Highgrove, which is Charles’s family home near Tetbury in Gloucestershire
The royal residence to which King Charles is said to be most attached is Highgrove, which was purchased from Tory MP and publishing chief Maurice Macmillan on his behalf by the Duchy of Cornwall.
During the early years of his marriage to Diana it was their weekend home, but the Princess never returned after their separation in 1992. It is where Charles developed his love of gardening, with a stunning transformation of the neglected grounds.
It always saddened him that neither William nor Harry share his love of horticulture nor expressed any interest in taking the house on.
Highgrove was to be run by the Prince’s Foundation and open to the public with Charles using it for five weeks or so each year — and paying rent for the privilege.
But now the King’s vision may not come true as the Duchy is now under control of Prince William, who would have the final say on what happened to Highgrove (as Prince of Wales, he is technically his father’s landlord).
Frogmore Cottage
Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Estate was the home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when they lived in the UK, and is where they have been staying ahead of the Queen’s funeral
An adorable photo of Lilibet shared by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to mark her first birthday was taken in the garden of Frogmore Cottage
Behind the Duchess and Lili is a large piece of artwork, which is not wholly visible in the photograph due to a reflection of the windows behind – however it features a bold black frame and a wide white border
The royal residence of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex while they were living in the UK is on the Windsor Estate.
After Harry and Meghan released photos celebrating their daughter Lilibet’s first birthday, royal fans were delighted to get a glimpse into the couple’s Windsor home,
Interior designer Benji Lewis told FEMAIL the property appeared a far cry from the couple’s $14million mansion in Santa Barbara, California.
He said the look of the property was not ‘overly Hollywood’ and represented ‘cladssic good taste’.
In a black and white photo of the inside of the property, Benji identified the wall appeared to have been painted with a rag rolling effect.
He said: ‘Whilst the paint effect on the walls would have been seen as dated a year or so ago, this is a trend that’s making a huge comeback.
‘It’s a shame we can’t tell what colour it is but I’d imagine it’s made up of layered neutral tones like ivory and tan, possibly in homage to the serenity we’ve seen of their California interiors.’