Where does the royal family live? It's complicated.
Where Does the Royal Family Live? A Guide to Their Estates
Updated on Apr. 17, 2025
Where does the royal family live? All your questions answered
Palace, castle or cottage? King Charles III has many homes to choose from when he hangs up his crown at the end of the day: The British monarch owns at least seven palaces, 10 castles, 12 mansions and 56 cottages—along with some ancient ruins—worth an estimated $25 billion. Of course, Charles doesn’t personally live in all these dreamy places (though in March 2025 he purchased an estate right next door to his wife Camilla’s new digs). Many of these homes are used by other members of the royal family tree. So where does the royal family live, exactly?
We’re fascinated with royal residences like Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Balmoral and Frogmore Cottage “in part because they are so grand—even the small ones,” says Andrew Walkling, a professor and expert in early modern British history at New York’s Binghampton University. “But there’s also a long history of royal residences having special meaning.”
Reader’s Digest takes a closer look at the royal family’s residences, from who lives where to who got their mansion as a gift—and who has to plunk down rent. Ahead, the ultimate guide to where the royal family lives.
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Buckingham Palace
Location: London
Who lives there: Currently, no one; formerly, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
Headed to London? Buckingham Palace is probably on your must-visit list. It has been the official residence of the United Kingdom’s monarchs since 1837, and it is impressive. The palace has five floors and 775 rooms—including 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 92 offices and a surgical room—as well as 40 acres of gardens. But no one from the royal family currently lives there. Instead, it serves as the administrative headquarters of the monarchy, and it’s currently undergoing a major renovation scheduled to be completed in 2027.
Queen Elizabeth was the last royal to reside at Buckingham Palace, but she moved into Windsor Castle during the pandemic and never returned. According to the Sunday Times, Charles, who was born at Buckingham Palace, has no intention of living there, though it is still considered the official home of the monarch. The state rooms are open to the public during the summer, and the Changing of the Guard remains a year-round must-see—and a way to experience Buckingham Palace history.
Clarence House
Location: London
Who lives there: Charles and Camilla
If no one lives at Buckingham Palace, where does the royal family live? Clarence House, a less-talked-about royal residence just a stone’s throw away, is where you’re most likely to spot Charles and Camilla, the queen consort. The couple moved into Clarence House in August 2003 following the queen mother’s death. (She had been living there since 1953.) It’s also the former home of Queen Elizabeth, who made it her London base in 1947 after marrying Prince Philip. And way back in the 1830s, Walkling says Clarence House was the official residence of King William IV.
According to royal historian Robert Lacey, Charles is very fond of Clarence House. His personal art collection is displayed there, as is his late mother’s. “Clarence House is the least palatial of all the residences in London,” Lacey told the BBC in 2022, “but it has great associations for him, because his beloved grandmother lived there.”
The queen mother “helped inspire his interests in the arts, and in spending time in nature,” explains royal historian Carolyn Harris, an instructor of history at the University of Toronto and the author of Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting. “King Charles III’s favorite homes, including Clarence House in London and Birkhall in Scotland, were both homes that belonged to the queen mother.”
Windsor Castle
Location: Windsor, Berkshire
Who lives there: Currently, no one; formerly, Queen Elizabeth
Windsor Castle, about an hour’s drive from London, is where the queen spent most of her final years, and it’s where she recorded her last Christmas message, in 2021. With around 1,000 rooms and 484,000 square feet, it is the largest occupied or recently occupied castle in the world. Incredibly, the estate has 379 clocks and 300 fireplaces.
But Windsor wasn’t intended as a residence, at least at first. Built by William the Conqueror in the late 11th century, it originally served as a fortress. Over the years, it turned into a private home for kings and queens, as well as a venue for royal celebrations. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot there in 2018, and Queen Elizabeth is buried in Windsor’s St. George’s Chapel. If you’d like to pay your respects, the chapel is open to visitors.
Balmoral Castle
Location: Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Who lives there: Currently, no one; Queen Elizabeth’s former summer residence
It’s an open secret that the queen adored Scotland. Every year, the late monarch spent an extended summer holiday there, enjoying picnics with her family, riding her beloved horses and taking her famous corgis on long walks.
“She loved the relaxed pace of life in the countryside,” says royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, who thinks the queen would have been “very happy” as a full-time countrywoman. The monarch spent her final weeks at Balmoral and eventually died there, on Sept. 8, 2022.
Bought by Prince Albert as a gift for his wife, Queen Victoria, in 1852, Balmoral Castle has been the Scottish home of the royal family ever since renovations were completed in 1856. In 2024, the royal family opened Balmoral up to the public, offering guided tours of the castle Prince Harry called “simply paradise” in his book, Spare. So is this where the current royal family lives while in Scotland? You’d think so, but Harris says Charles and Camilla prefer Birkhall, a nearby holiday home.
Highgrove House
Location: Gloucestershire, in southwest England
Who lives there: Charles and Camilla (when on vacation)
Highgrove House is another vacation home for Charles and Camilla, even though it now technically belongs to Prince William. It is part of the Duchy of Cornwall and came with William’s new Prince of Wales title. Charles purchased the estate in 1980, a year before getting married to Princess Diana, and it became the couple’s family home after their wedding.
Highgrove House has nine bedrooms, four reception rooms and a nursery wing spread over three floors. The main attraction, though, is its breathtaking surroundings. Charles is an avid gardener and organic farmer, and he enjoys taking care of the plants personally when he has time. If you happen to be in Gloucestershire between April and September, make sure to pencil in a visit.
Sandringham
Location: Norfolk, in eastern England
Who lives there: Charles and Camilla (when on vacation)
Charles inherited Sandringham, a country mansion about a three-hour drive north of London, from his mother, Queen Elizabeth. The 20,000-acre estate became part of the royal portfolio in 1862, when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought it for their then-21-year-old son Edward VII and his fiancée, Alexandra of Denmark.
Sandringham is where Queen Elizabeth recorded her first televised Christmas message in 1957, but it is probably best known as the place where the royal family celebrates Christmas. It was also where senior royals gathered in January 2020 for the so-called Sandringham Summit, where crisis talks were held following Harry and Meghan’s decision to step back from their royal duties.
Interested in checking it out? Parts of Sandringham are open to the public.
Adelaide Cottage
Location: Windsor, Berkshire
Who lives there: Prince William, Princess Kate and their three children
Aside from Charles and Camilla, where does the rest of the royal family live? William, Kate and their three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis—moved into Adelaide Cottage in the summer of 2022. The future king and his wife are leasing the 19th-century, four-bedroom property from the Crown, reportedly paying market-rate rent. No discount for royals here!
Located on the Windsor estate, the location was favored by William and Kate for their children, Fitzwilliams says. “They want them to grow up as normal as possible, and Windsor is a good distance away from the London-based press.” Fitzwilliams predicts that the family will likely remain in Adelaide Cottage “for the foreseeable future.”
Kensington Palace, Apartment 1
Location: London
Who lives there: William, Kate and their three children (when in London)
The Prince and Princess of Wales also keep other royal residences, including Apartment 1 at Kensington Palace in central London. This isn’t your typical apartment, of course. It has 20 rooms, a large walled garden for extra privacy and two kitchens. William and Kate spent about $5.5 million on renovations before moving there in 2013. In fact, they were the first royals to install a kitchen suitable for a family, rather than a professional chef.
Apartment 1 was where Kate and William welcomed former U.S. president Barack Obama in April 2016. The palace also contains their offices, as well as the offices and residences of some lesser-known royals. Princess Diana lived at Apartment 8 and 9 after marrying Charles, and she continued to stay there after the divorce. And going way back in the history of royal family residences: Queen Victoria was born at Kensington Palace and spent her childhood there.
Anmer Hall
Location: Sandringham, Norfolk
Who lives there: William, Kate and their three children (during school holidays)
Anmer Hall, William and Kate’s country retreat on the grounds of Sandringham, was Queen Elizabeth’s gift to the couple when they married in 2011, and it’s where they can usually be found when school is out.
“William and Catherine spend Christmas with family at Anmer Hall,” Harris says. The Georgian mansion, built in 1802, is the former home of the late Hugh Van Cutsem Sr., a college friend of Charles’s. It reportedly has 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and a private tennis court.
Kate and William lived at Anmer Hall full-time after Charlotte was born in 2015. They swapped it for Kensington Palace two years later but returned to the Norfolk home during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Today, the couple escapes there for extended weekend breaks and school holidays. Glimpses inside Anmer are rare, but we caught a peek of the garden on Kate and William’s official Christmas card image in 2022.
Frogmore Cottage
Location: Windsor, Berkshire
Who lives there: Currently, no one; formerly, Harry and Meghan
Where does Prince Harry live when in the U.K.? Until March 2023, his official address was Frogmore Cottage, a stone’s throw from Windsor Castle. The 10-bedroom home was built for Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III, in 1801 and gifted to Harry and Meghan by the queen when they tied the knot in 2018. The couple spent $3.2 million on renovations, which they repaid when they stepped back from their royal duties and moved to California.
Harry and Meghan last used Frogmore in 2022, when they attended Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. So who lives in Frogmore cottage now? It sits empty. Charles reportedly offered the keys to Prince Andrew, but according to Harris, he prefers his current estate, Royal Lodge. “Prince Andrew is reportedly determined to hold onto the lease at Royal Lodge, but this lease depends on his ability to maintain the property, an ability that will be shaped by his future financial circumstances,” Harris says.
Royal Lodge
Location: Windsor, Berkshire
Who lives there: Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York
The former residence of the queen mother until her death in 2002, Royal Lodge is currently the home of Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. The stately home has 30 rooms, a large drawing room known as a “formal room” and a saloon. Andrew and Sarah moved into Royal Lodge in 2004, and while the pair has been divorced since 1996, they still share the mid-1600s residence. Their daughter Princess Eugenie held her wedding reception at Royal Lodge.
But these days, things don’t look quite so bright for Andrew and Fergie. A 2024 book by royal expert Robert Hardman reveals that the couple might soon have to leave Royal Lodge, as reported by the BBC. Charles, Andrew’s brother, intends to cut Andrew’s annual allowance, meaning the prince will no longer be able to afford the rent. Prince Andrew is reportedly not happy about the situation, and plans to resist a move.
Bagshot Park
Location: Windsor, Berkshire
Who lives there: Prince Edward, Sophie Wessex and their two children
Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son, Prince Edward, is yet another Windsor resident. Bagshot Park was built for King Charles I in 1609, then rebuilt for Queen Victoria’s son Prince Arthur in 1879. This historic building reportedly has 120 rooms and comes with 51 acres of land.
Edward has been living in the 19th-century mansion since he married Sophie Wessex in 1999. Edward initially rented the mansion for 50 years from the Crown Estate (meaning Charles is his landlord), but the lease was extended another 150 years. So it looks like it will eventually be passed on to the couple’s children, Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James Mountbatten-Windsor.
Gatcombe Park
Location: Gloucestershire, in southwest England
Who lives there: Princess Anne, her husband, Lawrence, and Zara and Mike Tindall
Princess Anne is a popular member of the royal family, but even her most devoted fans might not be able to point out her home, Gatcombe Park, on a map. So where does the royal family live? Gatcombe Park is in the British Cotswolds, and is one of the lesser-known royal residences. Queen Elizabeth bought it as a wedding gift for Anne, in 1976. The princess royal has been living at the estate ever since, and she currently shares it with her second husband, Lawrence.
Gatcombe Park isn’t just a private home. Like her brother Charles, Anne has a soft spot for organic farming, and the estate is also a working farm complete with horses and cattle. Luckily, there’s plenty of space for additional humans too: Princess Anne’s daughter, Zara, and her husband, Mike Tindall, moved onto the estate in 2013 and still live there with their daughters, Mia and Lena.
St. James’s Palace
Location: London
Who lives there: Princess Anne (when in London)
While Princess Anne doesn’t spend a lot of time in the capital, she still has posh St. James’s Palace to return to when she feels like it. After the queen’s death in 2022, Charles was proclaimed the new monarch at St. James’s, and Elizabeth herself became queen there in 1952. St. James’s was the main residence of Britain’s kings and queens for more than three centuries, until Queen Victoria moved into Buckingham Palace in 1837.
The London landmark, which was completed in 1536 on the site of a former hospital, is primarily used for royal engagements these days, hosting up to 100 official receptions every year. Prince Louis was christened there in 2018.
Nottingham Cottage
Location: Kensington Palace, London
Who lives there: Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank
Compared with most royal family members, Princess Eugenie has a rather modest house. Nottingham Cottage, nicknamed “Nott Cott,” is located on the grounds of Kensington Palace. Eugenie lives there with her husband, Jack Brooksbank, and their two sons. This two-bedroom home with a small garden was purchased by King William III and Queen Mary II in 1689.
While the current residents seem to love the cute place, its previous owners, Harry and Meghan, apparently weren’t quite as fond of it. (Nottingham Cottage is where the couple lived in their early days.) Fun fact: It’s the second time Princess Eugenie moved into a house vacated by the Sussexes. Before settling into her current home, Eugenie rented the pair’s Frogmore Cottage.
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Sources:
- Andrew Walkling, professor at Binghampton University, State University of New York; email interview, April 9, 2025
- Carolyn Harris, author and instructor of history at the University of Toronto; interview, April 2025
- BBC: “Prince Andrew’s Funding Cut Off by King, Says Book”
- BBC: “Which of His Many Homes Will King Charles Live In?”
- Irish Independent: “King Charles Buys €3.58m Home Next to Camilla’s Country Retreat Amid Privacy Fears”
- Richard Fitzwilliams, royal commentator and author; interviewed, 2022
- Royal Collection Trust: “Official Royal Residences”
- Royal.uk: “Reservicing Buckingham Palace”
- Sunday Times: “King Charles Won’t Live in Buckingham Palace. So What Next?”
- Yahoo! Finance: “See King Charles III’s $25 billion Real Estate Portfolio”
