List of British royal residences

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 Royal Family inhabit their range of residences across 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 Historic Royal Palaces.

Current royal residences by members of the Royal Family

Residence	Location	Notes
Buckingham Palace	London, England	Official London residence (Monday to Friday)
Windsor Castle	Windsor, Berkshire, England	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, Scotland	Official Scottish residence (Whenever the Royal Family undertake official duties in Scotland: primarily Holyrood week in July)
Hillsborough Castle	County Down, Northern Ireland	Official residence in Northern Ireland (whenever the Royal Family undertake official duties in the region)[3]
inherited from the current Queen's father, King George VI
Sandringham House	Sandringham, Norfolk, England	Christmas until February
Balmoral Castle	Aberdeenshire, Scotland	August and September
Craigowan Lodge	Balmoral, Aberdeenshire
Delnadamph Lodge	Balmoral, Aberdeenshire	Being rebuilt for the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall; located on the estate of Balmoral Castle
Clarence House	London	Official London residence
Highgrove House	Gloucestershire
Llwynywermod	Myddfai, Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, Wales	Usual country residence of the Prince of Wales in Wales
Tamarisk	Isles of Scilly
Birkhall	Balmoral, Aberdeenshire	previously used by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother; located on the estate of Balmoral Castle
Dumfries House	Dumfries House, Ayrshire
Kensington Palace	London	Official London residence
Anmer Hall	Sandringham Estate, Norfolk	Located on the grounds of Sandringham House[4]
Kensington Palace	London
Buckingham Palace	London	Official London residence
The Royal Lodge	Windsor, Berkshire	Official country residence, leased from the Crown Estate
St. James's Palace	London
The Royal Lodge	Windsor, Berkshire
St. James's Palace	London
The Royal Lodge	Windsor, Berkshire
Buckingham Palace	London	Official London residence
Bagshot Park	Surrey	Official country residence, leased from the Crown Estate
St. James's Palace	London	Official London residence
Gatcombe Park	Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire	Privately owned home
Kensington Palace	London	Official London residence
Barnwell Manor	Barnwell, Northamptonshire	Not in residence - leased to Berenger Antiques since 1995
Wren House	Kensington Palace, London	Official London residence
Kensington Palace	London	Official London residence
St James's Palace	London	Official London residence
Thatched House Lodge	Richmond, London	Official country residence, leased from the Crown Estate

Current royal residences by type of residence

Residence	Location	Member(s)
Buckingham Palace	London	The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, The Yorks, The Wessexes
Clarence House	London	The Waleses[N 1]
Kensington Palace	London	The Cambridges, The Gloucesters, Prince and Princess Michael, Prince Harry (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
The Royal Lodge	Windsor, Berkshire	The Yorks
Bagshot Park	Surrey	The Wessexes
Thatched House Lodge	Richmond, Surrey	Princess Alexandra
Highgrove House	Gloucestershire	The Waleses
Llwynywermod	Myddfai, Llandovery, Carmarthenshire	The Waleses
Tamarisk	Isles of Scilly	The Waleses
Sandringham House:	Norfolk	The Queen (inherited)
– Anmer Hall	Sandringham Estate, Norfolk	The Cambridges
Balmoral Castle:	Aberdeenshire	The Queen (inherited)
– Birkhall House	Balmoral, Aberdeenshire
– Craigowan Lodge	Balmoral, Aberdeenshire
– Delnadamph Lodge	Balmoral, Aberdeenshire
Gatcombe Park	Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire	The Princess Royal

Former royal residences

Residence	Location	Royal(s) & Date(s)
Abergeldie Castle	Abergeldie, Aberdeenshire	Queen Victoria to Elizabeth II (1848-1970)
Apethorpe Palace	Apethorpe, Northamptonshire	James I and Charles I
Albany	Piccadilly, London	Prince Frederick, Duke of York (1791–1802)
Allerton Castle	North Yorkshire	Prince Frederick, Duke of York (1786–1789)
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	Henry I through Edward II; 1130–1318)
Fort Belvedere	Windsor Great Park	Prince William, Duke of Cumberland; Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught; Edward VIII, Gerald and Angela Lascelles (1750–1976)
Bentley Priory	London	Queen Adelaide (leased 1846/8–1849)
Berkhamsted Castle	Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire	William the Conqueror (1066); Henry I (1123); Edward, the Black Prince (1337); a number of Queens consort (1191–1400); last occupied 1469–1496 by Cecily Neville, Duchess of York
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)
Brill Palace	Brill, Buckinghamshire	Edward the Confessor; Harold Godwinson; William the Conqueror; William II; Henry I; Stephen; Henry II; John; Henry III; Edward I; Edward II; Edward III (c. 1042–1337; given to Sir John de Moleyns)
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 12th century - early 14th 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 (since 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
Coombe Abbey	Warwickshire	Owned 16th century–?; Elizabeth of Bohemia (early 17th)
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)[5]
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)
Hanworth Manor	London	Henry VII; Henry VIII; Elizabeth I; also Anne Boleyn and Katherine Parr
Hatfield House	Hertfordshire	The Crown (residents included Prince Edward and Princess Elizabeth; 16th century – 1607)
Havering Palace	Havering, Essex	c. 1050–c. 1640
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	King Edward I and Queen Eleanor of Castile, 1278; King Edward II and Isabella of France, 1321; King Henry VIII and Catherin of Aragon, 1519
Leicester House	London	Frederick, Prince of Wales (c. 1730–1751)
Les Jolies 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); Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and Alexandra, Princess of Wales (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	Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Connaught c1900
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)[6]
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
Bonchurch, Isle of Wight Built as hunting lodge for Queen Adelaide in 1825, now converted into apartments with most of gardens sold off	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 (1947–4 July 1949[7])
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

See also

• Buckingham Palace
• Pickering Castle

Notes

1. Which, following the creation of the Household of Princes William and Harry (now of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry), means the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall

References

1. Jack, Malcolm. "ARREST OF MEMBERS AND SEARCHING OF OFFICES IN THE PARLIAMENTARY PRECINCTS" (PDF). Memorandum by the Clerk of the House. Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
2. Halsbury's Laws of England, volume 12(1): "Crown and Royal Family", paragraph 53
3. Guide to Hillsborough Castle, Northern Ireland Office
4. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-George/10209880/Duke-and-Duchess-of-Cambridge-to-move-into-country-bolt-hole.html
5. Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea – Interesting Places – Crosby Hall
6. Princess Marie Louise (née Princess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenberg), My Memories of Six Reigns London:Evans Brothers, 1956
7. Royal.gov.uk – 60 Facts, Fact 50 Archived November 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.

External links

• Art and residences at the Royal Family website