King Charles has said he and Queen Camilla won’t be moving into Buckingham Palace once £370million refurbishment work has been finished next year.
The 10-year renovation plan might be on the verge of completion, but the King and Queen Camilla will not return to the historic home as their official residence.
The palace will remain ‘monarchy HQ’ but Charles has decided that Clarence House will be his official London home for the rest of his reign.
‘His Majesty retains huge affection for Buckingham Palace and a deep respect for its role in royal and public life,’ said a palace spokesperson. ‘It will be a buzzing hive of royal activity in every other way’.
The decision has been taken partly to increase public access to the London landmark, which remains incredibly popular with visitors.
When the King is in residence, security must limit the number of visitors and areas they are allowed to view.
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James Chalmers, Keeper of the Privy Purse, said: ‘I can update you that after careful consideration, and to greatly increase opportunities for public access, the King and Queen have decided not to adopt Buckingham Palace as a personal residence and will instead continue to use Clarence House as their London home.
‘Their Majesties will, however, have access to private rooms within the palace where they can retire during the course of a working day, and which could be utilised as potential residential accommodation in times ahead.’
The iconic building has been undergoing a 10-year refurbishment project replacing boilers, electrical cables and pipes to reduce the fire and flood risk, and is due to be completed next March.
The tradition of using Buckingham Palace as the official royal seat was started by Queen Victoria in 1837.
After her marriage to Prince Albert, she transformed the grounds to accommodate their growing family, entertain guests, and work in an official capacity.