Secrets of the British royal family's private homes (copy)

A room of one's own

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February 6th 2019 marks 67 years since Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II inherited the throne from her father King George VI, along with a number of beautiful properties that she resides in. Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Sandringham are just a few of the grand buildings where Her Majesty and the rest of the royal family spend their time. Take a look inside these royal homes and learn their secrets.

Buckingham Palace

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The Queen's official London home dates from 1703 when the Duke of Buckingham built a fine townhouse in the capital's fashionable St James's district. The townhouse was acquired by King George III in 1761 and lavishly enlarged in the 19th century.

Buckingham Palace

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The 830,000-square-foot palace comprises a total of 775 rooms, which include 19 State Rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms, none of which are ensuite, a sign of the palace's old-fashioned layout. This photo shows the swish White Drawing Room.

Buckingham Palace

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The Queen is ensconced in the palace during weekdays, when she conducts official business, from investitures, State banquets (pictured) and garden parties, to meeting and greeting dignitaries – the palace welcomes more than 50,000 VIP guests a year and is open to the public during the summer.

Buckingham Palace

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King George IV, who extended the palace in the 19th century at massive expense, was big on bling and while crying out for a revamp, the gilded State Rooms put Trump Tower to shame. They include the opulent 1844 Room where the Queen presented Angelina Jolie with her honorary damehood in 2014.

Buckingham Palace

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Other highlights include the Throne Room (pictured), Music Room and Picture Gallery, which includes works by Rembrandt and Vermeer. The palace also boasts 40 acres of grounds, a swimming pool, the Royal Mews stables and the Queen's Gallery, which exhibits 450 paintings at any one time.

Buckingham Palace

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The Queen, who lives in a nine-room private apartment, isn't especially fond of the place; it is her place of work after all. She famously wanted to reside in nearby Clarence House but was persuaded to move into Buckingham Palace by Sir Winston Churchill.

Windsor Castle

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In contrast to her disdain for Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle is thought to be the Queen's favourite official home. The 1,000-room castle, which is located in Windsor Great Park, just west of London, dates from the 11th century and sprawls over 484,000 square feet.

Windsor Castle

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Windsor Castle is the Queen's official country residence and although some formal engagements are conducted at Windsor, it's essentially her place to unwind. Her Majesty spends most weekends at the castle and stays there during Easter, as well as in June for Royal Ascot and the Order of the Garter service (pictured).

Windsor Castle

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The castle is famed for its magnificent State Apartments, considered by many experts to represent some of the finest examples of Georgian style. The gilded rooms are decorated with priceless antiques and paintings by Rubens and Canaletto.

Windsor Castle

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Other highlights include the medieval St George's Chapel and Hall (pictured), and a wealth of treasures, from the artworks that are displayed in the Drawings Gallery, to King Charles II's bed and Queen Mary's sumptuous dolls' house.

Windsor Castle

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The private apartments at Windsor are hardly ever photographed. This rare glimpse inside the Queen's private sitting room, which shows Her Majesty meeting New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, was shared via the British Monarchy's official Twitter account last year.

See more pictures of Windsor Castle, where the Queen spends her weekends.

Windsor Castle

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Like Buckingham Palace, maintaining Windsor Castle is a costly process. The infamous 1992 fire caused £34.7 million ($44.5m)-worth of damage, and the UK government has signed off a £26 million ($33m) refurbishment project.

Windsor Castle

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One of the biggest and most famous occasions at Windsor Castle, that was watched by the world, was the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on 19th May 2018. The couple exchanged vows in front of 600 guests at St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Frogmore Cottage

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From the time of their engagement in November 2017, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have lived in Nottingham Cottage, one of the multiple properties located in the grounds of Kensington Palace. However, to prepare for the arrival of their first child, the couple is set to move to Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Estate early this year. Seen here in 1872, the cottage is currently undergoing major renovations to make it fit for the new family including new fireplaces and staircases.

Frogmore Cottage

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Windsor is a very special place for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as it's where they had their engagement photo shoot and where they held their wedding ceremony. Taken in the grounds of Frogmore House in December 2017, this engagement photo shows the happy couple relaxed and smiling, clearly already feeling quite at home.

Palace of Holyroodhouse

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The Queen's official Scottish residence, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, sits at the end of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. The palace has been the home of Scottish kings and queens since the 16th century, and past residents have included Mary, Queen of Scots.

Palace of Holyroodhouse

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Holyroodhouse dates way back to 1128 when it was founded as a monastery. It was converted into a palace by Scottish King James IV in the early 16th century and further additions were made by James V of Scotland and later kings and queens of the United Kingdom.

Palace of Holyroodhouse

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Her Majesty is resident at the palace in early summer for Holyrood Week and stays there when she has official business to take care of in Scotland. Holyrood Week is a series of events that celebrate Scottish culture, history and excellence, and includes an investiture (pictured), whereby the Queen confers honours in person.

Palace of Holyroodhouse

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When the Royals aren't in residence, the palace is open to the public. The star draws include Mary, Queen of Scots' private bedchamber (pictured), the Throne Room, the Evening Drawing Room and the splendid Great Gallery, the largest room in the palace.

Palace of Holyroodhouse

Courtesy Royal Collection

The Great Gallery displays 100 portraits of Scottish monarchs, both mythical and real. The palace is said to be haunted. The naked ghost of 'Bald Agnes', a woman who was executed for witchcraft in 1592, has been spotted walking through the State Rooms on more than one occasion.

Palace of Holyroodhouse

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The upkeep of the Queen's official Scottish residence doesn't come cheap, and like Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, Holyroodhouse is in serious need of modernisation. Luckily, a £9.4 million ($12m) refurbishment project to restore the palace to its former glory is due for completion later in 2019.

Balmoral Castle

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Staying in bonnie Scotland, Balmoral Castle is the Queen's Highlands vacation home. Unlike Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Holyroodhouse, which are owned by the Crown Estate, it is the personal property of the Queen. Balmoral has been a royal residence since 1852, when it was acquired by Prince Albert.

Balmoral Castle

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The Scots Baronial-style castle, which sits in 50,000 acres of wild Highlands countryside, is decorated in traditional Caledonian style – think lots of tartan, thistle designs and stag antlers. The estate also includes two historic lodges and various outbuildings.

Balmoral Castle

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As an escape from her hectic schedule, the Queen spends her summer vacation at Balmoral in August and September. While Windsor is said to be Her Majesty's favourite official home, Balmoral is thought to be her preferred private residence.

Balmoral Castle

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In fact, Balmoral lacks adequate central heating of any kind. Guests often remark how cold and draughty the castle can get, even on the warmest sunny days, and many pack extra thermals to keep warm during their stay.

Balmoral Castle

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Most of the castle is out of bounds to the general public, particularly during the late summer when the Queen and her family are in residence. Fee-paying visitors can, however, view the grounds and the castle's ballroom at other times.

Birkhall

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Birkhall is part of the Balmoral Estate and belongs to Prince Charles. Since inheriting it from the Queen Mother after her death in 2002, he enjoys spending summers at the residence with the Duchess of Cornwall. The couple also spent their honeymoon there in 2005.

Birkhall

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Here, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles are being presented with a first edition of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother: The Official Biography by the author William Shawcross in the garden of Birkhall. The late Queen Mother loved Birkhall and when visiting she would indulge in her love of salmon fishing, often while wearing tartan and tweed. The famously green-fingered Prince Charles has made a passion project of restoring the beautiful gardens to their former glory after they were devastated by flooding in 2016.

Clarence House

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When Prince Charles and his wife Camilla stay in London, they call Clarence House home. Standing directly next to St Jame's Palace, the residence was previously home to the Queen Mother and also to The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh following their marriage in 1947.

Clarence House

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Prince Charles and Camilla regularly welcome guests from around the world to their London home. Before the Prince moved into the abode, it underwent extensive redecoration and redesign with new colour schemes and fabric introduced to the furniture. Most meetings take place in the formal living room which has blue toned furniture, fringed lamps and historic artwork. Here, Prince Charles can be seen introducing King Willem-Alexander, ruler of the Netherlands, to the formal living room in October 2018.

Clarence House

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Prince Charles spends a lot of his time in the grounds of Clarence House, which are adorned with magnolia trees, a vegetable garden and a composting system. The royal enjoys hosting outdoor meetings, events and parties in the gardens and even used them as the background to his 2018 Christmas card (pictured).

Highgrove House

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Highgrove House in Gloucestershire has been one of Prince Charles’ private residences since 1980. He took up residence with Princess Diana after they were married in 1981 and Prince Harry and Prince William started their lives there until they went to school. In 1987 Charles remodelled the Georgian house, which is managed by The Duchy of Cornwall.

Highgrove House

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When the Prince of Wales first arrived at Highgrove House, the garden was sparse apart from an old cedar tree. Over a period of 38 years, Prince Charles has transformed it into an organic, tranquil oasis.

Llwynywermod

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As he has been the Prince of Wales for 55 years, it’s apt that Prince Charles has a residence in Wales. During his annual summer tour, the Prince stays in Llwynywermod, a restored farmhouse in Carmarthenshire.

Llwynywermod

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Adapted from a former model farm, it has been renovated using locally sourced materials and traditional Welsh craftsmanship. The house also has a courtyard with a fountain and two small wildflower meadows, one with an apple orchard, created by Prince Charles himself.

Sandringham House

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Like Balmoral, Sandringham House in Norfolk is one of the Queen's private homes. Her Majesty spends Christmas at Sandringham and stays until February. It is from here that she has recorded many of her famous annual messages to the nation.

Sandringham House

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Situated in 20,000 acres of grounds, the house dates from Elizabethan times and was snapped up by Queen Victoria in 1862 as a gift for her son, the future King Edward VII. He rebuilt it in 1870 in suitably sophisticated style.

Sandringham House

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Described as 'the most comfortable house in England', Sandringham featured the latest domestic technology following its rebuild in 1870 – the regal residence was one of the first country houses in England to boast gas lighting, flushing toilets and working showers.

Sandringham House

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Sandringham is less grand and more relaxed than the Monarch's other residences. The ground floor, which is open to the public when the Royals aren't in residence, is decorated in elegant Edwardian style.

Sandringham House

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The spacious estate, which once housed a menagerie of animals, includes several well-appointed houses. The Georgian Amner Hall, for instance, is the country home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, after it was given to them by the Queen as a wedding gift.

Hillsborough Castle

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The least lived-in of the Queen's homes, Hillsborough Castle near Lisburn is the Monarch's official Northern Ireland residence. Her Majesty stays at Hillsborough when she has official business to conduct in the province.

Hillsborough Castle

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Hillsborough was built in the late 18th century by Wills Hill, first Marquess of Downshire and remodelled in the 19th and early 20th centuries. More country house than castle, the two-storey Georgian mansion is set in 96 acres of grounds.

Hillsborough Castle

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The estate was sold to the British government and became an official Royal residence following the creation of Northern Ireland in 1922. Hillsborough Castle was the location of the signing of the historic Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985.

Hillsborough Castle

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Hillsborough's ornate State Rooms never fail to impress. They include the glorious Throne Room, the State Dining room which can seat up to 32 guests and Lady Grey's antique-packed Sitting Room.

Hillsborough Castle

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The extensive grounds are a gorgeous mix of ornamental gardens, woodland and waterways, and include a number of must-sees, including the Lady Alice Temple (pictured), the statue of Ossian and the Quaker burial ground.

Hillsborough Castle

Courtesy Historic Royal Palaces

Like the Queen's other residences, the castle isn't completely closed off to us commoners. If you want to take a peek inside the castle yourself, Hillsborough is open to the public on weekends in April, May, June and September.

Kensington Palace

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Kensington Palace has been a royal residence since the 17th century. Approximately half of the palace has been divided into apartments for members of the Royal family, while the other sections are open to the public as a tourist attraction.

Kensington Palace

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It is currently the official residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their two children. The family live in apartment 1A and have recently completed a £4.5 million ($6m) refurbishment of the 19-room suite. The apartment was formerly home to Princess Margaret, the Queen’s sister.

Kensington Palace

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Here's the Drawing Room of Apartment 1A, where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry met with Barack and Michelle Obama prior to a private dinner party.

Kensington Palace

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In April 2016, Prince George had the chance to thank Barack Obama for his gift of a rocking horse in the living room of apartment 1A.

Kensington Palace

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Kensington Palace also released this image of Princess Charlotte in the lead up to her first birthday playing in her nursery.

Kensington Palace

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The palace boasts some of the most well-kept gardens in London. One of the most popular is the Sunken Garden, which is modelled on a style mainly found in the 18th century.

Kensington Palace

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The State Apartments are a highlight of any visit to the palace. Visitors can look in awe at furniture and paintings from the Victorian era and works of art from the extensive Royal Collection. The Palace is also home to the exhibition, Diana: Her fashion story, which is a unique display of the clothing worn by the Princess.

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