Royal Residences Of The British Monarchy - British Monarchy Family History British Monarchy Family History Royal Residences Of The British Monarchy As you read about the many monarchs featured on this website you will come across the names of many castles and palaces, some of which are universally recognised and some virtually unheard of. The United Kingdom is awash with palaces, castles and stately homes, but not all of them are owned by royals, in fact Queen Elisabeth II actually owns only five royal residences, two castles, two palaces and one stately home and of those five only two are actually privately owned by herself. These five royal residences have not always been the homes of choice of former monarchs however, with several castles and palaces, some of which are no longer with us, having been used by previous monarchs. Listed below, in alphabetical order, are thirty one royal residences which have been the official homes or holiday retreats of either the English, British or Scottish monarchs over the past one thousand years.

BALMORAL CASTLE Image courtesy of Stuart Yeates, wikimedia commons Balmoral Castle is situated in Royal Deeside in Aberdeenshire in Scotland and is one of only two privately owned royal residences of the monarch. Originally built in 1390 by Sir William Drummond for Scotland's King Robert II, the castle was formerly rented by and then brought by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a holiday home in 1848 and remodeled into what we see today. Since then the castle, which is now part of a fully working 64,000 acre estate, is one of the royal family's favourite retreats, with the family taking regular annual Summer holidays there. Beaumont Palace was built around 1130 by England's King Henry 1. The palace stood in what is today part of the grounds of Blenheim Palace - the country's only non royal, non episcopal country house which is known as a palace - located in Woodstock in Oxfordshire. The palace was the birthplace of the future King Richard I in 1157 and his younger brother the future King John in 1167.

The palace was dismantled during the years of the dissolution of the monasteries between 1536 and 1541 and it's stone used in the construction of the two great seats of learning, Christ Church University and St John's College, both of which are located in the City of Oxford. BRIDEWELL PALACE Bridewell Palace was commissioned by King Henry VIII and became his official residence between 1515 and 1523. It was situated on the banks of the River Fleet in east London and named after a nearby well dedicated to St Bride. In 1553 King Edward VI gave the palace to the City of London for the housing of the poor and homeless. Since then the palace has been a poorhouse, a hospital and a prison before being demolished in 1863. The palace is best remembered for being the site of the papal delegations concerning King Henry VIII’s divorce from his first wife Catherine of Aragon. BOLEBROKE CASTLE Built around 1480 Bolebroke Castle, which is located in Hartfield in Sussex, is actually a red brick manor house set in thirty acres of land.

The castle, which has been designated as a Grade II listed building, was used extensively as a hunting lodge by King Henry VIII when he attended shooting parties in nearby Ashdown Forest. Later Henry would use the castle as his main base for conducting his affair with Anne Boleyn as it is located just five miles from her family home of Hever Castle situated in the nearby village of Edenbridge in Kent. Today the property is a four star hotel. BUCKINGHAM PALACE Image courtesy of Dilif, wikimedia commons Situated on The Mall in the City of Westminster and known as Buck House throughout the land, Buckingham Palace has been the official royal residence of the British monarchy since the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. Originally built in 1703 from a design by William Winde for the Duke of Buckingham, the house first became a royal residence in 1761 when King George III had architects John Nash and Edward Blore remodel the building for his wife Queen Charlotte. Today the palace is a massive 828,818 sq ft (77,000 sq mt) and the primary official residence of Queen Elisabeth II.

The palace is used for royal duties, royal functions, as a residence for visiting heads of state, the world famous changing of the guard ceremony and a rallying point for the British public in times of national rejoicing or crisis. DUNFERMLINE PALACE Dunfermline Palace was built in the eleventh century and became a royal house when Scotland's King Malcolm III moved there. The palace, which is located in Fife and annexed to the former Dunfermline Abbey, was the birthplace of two of Scotland's monarchs, King David II in 1324 and King James I in 1394. In 1589 the palace was given by King James VI as a wedding present to his new bride Anne of Denmark, who went on to give birth to three of their children there, Elisabeth in 1596, Robert in 1602 and the future King Charles I in 1600. After the Union of the Crowns in 1603 the palace became little used and went into decline. Today all that is left of the palace are it's former kitchens, some cellars and it's south wall.

The above picture shows the palace's former gatehouse which linked the palace to Dunfermline Abbey. ELTHAM PALACE Eltham Palace began life as a moated manor house located in Greenwich, South London. It went on to be used by subsequent royal families well into the sixteenth century, before it fell out of favour owing to it being situated too far away from the River Thames. The first mention of the house was when it was given to King Edward II in 1305 by the then Bishop of Durham, Antony Bek. In the 1470's the house underwent substantial alterations by King Edward IV, including the building of the Great Hall and gardens. The Palace went on to become a firm favourite of the Tudor monarchs who were known to hold their annual Christmas festivities in it's baronial Great Hall. It was also a particular favourite of Elisabeth Tudor, the queen consort of King Henry VII, who much preferred the solitude of the grand house to that of the bustling and vibrant Greenwich Palace. The house and gardens went into a decline for two centuries after it became used as a farm and pastureland, before being given further restorations in 1828.

In the early 1930's the house was then purchased by textile magnate, Stephen Courtauld and his wife Virginia, who proceeded to refurbish the house into the masterpiece of Art Deco elegance and sophistication that can be seen today. In 1944 the house was commissioned by the military and used as an army education facility before being bought by English Heritage in 1995, where they then proceeded major refurbishment works on the house and gardens in 1999. Today the house and gardens, which are now Grade II listed, are open to the public every Summer between April and September. FALKLAND PALACE Falkland Palace is located in Cupar, near Fife, in Scotland and is one of the most important Stuart residences in the land. The palace dates back to the twelfth century where it was then owned by the Clan MacDuff of Fife. It was acquired by the Scottish crown during the fourteenth century and underwent several restoration programs by the Scottish monarchs King James IV and King James V, who also died there in 1542. The palace became a popular haunt of the Stuart monarchs and was regularly visited by King James VI, King Charles I and King Charles II.

The palace went into a decline after Cromwellian troops set it on fire during the civil war. In 1885 the palace underwent a twenty year restoration program which was funded by John Crichton-Stuart the third Marquess of Bute. In 1952 the palace was bought by the National Trust For Scotland who now own and maintain it. Today the palace, along with it's chapel, gardens and tennis courts are all open to the public. FROGMORE HOUSE Frogmore House is a Grade I listed building which stands in the grounds of Home Park near Windsor Castle in Buckinghamshire. The house was completed in 1684 and at first was used by Crown tenants of King Charles II but the king would later bestow the house upon one of his thirteen illegitimate children, George Fitzroy the Duke of Northumberland, who was the son of the king's long term mistress Barbara Villiers. In 1792 King George III purchased the house for his wife Queen Charlotte and their unmarried daughters as a quiet retreat so as they could indulge in their passion of painting.

The house stands in thirty three acres of parkland known as the Frogmore Estate, which since 1928 has been sanctioned as the royal family's official burial ground. The burial ground with it's vast array of impressive mausoleums is the final resting place of thirty six royal family members and the two former monarchs Queen Victoria and King Edward VIII along with their respective spouses Prince Albert and Wallis Simpson. In 1900 Louis Mountbatten, the grandson of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, was born there. Prince Louis as he was known at the time of his birth, would go on to become Britain's first Sea Lord, the last Viceroy of India and the longest serving head of the Armed Forces. In 2008 the house was used as the venue for the wedding of Queen Elisabeth II's grandson Peter Philips, to the Canadian former model Autumn Kelly. Today the house, gardens and estate, which are used mainly as a private entertainment venue for the royals, are open to the public over the Easter and August bank holiday periods. GREENWICH PALACE Greenwich Palace was built in 1447 by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, the brother of King Henry V.

Built on the banks of the River Thames it was originally known as Bella Court, before being renamed by King Henry V’s wife Margaret of Anjou, to the Palace of Pleasuance or Palace of Placentia. The palace was the birthplace of King Henry VIII, Queen Mary I and Queen Elisabeth I. The palace was also where King Henry VIII married his fifth wife, Anne of Cleeves. The building eventually become part of Greenwich Hospital in 1694 and then the site of the Royal Naval College in 1873. Today the site of the palace houses the buildings of the University of Greenwich and the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. HAMPTON COURT PALACE Image courtesy of Andreas Tille, wikimedia commons Hampton Court Palace was built by the friend and advisor to King Henry VIII, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, and was completed in 1514. When Henry was thwarted by the Catholic Church when he wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon, Wolsey, realising his fate, made a gift of the the palace to the king, whereupon the palace became a royal residence right up until the monarchs of the Royal House of Hanover .

The palace, which is located beside the banks of the River Thames in Richmond, Surrey, was designated as a Grade I listed building in 1952 and has been in the ownership of the preservation society Historic Royal Palaces since 1998. The palace, along with it's gardens, maze and deer park are all open to the public and the building it's self is the only former royal palace in the United Kingdom where visitors can rent apartments. HILLSBOROUGH CASTLE Hillsborough Castle is a Georgian mansion house which is used as the residence for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the British Royal Family and other visiting dignitaries when they are in Northern Ireland. Located in Hillsborough, County Down the house, which stands on ninety eight acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, was built in the 1770's and purchased by the British Government after the partition of Ireland in 1922 where it went on to become the official residence of the Governor of Northern Ireland between 1924 and 1973. Today the house and gardens, which are owned and managed by the charitable organisation Historic Royal Palaces are open to the public between the months of April and September.

The castle, which is the first British royal palace located in Northern Ireland, offers visitors guided tours of the many state and function rooms located there. HOLYROOD PALACE Image courtesy of Kim Traynor, wikimedia commons The great Palace at Holyrood, situated on the Royal Mile in Scotland's capital city of Edinburgh, is the monarch's official residence when visiting Scotland. Originally built in 1128 by David King of the Scots, the palace has officially been a royal residence since King James IV in 1501. Today the Queen spends one week a year there on official public duties as well as using it as an official royal residence for other members of the royal family or visiting heads of state. Throughout the rest of the year the palace is open to the public. KENSINGTON PALACE Image courtesy of Colin Smith, wikimedia commons Kensington Palace, situated in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, began life as a Jacobean house known as Nottingham House. It was purchased by King William III of Orange and his wife Queen Mary in 1689, who undertook the architect Christopher Wren to redesign it.

Since then it has been the official royal residence of several members of the royal family, including Queen Anne, King George I, King George II, Princess Margaret, Diana Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. The palace was also the site of the deaths of Queen Mary II, King William III of Orange and King George II. Today the palace is better known for it’s picturesque gardens and stunning state rooms, both of which are open to the general public. KEW PALACE There have been three palaces situated in Kew, the first of which was built during the reign of Queen Elisabeth I for her court favourite, Robert Darnley, after the death of his wife in 1560. Historians know little about this residence, other than it was probably known as Leicester House, after Darnley's ducal title, who was the Earl of Leicester. The second palace, pictured above, is known as the Dutch House due to it's fine Dutch architecture and was built in 1631 by Samuel Fortey for the private secretary to King George II.

In 1734 the Dutch House was purchased by his son, King George III, whose wife Queen Charlotte died there in 1818. In 1837 Queen Victoria gave most of the land surrounding the palace, known as Kew Gardens, to the nation followed in 1887 by the palace it's self. The palace, which is no more than a manor house really, is now owned by the preservation society Historic Royal Palaces and is open to the general public as part of Kew Gardens. The third palace at Kew was a building commissioned by King George III and designed by George Wyatt. That building was demolished by his son King George IV in 1828. MARLBOROUGH HOUSE Marlborough House was commissioned in 1711 by Queen Anne as a present for her best friend and confidante Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough. The mansion, which was designed by the highly acclaimed architect Christopher Wren, is located in the City of Westminster and was bought by the Crown in 1817.

The house was the birthplace of King George V in 1865 and the royal residence of Queen Adelaide - widow of King William IV - between 1831 and 1849. The house was also the first marital home of Prince Edward and Princess Alexander, the future King Edward VII and his queen consort Alexandria. Today the house is a Grade 1 listed building which is open for private guided tours and an annual open house weekend every September. MONMOUTH CASTLE Monmouth Castle is located in the town of Monmouth in South Wales and was one of three early fortifications built by William the Conqueror after he took the British crown in 1066. The castle, which was completed around 1068, was built in order to guard the crossings on the nearby River Wye and River Morrow and was at first used as a home by King William's cousin and trusted confidante William FitzOsbern, whom the king had made the first Earl of Hereford and one of Wales' first Marcher Lords.

As time went on the castle became the preferred royal residence of King Henry IV and his wife Mary de Bohun where it became the birthplace of their second born son, the future King Henry V, in September 1386. Although most of the castle stands in ruins the fortification, which has remained one of Britain's oldest, continuously occupied military installations, is now a Grade I listed building and scheduled monument which is now home of the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers Regimental Museum. OATLANDS PALACE Oatlands Palace was located in Weybridge Surrey and was a favourite retreat of the Tudor and the Stuart monarchs. Henry VIII bought the original building in 1539 as a wedding present for his future bride Anne of Cleeves. However, the following year he would marry his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, at the palace. The palace went on to become the favoured residence of Queen Mary I, Queen Elisabeth I, King James I and King Charles I.

During King James I's reign his wife, Anne of Denmark, employed world renowned garden designer, Inigo Jones, to construct an ornamental garden in the grounds and during the reign of King James II the palace was used as the residence of Edward Herbert, the king's Lord Chief Justice. The house was extensively destroyed by fire in 1794 and subsequently remodeled into a Gothic style manor house by Fredrick, the Duke of York. His wife Charlotte then sold it to the well known dandy of the day, Edward Ball Hughes, who completely refurbished the building yet again, before letting it to the Conservative politician Lord Wilbraham Egerton, between the years of 1832 and 1839. In 1840 Edward Ball Hughes then had the estate broken up into three lots and sold at public auction. Today the Surrey village of Oatlands now stands on the site of the former palace and grounds. OSBOURNE HOUSE Image courtesy of WyrdLight.com, wikimedia commons Osbourne House was built between 1845 and 1851 by Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. The house was built by Thomas Cubitt from a design by the prince.

Queen Victoria and her family loved the isolation of Osbourne House, built as it was on the Isle of Wight, and spent many family holidays there. Queen Victoria died there in 1901 and after the house was made surplus to requirements by other royals, it became the Royal Naval College, Osbourne between 1903 and 1921, where future kings Edward VIII and George V studied. Today the house is now owned by English Heritage, where, along with it's estate, gardens, private beach and woodland, are all open to the general public. PALACE OF WESTMINSTER The Palace of Westminster, better known as Britain's Houses of Parliament, was originally constructed during the eleventh century by King Canute the Great, as his place of residence during the years of his reign from 1016 to 1035. Most of this building was destroyed by fire in 1512, after which it went on to be the seat of England's parliament during the thirteenth century. The oldest part of the building still remaining from that time is Westminster Hall, a cavernous area with a clearspan roof measuring sixty eight feet by two hundred and forty feet.

The hall is best known for being the location of coronation banquets since the time of King William II. Another fire in 1834 resulted in the architect, Charles Barry, designing yet another building on the site, the perpendicular Gothic building made of sand coloured limestone, that we see today. This vast building, which commands eight hundred and seventy three feet of Thames riverfront in London's City of Westminster, contains one thousand, one hundred rooms, one hundred staircases and three miles of passages, housed on four floors. The palace consists of the Halls of the House of Lords and House of Commons, two libraries, the Prince's Chamber, the Royal Gallery, the Queen's Robing Chamber, the Member's Lobby, the Peer's Lobby and several exits and entrances, including the grand Central Lobby, which measures thirty nine feet by seventy five feet and houses statues of former British monarchs and the four saints of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom.

The buildings five iconic towers are St Stephen's Tower, Speaker's Tower, which contains the official residence of the Speaker of the House, the Chancellor's Tower, Central Tower, Victoria Tower, which at two hundred and ninety feet high was once the tallest building in the world, and the three hundred and sixteen foot high, Elisabeth Tower, home of the palace's belfry, which houses Big Ben and four other bells which are synonomous with the Westminster Chimes, and it's four, twenty three feet wide, clock faces. The palace is surrounded by several green spaces, including the Victoria Tower Gardens, the only public space within the palace, Black Rod's Garden, the Old Palace Yard, the New Palace Yard, Speaker's Green, Cromwell Green and the most famous outside area of them all, College Green, where outside broadcasts and interviews with politicians are televised. PALACE OF WHITEHALL The Palace of Whitehall was commissioned during the reign of King Henry VIII and was the largest palace in Europe upon it’s completion, being larger than both The Vatican Palace and the Palace of Versailles. The palace sat on twenty three acres of land and had around one thousand, five hundred rooms.

King Henry VIII married two of his wives there, Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour, and it was also the site where he himself died in 1547. Over the years the palace would be remodeled by both King James I and King Charles I, before it was extensively damaged by fire in 1691 and had to be demolished. The palace gave it’s name to the ashlar stone from which it was built, and it’s name lives on in the area of London known as Whitehall. The only part of the palace which remains today is the Banqueting Hall, built in 1622 by Inigo Jones. The hall is best remembered as being the site of the execution of King Charles I in 1649. RICHMOND PALACE Richmond Palace was built on the grounds of the former Sheen Manor on the south bank of the River Thames in Richmond, Surrey by King Henry VII when he was still the Earl of Richmond. The old manor house and future palace has been the official residence of King Henry I, King Edward I, King Richard II and King Henry VII.

The palace was the location of the honeymoon of Queen Mary and Prince Philip of Spain after their marriage in 1554, the death of Queen Elisabeth I in 1603 and the home of King James I’s vast art collection. The palace is reported to have been the first royal residence to have flush toilets, installed during the reign of Queen Elisabeth I. ROYAL PALACE, EDINBURGH CASTLE Edinburgh's majestic castle, which sits atop the city's Castle Rock, has been around in one form or another since the twelfth century when it became the fortified home of Scotland's King David. The Royal Palace, which is located in a part of the castle's grounds known as the Royal Square, was commissioned by King James IV during the early part of the fifteenth century. The palace went on to become the birthplace of King James VI, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, in June 1566. Today the Royal Palace is open to the public where it is home to Scotland's vaulted Crown Room, the Stone of Scone, the impressive Laich Hall and the Birth Chamber of Mary Room.

SANDRINGHAM HOUSE This twenty thousand acre estate situated in the coastal village of Sandringham in Norfolk is the Queen's only stately home and is used by both her and other royals as a holiday home. Originally built in 1771 by architect Cornish Henley, the house was brought by Queen Victoria in 1862 as a wedding present for her eldest son Edward, Prince of Wales and his new bride Princess Alexandra. Queen consort Alexandra died there in 1925 as did her son King George V in 1935 and her grandson King George VI in 1952. The future King Olav V of Norway was born on the Sandringham Estate in 1903 and Diana Spencer, the future Princess of Wales, was also born on the estate in 1961. The house has received many renovations over the years and is one of only two privately owned royal residences of the British monarch. It is here at Sandringham House that the Royal family gather for their annual Christmas holiday.

ST JAMES PALACE Image courtesy of siegertmarc, wikimedia commons St James' Palace, situated in Pall Mall, London, was commissioned by King Henry VIII and built between 1531 and 1536 on the site of a former leper hospital which had been dedicated to St James the Less. It has been the official royal residence of several royals and was the birthplace of both Queen Anne and King Charles II. In 1941 the palace was the location of the establishment and signing of the Charter of the United Nations. Today the palace is also known as the Royal Court of St James as the royal court is formally based there, so the palace is not open to the public as it is a working palace, but it’s chapel and gardens are. Sometimes the palace is used as the London residence of visiting minor royals. STIRLING CASTLE Stirling Castle is located in central Scotland and when constructed was the first ever renaissance palace to be built in Britain. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an impressive quartz outcrop, where it can be seen for miles around.

The earliest remains of the castle buildings date back to the twelfth century but records show that there has actually been a fortification there since the ninth century when Scotland's first king, Kenneth MacAlpine, is said to have built a fortification there. During it's turbulent history the castle has been a royal residence, a garrison, a prison and the site of several sieges during the Scottish Wars of Independence in the thirteenth century. The castle has also been the location of the death of King Alexander I in 1124, the principal residences of King Robert I and King Robert II during the fourteenth century, the principal residences of King James IV, King James V and King James VI during the sixteenth century, the coronation of Mary, Queen of Scots in 1543 and the baptism of King James VI in 1566. The castle has received many restoration schemes during it's history including major improvement works that began during the Victorian era which are still ongoing to this day. Today the castle, along with it's outer defenses, chapel royal, great hall, royal palace and gardens, which are all open to the public, are owned and managed by Historic Scotland.

THE ROYAL PAVILION The Royal Pavillion is located in the English seaside town of Brighton. The Pavillion was built in 1789 by George, Prince of Wales, (the future King George IV) as a house for parties and secret liasons with his mistress, Maria Fitzherbert, whom unknown to everyone else, he had actually married in secret in 1785. The house was extensively redesigned between 1815 and 1822 by architect John Nash into the Indian style building we see today. The pavilion was also used as a holiday retreat by King William IV, but was so disliked by Queen Victoria, due to it's town centre location, thar she sold it to the city of Brighton in 1850. Today the pavilion stands pride of place in the south coast resort where it has become the city's most visited tourist attraction. WINDSOR CASTLE Image courtesy of Dilif, wikimedia commons Reputed to be the present monarch's favourite home, Windsor Castle situated in Berkshire, is the world's largest inhabited castle and Britain's oldest continually inhabited castle.

Originally built between 1066 and 1087 during the reign of William the Conqueror, the castle has been renovated and remodeled by every British monarch since. As one of five official royal residences in Great Britain this four hundred and eighty thousand square foot castle is also home to St Georges Chapel, which houses the tombs of several former British monarchs and other high ranking royals. Since the accession of Queen Elisabeth II in 1952, Windsor Castle has been the official weekend retreat for the royal family. The castle is is open to the public where visitors can visit St Georges Chapel and the Queen Mother's Doll’s House among many other things. In the castle's grounds one can also explore Windsor Great Park with it's Long Walk that leads to the statue of the Copper Horse or visit the popular Royal Farm with it's onsite farm shop. The castle is also situated just minutes from the small town of Eton, home to the world famous public school that has been the seat of learning for many British and foreign royals and other nobility. British Royal Residences | Unofficial Royalty British Royal Residences St. James’s Palace London Although no longer used as a residence of the Sovereign, St.

James’s Palace is the senior and official palace of the British Monarchy. Used primarily for official functions and office space, it also contains the London residences of The Princess Royal and Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York have an apartment here as well. Click HERE for our in-depth article about St. James’s Palace and York House! Buckingham Palace London Perhaps one of the most recognized buildings in the world, Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, as well as the offices of the Monarchy. The Palace also contains the official London residences and offices of The Duke of York and The Earl and Countess of Wessex, as well as the offices of The Princess Royal and Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy. Click HERE for our in-depth article about Buckingham Palace! Windsor Castle Windsor Windsor Castle is another of The Queen’s official residences, and where she spends most weekends. Originally built as a fortress by William the Conqueror, the Castle is considered the largest inhabited castle in the world, and the oldest continually occupied.

Within the Castle is St George’s Chapel, the site of many royal weddings through the years, and the home of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. It is here that the annual Garter Day service and procession take place. In the surrounding Home Park and Windsor Great Park are many current and former royal residences, including Royal Lodge, Frogmore House, Cumberland Lodge, and Fort Belvedere (amongst others). Click HERE for our in-depth article about Windsor Castle! Palace of Holyroodhouse Edinburgh, Scotland The Palace of Holyroodhouse is The Queen’s official residence in Scotland, situated at one end of the Royal Mile, in the ‘Old Town’ area of Edinburgh. The Queen traditionally spends a week in residence at the end of June. This was the site of the first garden party, held by The Queen’s grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary – a tradition that continues to this day. Click HERE for our in-depth article about the Palace of Holyroodhouse! Hillsborough Castle Northern Ireland Hillsborough Castle is the official residence used by The Queen and Royal Family when visiting Northern Ireland, although its primarily use is as the residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Sandringham House Norfolk Originally purchased as a home for the future King Edward VII, Sandringham House remains one of the privately owned homes of The Sovereign. The Queen traditionally spends the Christmas holiday here with the royal family, and remains in residence until February, after the anniversary of her accession to the throne. Within the grounds are several other residences, including: York Cottage – formerly the home of the future King George V and Queen Mary, now primarily offices Park House – birthplace of Diana, Princess of Wales, now operated as the Park House Hotel Anmer Hall – the country home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Wood Farm – often used for former spouses and other guests during the holidays Click HERE for our in-depth article about Sandringham House! Royal Lodge Windsor Great Park, Windsor Located in Windsor Great Park, Royal Lodge is the official residence of The Duke of York, leased from the Crown Estate. It had been, for over 70 years, the private residence of The Queen Mother. Within the grounds is a small cottage, Y Bwthyn Bach, which was a gift to the then Princess Elizabeth in 1932 from the people of Wales.

(visible in the photo above, at the bottom, center.) Click HERE for our in-depth article about Royal Lodge! Bagshot Park Bagshot, Surrey Leased from the Crown Estate, Bagshot Park is the official residence of The Earl and Countess of Wessex. Click HERE for our in-depth article about Bagshot Park! Gatcombe Park Gloucestershire Gatcombe Park is the privately owned residence of The Princess Royal and her husband, Vice-Admiral Tim Laurence. Originally purchased by The Queen as a wedding gift for her daughter, the property was later expanded to include the neighboring Aston Farm. After divorcing, Princess Anne retained Gatcombe Park while her first husband, Mark Phillips, retained the Aston Farm estate where he still lives. Gatcombe Park is the site of several equestrian events througout the year. Kensington Palace London Kensington Palace, just west of Buckingham Palace is the London home of several members of the Royal Family. The newest residents are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who live at Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of the Palace, and Prince Harry who recently moved to a small apartment within the Palace.

Other residents are the Duke and Duchess of Kent, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. Recent former residents include Diana, Princess of Wales and The Princess Margaret. Formerly the official residence of the monarch, the last Sovereign to live here was George II. It was at Kensington Palace in 1837 that the young Princess Victoria learned that she had become Queen, at which point she moved to Buckingham Palace. It was announced in November 2011 that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will move from Nottingham Cottage to Apartment 1A (Princess Margaret’s former apartment) some time in 2013. It has been suggested that Prince Harry will move to Nottingham Cottage at that time. Scottish independence: What will happen to the Queen? - BBC News BBC News Scottish independence: What will happen to the Queen? By Esther Webber BBC News 11 September 2014 Close share panel Image copyright Getty Images Buckingham Palace has made it clear that the Queen does not wish to influence the Scottish referendum, saying it is "a matter for the people of Scotland". But would the Queen's role north of the border change if Scotland votes for independence?

The Royal Family's links with Scotland are well-known: Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire is one its most famous residences, bought for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert. The Queen spends a week every year at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Prince Charles went to boarding school in Scotland and is often seen sporting a kilt. The Royal Family also has Scottish titles - Prince Charles carries the title Duke of Rothesay, while the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are referred to as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn. Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond is keen to stress these associations, pointing out that the union of the crowns predates the union of the parliaments which he wishes to end. His government has always maintained that the Queen would still be "Queen of Scots" if the country votes "Yes" on 18 September. Earlier this week, he said the Queen "would be proud" to be the monarch of an independent Scotland. Image copyright AFP Image caption Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire However not everyone in the Yes camp agrees.

The Royal Family's future in Scotland has been questioned by pro-independence campaigners such as chair of the Yes Scotland campaign Dennis Canavan, who has said he personally favours a referendum on who should be the head of state. Buckingham Palace "The sovereign's constitutional impartiality is an established principle of our democracy and one which the Queen has demonstrated throughout her reign. "As such the monarch is above politics and those in political office have a duty to ensure that this remains the case. "Any suggestion that the Queen would wish to influence the outcome of the current referendum campaign is categorically wrong. "Her Majesty is firmly of the view that this is a matter for the people of Scotland." Monarch 'above politics' Palace says Members of the Radical Independence movement - a coalition of activists on the left - would also like to enable Scotland to become a republic if it wants to do so. Earlier this month, a YouGov poll suggested 54% of Scots favour keeping the monarchy if Scotland votes "Yes", compared with 39% who would like to see it scrapped. Among SNP voters this narrows to 46% compared with 39%, though the survey had a smaller sample size.

Although these figures indicate the monarchy still has more fans than it does detractors, in the UK as a whole support is higher, at 77%, and opposition is lower, at 17%, according to Ipsos MORI's latest survey . Even if Mr Salmond gets his preference and the Queen remains head of state in an independent Scotland, her role would be likely to change, according to director of UCL's Constitution Unit, Professor Robert Hazell. He says the Queen's duties would "depend on the role provided for head of state in Scotland's new written constitution". The Scottish government has specified that under independence, the people of Scotland would be sovereign, whereas at present sovereignty rests with the Crown in Parliament. Image copyright AFP There is also the question of funding. The White Paper says it would be "right for an independent Scotland to continue to contribute to the expenses of the monarchy through taxes" but precise arrangements would be decided in post-referendum negotiations. Holyrood Palace would presumably be under particular scrutiny here, since unlike Balmoral, it is partly funded by the public purse and its conservation is carried out by a Scottish government executive agency, Historic Scotland. Such a situation is not unprecedented.

The Queen's responsibilities in Scotland are "likely to be very similar to her role she fills in the Commonwealth realms of which she is head of state such as Australia and New Zealand", says Prof Hazell. In most Commonwealth countries, the Queen is regularly briefed through a governor-general who acts as her representative. So would a governor-general be introduced in Scotland? Constitutional historian Lord Hennessy told BBC Radio 4's The World at One the idea has not been floated because of Westminster's insistence on not making any contingency plans for Scottish independence. "I'd be very surprised if in any cupboard there was 'what do we do about HM Queen in the event of a Yes vote'," he says. How might Scotland's decision affect the rest of the UK? What would a "Yes or "No" vote mean for Wales and Cornwall , and how would a "Yes" vote affect Northern Ireland ? Royal Residences - British Monarchist League British Monarchist League Contact Royal Residences Throughout the centuries, Britain's kings and queens have built or bought palaces to serve as family homes, workplaces and as centres of government. Some of these are still being used today as official Royal residences and many can be visited by the general public.

The residences still standing today can be roughly divided into three categories: Official Royal residences which are held in trust for future generations. As well as being family homes for members of the Royal Family, these are also working buildings which are used for housing the offices of staff from the Royal Household, entertaining official guests and hosting formal events and ceremonies. The best-known of these residences are probably Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Private Estates are owned by The Queen and are often used to generate private income through farming or public access to Royal residences, they also house some well-known private residences such as Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House. Unoccupied Royal residences are all other buildings in Great Britain which once housed members of the Royal Family and are therefore of historical interest. These buildings are owned by numerous bodies and individuals and many are open to the general public. Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace - has served as the official London residence of Britain's sovereigns since 1837 and today is the administrative headquarters of the Monarch. Although in use for the many official events and receptions held by The Queen, the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace are open to visitors every year. Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms.

These include 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. In measurements, the building is 108 metres long across the front, 120 metres deep (including the central quadrangle) and 24 metres high. The Palace is very much a working building and the centrepiece of Britain's constitutional monarchy. It houses the offices of those who support the day-to-day activities and duties of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh and their immediate family. The Palace is also the venue for great Royal ceremonies, State Visits and Investitures, all of which are organised by the Royal Household. Although Buckingham Palace is furnished and decorated with priceless works of art that form part of the Royal Collection, one of the major art collections in the world today. It is not an art gallery and nor is it a museum. Its State Rooms form the nucleus of the working Palace and are used regularly by The Queen and members of the Royal Family for official and State entertaining. More than 50,000 people visit the Palace each year as guests to banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions and the Royal Garden Parties.

For those who do receive an invitation to Buckingham Palace, the first step across the threshold is into the Grand Hall and up the curving marble stairs of the Grand Staircase. Portraits are still set in the walls, as they were by Queen Victoria. The Throne Room, sometimes used during Queen Victoria's reign for Court gatherings and as a second dancing room, is dominated by a proscenium arch supported by a pair of winged figures of 'victory' holding garlands above the 'chairs of state'. It is in the Throne Room that The Queen, on very special occasions like Jubilees, receives loyal addresses. Another use of the Throne Room has been for formal wedding photographs. George IV's original palace lacked a large room in which to entertain. Queen Victoria rectified that shortcoming by adding in 1853-5 what was, at the time of its construction, the largest room in London. At 36.6m long, 18m wide and 13.5m high, the Ballroom is the largest multi-purpose room in Buckingham Palace. It was opened in 1856 with a ball to celebrate the end of the Crimean War.

It is along the East Gallery that The Queen and her State guests process to the Ballroom for the State Banquet normally held on the first day of the visit. Around 150 guests are invited and include members of the Royal Family, the government and other political leaders, High Commissioners and Ambassadors and prominent people who have trade or other associations with the visiting country. Today, it is used by The Queen for State banquets and other formal occasions such as the annual Diplomatic Reception attended by 1,500 guests. This is a very formal occasion during which The Queen will meet every head of mission accredited to the Court of St James's. For the diplomats it is perhaps the highlight of the annual diplomatic social calendar. The Ballroom has been used variously as a concert hall for memorial concerts and performances of the arts and it is the regular venue for Investitures of which there are usually 21 a year - nine in spring, two in the summer and ten in the autumn. At Investitures, The Queen (or The Prince of Wales as Her Majesty's representative) will meet recipients of British honours and give them their awards, including knighting those who have been awarded knighthoods.

From the Ballroom, the West Gallery, with its four Gobelin tapestries, leads into the first of the great rooms that overlook lawn and the formal gardens - setting for the annual Garden Parties introduced by Queen Victoria in 1868. The State Dining Room is one of the principal State Rooms on the West side of the Palace. Many distinguished people have dined in this room including the 24 holders of the Order of Merit as well as presidents and prime ministers. Before the Ballroom was added to the Palace in the 1850s, the first State Ball was held in the Blue Drawing Room in May 1838 as part of the celebrations leading up to Queen Victoria's Coronation. The Music Room was originally known as the Bow Drawing Room and is the centre of the suite of rooms on the Garden Front between the Blue and the White Drawing Rooms. Four Royal babies - The Prince of Wales, The Princess Royal, The Duke of York and Prince William - were all christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Music Room. One of its more formal uses is during a State Visit when guests are presented to The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and the visiting Head of State or for receptions.

The last of the suite of rooms overlooking the gardens on the principal floor is the White Drawing Room. Originally called the North Drawing Room, it is perhaps the grandest of all the State Rooms. The Room also serves as a Royal reception room for The Queen and members of the Royal Family to gather before State and official occasions. The Bow Room is familiar to the many thousands of guests to Royal Garden Parties who pass through it on their way to the garden. It was originally intended as a part of George IV's private apartments - to be the King's Library - but it was never fitted up as such. Instead, it has become another room for entertaining and is where The Queen holds the arrival lunch for a visiting Head of State at the start of a State visit. Windsor Castle Windsor Castle - is an official residence of The Queen and the largest occupied castle in the world. A Royal home and fortress for over 900 years, the Castle remains a working palace today. The Queen uses the Castle both as a private home, where she usually spends the weekend, and as a Royal residence at which she undertakes certain formal duties. Every year The Queen takes up official residence in Windsor Castle for a month over Easter (March-April), known as Easter Court.

During that time The Queen hosts occasional 'dine and sleeps' events for guests, including politicians and public figures. The Queen is also in residence for a week in June, when she attends the service of the Order of the Garter and the Royal Ascot race meeting. The Order of the Garter ceremony brings together members of the senior order of chivalry for a service in St George's Chapel. Beforehand, The Queen gives a lunch for the Knights of the Garter in the Castle's Waterloo Chamber. Any new Knights of the Garter are invested by The Queen in the Garter Throne Room. On the walls are portraits of monarchs in their Garter Robes, from George I to the present Queen, whose State portrait by Sir James Gunn was painted in 1954. Windsor Castle is often used by The Queen to host State Visits from overseas monarchs and presidents. Foreign Heads of State enter the Castle in horse-drawn carriages through the George IV Gateway into the quadrangle in the Upper Ward, where a military guard of honour is drawn up.

The traditional State Banquet is held in St George's Hall (55.5m long and 9m wide), with a table seating up to 160 guests. Recent State visits held at Windsor Castle include those of President and Mrs. Mbeki of South Africa (2001), and King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan (2001), as well as a special visit by President and Madame Chirac of France to mark the centenary of the Entente Cordiale (2004). St George's Chapel remains an active centre for worship, with daily services open to all. The Chapel is a Royal Peculiar, that is, a chapel which is not subject to a bishop or archbishop but which owes its allegiance directly to the Sovereign. The Chapel, together with the remainder of the College of St George (a school for 400 children and St George's House, a consultation centre), is governed by the Dean and Canons of Windsor, who, with their officers and staff, are independent of the Royal Household. Many Royal weddings have been celebrated in St George's Chapel, most recently that of Prince Edward and Miss Sophie Rhys-Jones in June 1999.

In 2005 a service of dedication and prayer was held in the Chapel following the marriage of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. Funerals such as those of Princess Margaret and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, have also taken place there. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother lies buried in the Chapel with her husband, King George VI, and Princess Margaret, her younger daughter. Various departments of the Royal Household are based at Windsor Castle. The ancient Round Tower houses the Royal Archives and the Royal Photograph Collection. The Print Room and Royal Library house precious drawings, prints, manuscripts and books in the Royal Collection. These are shown in a programme of changing exhibitions in the Castle's Drawings Gallery. Those who live and work within the Castle include the titular head of the Castle community, the Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle; the Dean of Windsor, Canons and other staff who run the College of St George; the Military Knights of Windsor; the Superintendent of Windsor Castle and his staff, who are responsible for day-to-day administration; the Housekeeper and her staff; and soldiers who mount a permanent military guard in the Castle. Windsor Castle is also a busy visitor attraction.

Many parts of the Castle are open to the public, including the precincts, the State Apartments, Queen Mary's famous dolls' house, St George's Chapel, and the Albert Memorial Chapel. When The Queen is in official residence, Changing the Guard provides a colourful spectacle in the quadrangle. Palace of HolyroodHouse Palace of Holyroodhouse - Founded as a monastery in 1128, the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh is The Queen's official residence in Scotland. Situated at the end of the Royal Mile, the Palace of Holyroodhouse is closely associated with Scotland's turbulent past, including Mary, Queen of Scots, who lived here between 1561 and 1567. Successive kings and queens have made the Palace of Holyroodhouse the premier royal residence in Scotland. Today, the Palace is the setting for State ceremonies and official entertaining. During The Queen's Holyrood week, which usually runs from the end of June to the beginning of July, Her Majesty carries out a wide range of official engagements in Scotland.

The Investiture held in the Great Gallery is for Scottish residents whose achievements have been recognised in the twice-yearly Honours List which appears at New Year and on The Queen's Official Birthday in June. King George V and Queen Mary held the first garden party in the grounds of Holyroodhouse and the tradition has been maintained to the present day. Each year, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh entertain around 8,000 guests from all walks of Scottish life during Holyrood week. St James's Palace St. James's Palace is the senior Palace of the Sovereign, with a long history as a Royal residence. As the home of several members of the Royal Family and their household offices, it is often in use for official functions and is not open to the public. St. James's Palace is one of London's oldest palaces. It is situated in Pall Mall, just north of St James's Park. Although no sovereign has resided there for almost two centuries, it has remained the official residence of the Sovereign and the most senior royal palace in the UK. For this reason it gives its name to the Royal Court (the "Court of St James's").

St James's Palace is still a working palace, and the Royal Court is still formally based there – foreign ambassadors are still accredited to the Court of St James's, even though they are received by the monarch at Buckingham Palace. It is also the London residence of the Princess Royal and Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy. The Palace forms part of a sprawling complex of buildings housing Court offices and officials' apartments. The complex includes York House, the former home of the Prince of Wales and his sons, Princes William and Harry, Lancaster House, which is used by HM Government for official receptions, as well as the nearby Clarence House, the home of the late Queen Mother and now the residence of the Prince of Wales. The Queen's Chapel, built by Inigo Jones, adjoins St James's Palace. While the Chapel is open to the public at selected times, the palace is not accessible to the public. St James's Palace is one of the four buildings in London where guards from the Household Division can be seen (the other three are Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Horse Guards).

Since the beginning of the 2000s, the Royal Philatelic Collection has been housed at St James's Palace, after spending the entire 20th century at Buckingham Palace. From October 2008 onwards, and officially from 6 January 2009, the staff of Princes William and Harry moved into their own rooms in St James's Palace and began reporting directly to the royal princes for the first time. Until recently the brothers' duties were looked after by Prince Charles's office at Clarence House. Clarence House Clarence House which stands beside St James's Palace, was built between 1825 and 1827 to the designs of John Nash for Prince William Henry, Duke of Clarence. He lived there as King William IV from 1830 until 1837. During its history, the house has been altered, reflecting the changes in occupancy over nearly two centuries. It was the London home of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother from 1953 until 2002 and was also the home of The Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, and The Duke of Edinburgh following their marriage in 1947.

Today Clarence House is the official London residence of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, and Princes William and Harry. It is open to the public during the summer months each year. Balmoral Castle Balmoral Castle on the Balmoral Estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland is the private residence of The Queen. Beloved by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Balmoral Castle has remained a favourite residence for The Queen and her family during the summer holiday period in August and September. The Castle is located on the large Balmoral Estate, a working estate which aims to protect the environment while contributing to the local economy. The Estate grounds, gardens and the Castle Ballroom are open to visitors from the beginning of April to the end of July each year, under the management of the Balmoral Estate Office. Sandringham House Sandringham House in Norfolk has been the private home of four generations of Sovereigns since 1862. The Queen and other members of the Royal Family regularly spend Christmas at Sandringham and make it their official base until February each year. Like Balmoral, the Sandringham Estate is a commercial estate managed privately on The Queen's behalf.

Kensington Palace Kensington Palace in London is a working Royal residence. Of great historical importance, Kensington Palace was the favourite residence of successive sovereigns until 1760. It was also the birthplace and childhood home of Queen Victoria. Today Kensington Palace accommodates the offices and private apartments of a number of members of the Royal Family. Although managed by Historic Royal Palaces, the Palace is furnished with items from the Royal Collection. British Monarchist League Ltd © 2014. ✕

Question: What is the British monarch’s official Scottish residence?
Answer: Holyrood House