King Charles’ post-split modest home with private access to Princess Anne’s residence

King Charles and Queen Camilla have called Clarence House in London home for over two decades, but the monarch has lived in several other royal residences.

Before marrying his second wife, Charles and his first wife, Princess Diana, spent time at Kensington Palace and Highgrove House with their two children, Prince William and Prince Harry.

After the former royal couple split in 1992 following 11 years of marriage, the then-Prince moved into a different London residence near other members of the royal family, including his sister Princess Anne.

While Anne’s main residence is Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire, she has a second apartment at St James’s Palace where she stays for royal engagements in the city.

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When she was staying at the property in the 90s, she could be a pillar of support to Charles, who resided in York House on the private palace grounds with his sons.

William and Harry would have also enjoyed the privacy and proximity to their aunt when they were home from boarding school, especially following the death of their mother in a car accident in France in 1997.

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Built for Prince Frederick of Wales on his marriage in 1736, the historic wing of the palace is thought to include low-pitched rooms on the ground floor, several drawing rooms on the first floor, and the servants’ rooms on the top floor.

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The family of three lived in the five-bedroom property until 2002, when Prince William went to St Andrews University and Charles inherited nearby Clarence House, where he now lives with the Queen.

St James’s Palace

St James’s Palace was also previously home to Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, who shared an apartment there before marrying their respective husbands, Jack Brooksbank and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

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Meanwhile, Anne has maintained her residence at the London palace. While Charles may have moved out of the main building, it continues to hold a special significance to him since it is where the Garter King of Arms publicly proclaimed his accession on 10 September 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The monarch recently opened the doors to St James’s Palace to members of the public, with tours including the room where the King was formally proclaimed as monarch.

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It is also where the Prince and Princess of Wales officially announced their engagement in 2010, and where their sons Prince George and Prince Louis were christened in the Chapel Royal in 2013 and 2018.

Charles’ house move

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It is unclear if King Charles and Queen Camilla will keep Clarence House as their main base forever. They had planned to move into Buckingham Palace in 2027, following the completion of extensive ten-year renovations that cost a whopping £369 million to futureproof the palace. 

The annual Sovereign Grant report explained that the couple will not move in until works on their private apartments in the Palace’s North Wing are completed. However, there are now reports that they may not relocate after all.