Charles and – Buckingham Palace’s $487 million refurbishment is set to finish next spring, but King Charles III and Queen Camilla say they won’t move in. They will remain at Clarence House, where they have lived together since their 2005 marriage, as the palace is kept as a
Buckingham Palace is set for a costly transformation, yet King Charles III and Queen Camilla are drawing a line at one outcome: living there.
The London landmark has been undergoing a 10-year refurbishment plan costing around $487 million (£370 million). The palace says the work will be completed next spring. but the monarch and the queen will not relocate when the upgrades are finished. In a press release dated June 26. the palace said Charles and Camilla will continue living at nearby Clarence House. where they have lived together since they married in 2005.
“The King and Queen will not make Buckingham Palace a personal residence. reflecting Their Majesties’ wishes that the Palace remains the ceremonial centre of Royal life. the primary workplace of the Royal Household and a national heritage asset with increased opportunities for public access. ” the statement said.
That decision has already fed a furious domestic debate. On Friday morning, the king’s refusal to move into the palace dominated front pages. The Daily Express ran “A palace not fit for a king!” The Daily Mirror said “Big bucks for an empty home. ” and the Daily Telegraph splashed “King will never live at the palace.”.
The refurbishment effort is being funded by taxpayers and began in April 2017. The palace plans to replace aging cabling, plumbing and heating—some of it last updated in the 1950s. Water tanks. boilers and pipework are among the items being swapped out. as well as electrical infrastructure the palace says is urgent to protect the building and its contents.
On the official royal website. the palace described the building’s infrastructure as being in “urgent need of a complete overhaul” to prevent long-term damage. It also pointed to “potentially dangerous electrical cabling. ” saying cabling with Vulcanized Indian Rubber installed in the 1940s would be replaced due to fire concerns.
The palace previously said the upgrades will reduce Buckingham Palace’s carbon footprint by 40% over time. It also reiterated that the building will continue to serve as the monarchy’s administrative headquarters.
Age and logistics have become part of the public conversation, too. The BBC reported Friday that Charles, 77, and Camilla, 78, may be avoiding the “upheaval” of relocating with their staff to the palace next year.
James Chalmers, who manages royal finances, said Buckingham Palace will keep its core role. He said the palace “will continue to be both the ceremonial and operational centre of Royal life” and that it would remain “the Crown Jewel of our national buildings.”
Chalmers added that it will also remain the “primary workplace of the Royal Household,” providing “a modern working environment fit for the world of today and for the future.” He said sustainability would be embedded across operations, “in line with His Majesty’s leadership.”
Buckingham Palace’s place in royal life stretches back much further than the current renovation. It has served as the official residence of the British sovereign since 1837. when Queen Victoria used the landmark to grow her family with husband Prince Albert. Victoria used the palace for entertainment and official business. and Queen Elizabeth II grew up there before being moved to Windsor Castle during World War II for safety.
After becoming queen. Elizabeth spent much of her reign at Buckingham Palace. living in the private apartments on the north side of the landmark. while often spending summers at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. During the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, she and Prince Philip relocated to Windsor Castle. Philip died at the age of 99 in April 2021. Elizabeth died in September 2022 at Balmoral, ending her 70-year reign.
With the palace set to be without a sovereign living inside its walls. the renovation could still change what visitors experience. The palace is open to the public during the summer months and for a limited number of guided tours throughout the year. Between 2024 and 2045, 683,000 people visited Buckingham Palace, according to the Royal Collection Trust.
The building is also used for events including garden parties, state banquets and national celebrations. Tourists regularly gather for the traditional Changing the Guard ceremony, which was cancelled this week in a rare move amid a punishing heatwave sweeping Britain and Europe.
And so. even as the palace prepares for a next-spring glow-up. the most dramatic upgrade is not who will sleep behind its walls—it’s how the monarchy plans to keep Buckingham Palace as a public-facing ceremonial centre and the workplace of the Royal Household. while Charles and Camilla stay put at Clarence House.
Buckingham Palace refurbishment King Charles Queen Camilla Clarence House 10-year refurbishment plan royal finances UK public access sustainability carbon footprint Royal Collection Trust Changing the Guard