The Members of the Royal Family
One of the most well-known monarchs in British royalty was Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled the United Kingdom for a whopping 70 years. Pictured are several of her immediate family members, like her son, now King Charles III.
Also shown are Prince William, his wife Kate, their three children, Prince Harry and his wife Megan, and various other cousins and siblings. The current British royal family is nothing if not vast!
The Famous Buckingham Palace
Perhaps the most famous palace owned by the royals is Buckingham Palace. Built in 1703 and located in Westminster, it’s a common stop on any tour of London and it acts as the administrative headquarters. It’s actually the 14th largest palace in the world!
Queen Victoria was the first monarch to ever actually live at Buckingham Palace, and she was also the first royal family member to do the famous “balcony wave,” which has since become a royal tradition.
Official Residence of the Royal Family
Even though the palace is enormous, no one lives there except the British monarch and their immediate family, meaning it was home to Queen Elizabeth II and is now home to King Charles. It’s actually considered the official residence of the British Monarch.
If you’ve ever worried about your home being small, you may not want to read this bit — Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms, 52 of which are royal and guest bedrooms, and 78 of which are bathrooms! At least no royal family member will ever have to wait to use the “loo.”
The Glamorous Kensington Palace
Anyone who is a big fan of William, Harry, and Diana is probably familiar with Kensington Palace. It’s also known for being where Queen Victoria first laid eyes on Prince Albert, being home to a great love story.
The beautiful building was also home to tons of glamorous, incredible parties thrown by Princess Margaret. Anyone could see why — between such gorgeous gardens outside and stunning décor inside, who wouldn’t want to attend a party there?
The Sizeable Sandringham House
In 1952, the former queen, Elizabeth II inherited Sandringham House, an absolutely massive property at 19,000 acres. The royal family has owned the property since 1862 when it was bought by the man who would become King Edward VII.
The house has four important rooms — the Saloon, which is used as the main reception room; the Ballroom, which acts as the main family room; the Dining Room, with many gorgeous tapestries; and the Drawing room, where visitors would go after dinners.
William and Kate’s Anmer Hall
On the Sandringham House property is Anmer Hall, which is the country home of the former Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, more affectionately known as William and Kate. Most royal family members have both a London residence and a country home.
Anmer Hall is thought to have 10 bedrooms, so theoretically, each of William and Kate’s children could have two bedrooms just because they want to! That much space probably isn’t needed, though, with such sprawling gardens to play in.
The Sprawling Barnwell Manor
This property may look like something straight out of Downton Abbey, but in reality, it’s yet another property owned by a member of the royal family. Barnwell Manor was bought by Prince Henry, the Duke of Gloucester at the time, in 1938.
Before that, it was owned by the Montagus as a gift from King Henry VII way back in 1540. These aren’t the Romeo and Juliet Montagues, though, despite Shakespeare living around the same time!
Not Royal for Much Longer
The manor now belongs to the current Duke of Gloucester, Prince Richard. But while it was his childhood home, he and his family no longer live on the property, having relocated to Kensington Palace in 1995.
In fact, it may not be under their ownership for much longer, as they put it up for sale in October 2022 after Queen Elizabeth II’s passing! As far as we know, the manor has yet to be sold, probably because most people can’t afford it.
Thatched House Lodge
The unique thing about Thatched House Lodge is that it was originally two homes, not one! There were two houses built in 1673, but then were merged into one in 1771 and renamed.
If you look at this picture, it kind of makes sense. The parts with the window shutters look like the start of two separate identical buildings. What we want to know is why the rest of the windows don’t have shutters!
The Home of Princess Alexandra
Thatched House Lodge is currently inhabited by Princess Alexandra, also known as The Honourable Lady Ogilvy. She’s the cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and has hosted many events in support of the royal family throughout the years.
A fun fact about her is that Princess Alexandra was the first British princess to go to an ordinary school, making her just like the rest of us (despite the fact that her home has six bedrooms and six reception rooms!).
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Whether you’re British or not, odds are you know something about the British royal family. They’re worldwide public icons, and part of being royalty is owning lots of gorgeous homes and palaces, many of which held great historical significance in the past. From Kensington Palace to Clarence House, here’s a compilation featuring every royal palace that the British family owns.