King and Queen quit Buckingham Palace despite £369,000,000 facelift

King Charles won’t move back to Buckingham Palace once the almost £370million worth of refurbishment work has been finished.

The 10-year renovation plan might be drawing to a close, but the King and Queen Camilla will not return to the historic home as their official residence.

The palace will remain ‘monarchy HQ’ but Charles has decided that Clarence House will be his official London

‘His Majesty retains huge affection for Buckingham Palace and a deep respect for its role in royal and public life,’ said a palace spokesperson. ‘It will be a buzzing hive of royal activity in every other way’.

The decision has been taken partly to increase public access to the London landmark, which remains incredibly popular with visitors.

Naturally, when the King is in residence, security must limit the number of visitors and areas they are allowed to view.

James Chalmers, Keeper of the Privy Purse, said: ‘I can update you that after careful consideration, and to greatly increase opportunities for public access, the King and Queen have decided not to adopt Buckingham Palace as a personal residence and will instead continue to use Clarence House as their London home.

‘Their Majesties will, however, have access to private rooms within the palace where they can retire during the course of a working day, and which could be utilized as potential residential accommodation in times ahead.’

The iconic London building has been undergoing a 10-year refurbishment project replacing boilers, electrical cables and pipes costing £369 million to reduce the fire and flood risk, which is due to be completed next March.

The tradition of using Buckingham Palace as the official royal seat was started by Queen Victoria in 1837.

After her marriage to Prince Albert, she transformed the grounds to accommodate their growing family, entertain guests, and work in an official capacity.

Mr Chalmers added: ‘This is both a change from the past and a recognition of the future. Let me be clear, however, that in all other ways Buckingham Palace will continue to be both the ceremonial and operational center of royal life.

‘It is and will remain Monarchy HQ, the crown jewel of our national buildings, with the sovereign’s standard flying proudly from the roof whenever His Majesty is in London, just as it has done since accession.’

Charles has lived at Clarence House, the former home of the Queen Mother, since 2003 and will continue to host a range of events at the palace from garden parties to receptions and hold audiences with new ambassadors.

It was widely assumed that Charles and Camilla would move in as it was closely associated with his mother, the late Queen. Her apartment will be made available to the royals during the day, once the work is finished.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: ‘It will remain a working home but we are seeking to widen public access precisely to maximise the national benefit of a publicly funded building.’

It’s been six years since Queen Elizabeth II last stayed overnight at the palace, releasing a message to the nation a few days before the first Covid lockdown was announced.

She wrote: ‘At times such as these, I am reminded that our nation’s history has been forged by people and communities coming together to work as one, concentrating our combined efforts with a focus on the common goal.’

The note had been written at Windsor Castle, where the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh spent much of the lockdown, being looked after by a reduced number of staff dubbed HMS Bubble.

There has been speculation that Prince William, who has recently moved his family to Forest Lodge in Windsor, will not live at Buckingham Palace when he is King.

Charles’ decision not to move into the palace has left some campaigners frustrated, given the expense of the refurbishments.

Graham Smith, chief executive officer of Republic, which campaigns for an elected head of state, said: ‘Despite ongoing concerns about the huge cost of the royals, the grant will remain hugely inflated on its initial level of £31 million in 2012.

‘If that had risen by inflation the grant would stand at £45 million, not £100 million. The government agreed to spent £369 million on refurbishing Buckingham Palace, and now Charles doesn’t want to use it.

‘But he’ll keep it under lock and key for when he does. Clearly, the palace needs to be fully open to the public all year round.’

Between 2024 and 2025, over 683,000 visitors strolled through Buckingham Palace, despite reduced days and parts of the palace being shut.

An estimated 2.3million visitors are believed to have visited the royal estates and exhibitions, generating over £90million in ticket sales, a net profit of around £14million.

A string of royal accounts were published on Thursday, including the first-ever tax bill from a monarch, which was £12.9 million for 2024-25, putting him among the country’s top 100 taxpayers that financial year.

The year before this was £11.7 million, with more than £30 million in total paid in tax by Charles since becoming King in 2022.

Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales released his tax details for the first time, paying £7.76 million in income and capital gains tax in 2024-25, and £8.34 million in 2023-24.

The Sovereign Grant, which funds Charles’s official duties and the work of his household, increased by £45.8 million to £132.1 million in 2025-26.

The grant has a core element covering the cost of things such as travel, property maintenance and payroll and this has almost doubled in three years, increasing from £51.8 million in 2024-25 to £99.9 million in 2027-28.