King Charles will be in a “perpetual job” if he chooses to split his time between his more than a dozen royal residences, from London to Transylvania, a royal historian claims.
It has been common knowledge for some time now that the newly crowned monarch does not want to move to Buckingham Palace, preferring instead to stay in his current home, Clarence House, during his reign.
The preferences of the ‘frugal’ king will probably also affect the use of Balmoral.
Royal biographers have now suggested the King could use the current renovations at Buckingham Palace as an excuse not to move into what is the most famous royal residence in the world.
Instead, it has been suggested that the 775-room palace in Westminster, London, which the late Queen Elizabeth called home during her reign, could be opened to the public all year round.
King Charles will be in a ‘perpetual job’ if he chooses to divide his time between his more than a dozen royal residences, from London to Transylvania
Royal biographers have now suggested that the King may even be using the current renovations taking place at Buckingham Palace as an excuse not to move into what is the most famous royal residence in the world
Royal historian Hugo Vickers, who claimed that if he tried to divide his time between the numerous castles and stately homes across the country, the king would be on the move forever.
“I think you will find that he will stay at Clarence House, which even Queen Elizabeth wanted to do, but Winston Churchill forced her to go to Buckingham Palace.”
Royal pundit Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, also told The Times: ‘He may have to move to Buckingham Palace eventually, but I don’t think he wants to.
Buckingham Palace is so big and impersonal and red, with red carpets and curtains. It’s not his style. He may decide that it should be available to the public all year round.’
The stately home could be opened up as a ‘gallery’ or ‘presidential guest house’ under King Charles’ plans to move into another royal residence.
Others argued that Buckingham Palace is considered ‘unfit’ for modern life by King Charles, who would prefer to reside in Clarence House during his reign.
It comes amid King Charles’ plans to create a “stripped-down” monarchy that is less expensive and has fewer working royals.
But the palace, which has 19 state rooms, 240 bedrooms, 78 bathrooms and 92 offices, could instead open as an art gallery to showcase “one of the world’s largest private art collections.”
The King’s preference for smaller stately homes could also affect Balmoral (pictured), where the late Queen felt most at home
The king is still expected to spend his summers at Castle of Mey in Scotland’s Caithness (pictured)
It could also be used as ‘Monarchy HQ’ and official guest house where people could stay on ‘state visits’.
Traditionally, the state rooms and gardens are open to the public for only ten weeks a year, from July to October when the late Queen was at Balmoral.
The private art collection includes work by Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian and Vermeer, among others.
And the palace is six years into a ten-year, £369 million taxpayer-funded renovation.
A source close to the king told the Sunday Times: ‘He likes Clarence House, is rather frugal and wouldn’t want to bring in an interior designer to redo Buckingham Palace for him.
“People who come to Britain for state visits expect to stay in Buckingham Palace so that it can become a gallery and a guest house for presidents.”
The source added: ‘The Royal Collection is one of the world’s largest private art collections and it would be a fantastic way to showcase it more widely.’
The private art collection includes work by Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian and Vermeer, among others.
The King’s preference for smaller stately homes may also affect Balmoral, where the late Queen felt most at home.
During his time on the sprawling Scottish estate, Charles often chose to stay in Birkhall – a smaller eight bedroom.
Another source told The Times: ‘He absolutely loves Birkhall. I’d be surprised if he gave up on that.
“I think it’s much more likely they’ll stay in Balmoral when there are Prime Ministers’ visits, but treat it like an office.”
The King is still expected to spend his summers at the Castle of Mey in Caithness, Scotland.
A source close to the king told the Sunday Times: ‘He likes it in Clarence House (pictured), is quite frugal and wouldn’t want to bring in an interior designer to redo Buckingham Palace for him’
The private art collection includes work by Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian and Vermeer, among others
Traditionally, the state rooms and gardens are open to the public for only ten weeks a year, from July to October. Pictured: The Palace Ballroom, used for state banquets
The palace is six years into a ten-year, £369 million taxpayer-funded renovation. In the photo: the white lounge
The building needs an “urgent overhaul” to avoid the risk of fire, flood and damage because the electrics, plumbing and heating have not been updated since the 1950s, ministers said.
In 2020, a two-minute video shared on the royal family’s Instagram account showed 19th-century wallpaper being carefully removed ‘piece by piece’ from the yellow drawing room as part of work on the east wing.
The wallpaper was ‘preserved and preserved’ by experts before being re-hung in the beautiful reception room at the front of the palace.
In the video, wallpaper curator Allyson McDermott explains, “We are removing the beautiful wallpaper, 19th century Chinese wallpaper, bit by bit. We then bring it back to our studios to preserve and preserve it for the future.
She continued, “This is the perfect time. The paper needs urgent maintenance. It’s very acidic, very fragile. It’s a wonderful opportunity to do that while all the work is being done around the palace.’
The building needs an ‘urgent overhaul’ to prevent the risk of fire, flooding and damage from the electricity. In the photo: the yellow drawing room of Buckingham Palace