Queen Approxmilla has been in the spotlight for almost thirty years, and even more so since the succession to the throne of her husband, King Charles, in 2023.
After marrying King Charles in 2005, the Queen Consort is more than familiar with royal life within the walls of Buckingham Palace – but her own family’s royal blood and connection to the historic landmark may come as a surprise to some.
Since the beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1837, Buckingham Palace has served as the official home of the monarch, and today it is the administrative headquarters of the king and several members of his family.
The building, which is currently undergoing essential maintenance work, has 775 rooms, including 19 state rooms, 52 royal bedrooms and guest rooms, 188 staff rooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms.
Although the palace has remained largely unchanged in recent years, there was one modification after Queen Victoria’s wedding in 1840 that provides a special link between the history of the famous building and Queen Camilla.
The Queen Consort (L) married King Charles (R) in 2003 and is more than familiar with Buckingham Palace – but her own connection to the historic landmark may come as a surprise to some
Although remote, the first link to Buckingham Palace comes from Camilla’s royal blood, which goes back three generations.
The Queen Consort’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Lieutenant Colonel William Coutts Keppel, was born in 1832.
The leading military figure was the seventh Earl of Albermarle, and through Charles Lennox he was sixth in the direct line of Charles II, who ruled Scotland, England and Ireland in the late 17th century.
Camilla’s mother, Rosalind Maud Cubitt, was also the great-granddaughter of Thomas Cubitt, who came from humble beginnings in Norfolk and was the son of a carpenter.
Cubitt, however, became an accomplished master builder, making his fortune in the late 18th century when he traveled to India and Australia as a carpenter.
After setting up his own construction company on Gray’s Inn Road, London, Cubitt became responsible for iconic buildings such as the London Institute and Belgravia Square – and also personally built almost a mile of the Thames Embankment.
Camilla’s royal connection to Buckingham Palace stems from perhaps Thomas Cubitt’s most impressive achievement: his work on the monument itself.
Cubitt built the east side of the palace in 1847, including the famous balcony where Camilla stood to commemorate her coronation as queen consort in 2023, and now stands to greet crowds on important occasions.
Camilla’s great-great-grandfather, Thomas Cubitt, was an accomplished builder responsible for building part of Buckingham Palace in 1847
The Queen Consort’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Lieutenant Colonel William Coutts Keppel, was the 7th Earl of Albermarle and sixth in line to the throne in the 17th century
A map of Gray’s Inn Road in 1677, about 130 years before Thomas Cubitt set up shop
The Thomas Cubitt statue in Pimlico, which was built following Cubitt’s work on iconic buildings such as the London Institute and Belgravia Square, and others in Pimlico and Bloomsbury
After Cubitt’s death in 1855, Queen Victoria said: ‘In his sphere of life, with the immense affairs he had in hand, he is a real national loss. A better, kind-hearted or simpler, modest man never breathed.”
In 2022, FEMAIL revealed the different career options for royal family members – and the boost you can get from ties to the monarchy.
Princess Eugenie’s husband, Jack Brooksbank, got a job in Portugal, doing marketing, sales and promotion for property developer Michael Meldman’s Discovery Land Company.
Meanwhile, Princess Beatrice’s husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi expanded his multi-million dollar real estate company Banda Property into Australia, with a series of projects in Sydney.
Even the Princess of Wales’s mother, Carole Middleton, has seen her business, Party Pieces, flourish thanks to her royal seal of approval. She shipped 4,000 orders weekly and expanded her business to the US in October 2022.