Charles to stay at Clarence House, not Buckingham Palace

King Charles III will stay at Clarence House rather than move into Buckingham Palace, even as the taxpayer-backed refurbishment of the 775-room royal residence continues at a projected cost of £369 million, about $487 million. The decision leaves Britain’s most famous palace as the monarchy’s ceremonial and operational center, but not the king’s home.

The announcement came during a royal-finance briefing on June 25, 2026, the same day Charles became the first British monarch to disclose his personal tax details. That pairing put the finances of monarchy and money under the same spotlight: public funding for palace repairs on one side, private tax transparency on the other. Queen Camilla will remain with him at Clarence House, reinforcing a living arrangement Charles has kept for years rather than moving into the newly refurbished palace.

Buckingham Palace has served as the monarch’s principal London residence since Queen Victoria became sovereign in 1837. It was also the Queen’s primary residence from 1953 until the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020. The reservicing program began in 2017 and is expected to finish next year, with work centered on replacing aging electrical wiring, pipes and heating systems that have gone unrepaired for decades.

The size of the bill has long raised questions about how the monarchy is financed. The Sovereign Grant, which helps pay for official royal duties and palace maintenance, is partly tied to Crown Estate profits and funded by taxpayers in exchange for the sovereign’s surrender of Crown Estate revenue. BBC reporting in 2016 said the grant would rise by 66 percent to cover the refurbishment, after officials warned that delaying the work could risk catastrophic building failure.

Royal officials say the upgraded palace is intended to increase public access to the historic building, a point likely to matter as Charles opts for continuity at Clarence House instead of a move into the restored palace. Buckingham Palace will still host state functions and receive foreign dignitaries, but the split between where the monarchy works and where its sovereign sleeps may deepen public skepticism about whether the institution’s costly repairs deliver enough value in return.