King Charles will not live at Buckingham Palace after refit

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will not move into Buckingham Palace after its 10-year reservicing programme ends, keeping Clarence House, their London base since 2003, as their London home instead. The choice leaves the palace as the monarchy’s ceremonial and operational center, but not the king’s private residence, breaking a nearly two-century pattern in which Buckingham Palace served as the sovereign’s primary London home.

In 2017, the Royal Household began replacing or modernizing plumbing, pipes, wiring and heating systems in the Grade I listed building. Some of the infrastructure dated to the 1940s and 1950s. The National Audit Office found the palace remained operational throughout the work and the £369 million programme was being managed well so far, despite the scale of the project and limited remaining contingency.

The Royal Household’s 2024-25 Sovereign Grant Report set the total grant at £86.3 million, including £34.5 million earmarked for the Buckingham Palace Reservicing Programme. Almost 9 miles of permanent electrical cabling and more than 12 miles of permanent mechanical pipework had been installed, along with new lifts and accessible lavatories. Buckingham Palace’s Summer Opening and East Wing tours drew 10,735 visitors.

More than 93,000 guests attended 828 events at official royal palaces during the year. Clarence House has been Charles and Camilla’s London base since 2003, and that arrangement will continue after the refit.

Charles paid £12.9 million, or $17.04 million, in tax in 2024-25, the first time that figure has been made public.