Where does the royal family live? A look inside the royal residences from Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle to Forest Lodge

Discover where the British royal family lives, from Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle to Balmoral and Forest Lodge, the new Windsor home of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

By House & Garden

10 October 2025

Where does the royal family live? Anglophiles around the world have long watched royal ceremonies at Windsor Castle and the comings and goings at Buckingham Palace, but the question of where the monarch and the rest of the family truly reside remains endlessly fascinating. Unsurprisingly, their abodes are quite luxurious, and many members of the clan have more than one palatial residence that they call home. Some of these homes are steeped in centuries of history, with walls that have witnessed coronations, weddings, and the quiet moments of family life, while others are more intimate, tucked away within the vast Royal Estates and only occasionally glimpsed by the public eye.

From lesser-known private houses to the most famous of Crown-owned castles, his guide explores their most historic and distinctive homes — from Buckingham Palace and Balmoral to Frogmore Cottage and Forest Lodge, the Prince and Princess of Wales' new residence in Windsor. Each of these properties carries with it not only architectural grandeur but also a story of tradition, heritage, and quiet domesticity, offering a rare glimpse into royal life behind closed doors.
In this guide, we’ve gathered together the most iconic and intimate royal residences — an extraordinary collection of houses, palaces, and castles that remain as lived-in as they are steeped in history.

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Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, is the official home of the monarch and the administrative headquarters of the British royal family. The palace grew from an early-18th‑century townhouse, was expanded by John Nash and later remodelled by Edward Blore and Sir Aston Webb, and today contains some 775 rooms used for state occasions, official entertaining and private apartments.
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Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world, having served as a residence for English monarchs for over 1,000 years. It was among the late Queen Elizabeth II’s most cherished homes, where she spent the majority of her private weekends and held her annual “Easter Court” each spring, as well as a week of residence every June.
Since his accession, King Charles III has also spent increasing time at Windsor, though his preferred country home remains Highgrove in Gloucestershire. Windsor Castle, however, continues to serve as an official royal residence and venue for major state occasions, such as the September state visit of Donald and Melania Trump.The wider Windsor Estate spans roughly 15,800 acres and encompasses several other royal homes: Adelaide Cottage, where the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children have lived since 2022; Forest Lodge, a Georgian residence currently being renovated as their future home; Frogmore Cottage, once occupied by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Royal Lodge, the residence of Prince Andrew, and Forest Lodge, Prince William and Kate Middelton's new residence.
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Balmoral
Balmoral Castle, located in Aberdeenshire, is the royal family’s traditional holiday retreat and was the late Queen Elizabeth II’s most cherished residence in Scotland. The estate was purchased for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852, after the couple fell in love with the surrounding countryside. Since then, Balmoral has been passed down through successive generations of the royal family. Spanning around 50,000 acres, the estate is almost a self-contained ecosystem, with mountains, forests, valleys, farmland, lochs, grouse moors, and manicured gardens shaping its landscape. It is also home to some 150 buildings, including King Charles III’s residence at Birkhall, Craigowan Lodge, and several smaller cottages—one of which is said to serve as a private hideaway for the Prince and Princess of Wales.
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Forest Lodge
It was recently announced that Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, will be relocating from their current residence, Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor Castle estate, to Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park, together with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. The move has drawn mixed reactions from local residents, particularly following the introduction of a 2.3-mile, 150-acre security exclusion zone around the property.
The transition, expected to be completed by Christmas, is seen as offering the family a welcome fresh start. During their time at Adelaide Cottage, Catherine received her cancer diagnosis and underwent intensive treatment - making the move to new surroundings an understandably positive change for the Wales family. Reports suggest that Forest Lodge is intended to become their permanent home, remaining so even when William accedes to the throne.

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Frogmore Cottage
Frogmore Cottage was given as a wedding gift by Queen Elizabeth II to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Once a set of five separate units, the property was transformed into a single home through a £2.4 million renovation. Dating back to the 1800s, the renovated residence now includes ten bedrooms, a nursery, a gym, and a yoga studio. Although the building work was covered by public funds, the Sussexes furnished and decorated the interior at their own expense. While waiting for the project to be finished, they are said to have rented a house on the Great Tew Estate in the Cotswolds.
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Clarence House
Clarence House has served as the London home of King Charles III and Queen Camilla for over two decades. They moved in during 2003 and are expected to remain there until the ongoing renovations at Buckingham Palace are completed. Situated next to St James’s Palace and within walking distance of Buckingham Palace, Clarence House was built between 1825 and 1827 and has been residence to several generations of the royal family. Prince William lived there from 2003 until his marriage in 2011, while Prince Harry resided there from 2003 until 2012. The house also functioned for many years as the official office of the then Prince of Wales. Prior to Charles and Camilla, Clarence House was the much-loved home of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, who lived there from 1953 until her death in 2002.
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Highgrove House
King Charles III may now have the grandeur of Buckingham Palace to call home, but his heart has always seemed to be in the countryside, where he has a Scottish estate, Birkhall, a Welsh farmhouse, Llwynywermod, and of course, his main family home, Highgrove House in Gloucestershire. Having bought the estate in 1980 prior to his marriage to Princess Diana, he renovated the house, installed an organic farm in the grounds, and raised his sons there. It has remained his main residence with Camilla.
The neoclassical house was built at the very end of the 18th century, supposedly by the architect Anthony Keck, for the Crawley-Boevey family, who had recently been given a baronetcy. In the 19th century it passed to a barrister named William Yatman, and then through various owners until it became the home of the Macmillan family in the 1950s (Harold Macmillan was Prime Minister from 1957 to 1963). The Duchy of Cornwall bought the estate from them in 1980.
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Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace’s Apartment 1A is the official London residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children. However, their main family home is Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor estate, and they are reportedly planning to move to Forest Lodge in the near future.

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When they hosted Michelle and Barack Obama in 2016, a rare glimpse at the interiors was granted and it seems Kate and William follow Rita Konig's mantra that there's no such thing as too many lamps. The interiors are traditional and fairly neutral, with enviable architectural detailing throughout.
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While it’s no shock that the couple has great taste when it comes to decor, many were surprised to learn that they chose to adorn their children’s rooms with Ikea furniture.
Getty Images
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Anmer Hall
The Prince and Princess of Wales’ Norfolk residence is often considered one of England’s most beautiful country homes, complete with interiors by Ben Pentreath and expansive grounds to explore. Situated on the edge of the village of Anmer, just two miles from Sandringham, the 10-bedroom Georgian property was built in 1802 and presented to William and Catherine as a wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth II in 2011.
Before settling in, the couple undertook a £1.5 million renovation project, which included installing a new roof, kitchen, and conservatory, along with a full redecoration of the interiors. The architectural work was overseen by Charles Morris, who also contributed to King Charles’s residence at Highgrove, while the interiors were designed by House & Garden Top 100 talent Ben Pentreath and are thought to be rather lovely. Anmer Hall is the other main residence of the royal couple, who split their time between here and Kensington Palace. Anmer Hall remains one of the Waleses’ principal residences, where they divide their time alongside their London base.
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Sandringham
Sandringham House, located in Norfolk, is one of the royal family’s most cherished private residences. Purchased in 1862 for the then Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, it has since been passed down through four generations of monarchs. The estate spans about 20,000 acres and is a working estate with farmland, woodlands, and landscaped gardens. Traditionally, the family gathers there each year for Christmas, a custom particularly beloved by Queen Elizabeth II, who spent her final Christmas at Sandringham. Today, King Charles III continues the tradition, while also overseeing the estate’s shift toward more sustainable farming practices.

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Holyrood Palace
In Scotland, the Palace of Holyroodhouse serves as the King’s official residence and is where he stays each year during Royal Week. Originally founded as an Augustinian monastery in 1128, the site evolved into a royal palace over the centuries. Major renovations in the 1670s under King Charles II helped shape the building as it stands today, including the addition of the upper floor that now contains the royal family’s private apartments.
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Hillsborough
When King Charles III travels to Ireland, she resides at Hillsborough Castle, which was built in the 1770s and is surrounded by 100 acres of greenery.
JOHN STILLWELL
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St. James’s Palace
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, the daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson lived together in an apartment at St. James’s Palace for 10 years. Because the two are not considered “working royals,” their father paid for the cost of the apartment, which came out to about $26,000 annually, according to Insider. In 2018, Eugenie married Jack Brooksbank, and the couple moved into their first home together, the three-bedroom Ivy Cottage at Kensington Palace. (According to House Beautiful, the residence underwent a $15 million renovation in 2012.) Beatrice, meanwhile, reportedly splits her time between London and New York.