Will Princes Charles and William Live at Buckingham Palace?

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 24 August 2022

There are so many royal residences that it can sometimes be hard to keep up.

In the latest news, beginning in the fall, the Cambridges will live at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, while the Queen will remain at Windsor Castle, and Prince Charles and Camilla will remain at Clarence House in London.

But what will happen when Prince Charles, followed by Prince William, takes the throne? Will the two men move their respective official households to Buckingham Palace, where the Queen was based for decades? Former royal footman Steven Kaye weighs in.

"It’s about modernization isn’t it," Kaye tells Slingo. "Will William want to live at Buckingham Palace, is that something that may continue?

"Or will the palace become more of a museum? My view is that because people view Buckingham Palace as the head office, it’s important to keep those traditions alive. The moment they start to be out of the palace and living somewhere else, that kind of erodes some of the traditions we have in this country, and I think William is very aware of that."

For Kaye, it's about maintaining some of the mystique that makes royalty so enticing, all while making sure to move with the times.

"The Queen has always said, 'I need to be seen to be believed,' and Charles and William know how important that is," Kaye continues. "I think William and Kate will do a fabulous job [when they take over the monarchy]."

Like many other commentators, Kaye then expresses regret for the way things have panned out between Prince William and Prince Harry.

"I'm just quite sad that he doesn’t have the support of his brother anymore," he says. "I think we were all hoping they were going to be the fab four and the future of the monarchy, but sadly that’s not to be."

Well, there's still time for a reconciliation!

At the moment, it looks like the plan is for the Cambridges to remain at Adelaide while George, Charlotte and Louis are school-aged, then potentially return to Kensington Palace.

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.