Buckingham Palace: it’s been the official home of reigning British monarchs for almost 200 years, but we’ve heard whispers indicating that a change may be in the air.
Recently, reports have been swirling saying that the next royal in line to the throne, Prince Charles, has plans to make some pretty major changes when it comes to the residence, a decision that could affect where his two—and soon to be three—grandchildren will live in the future.
British newspaper The Times reported that the future of King of England views Buckingham Palace as an “unsustainable” residence, particularly from an environmental perspective—and he may be right. After all, the sprawling home contains a whopping 775 rooms, which includes 19 staterooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 92 offices, and 78 bathrooms.
To put that into perspective, it practically dwarfs the White House, a building that only has 132 rooms and about half the number of bathrooms as the palace. It’s quite the jarring comparison considering the Royal Family doesn’t hold any clout in U.K. government anymore!
Although there has been no official announcement revealing where the members of the Royal Family will live when the power is turned over to Prince Charles, sources close to the family believe that things will stay more or less the same as they are now.
Prince William’s clan will continue to live in Kensington Palace, his dad will stay in Clarence House, and his brother and soon-to-be wife, Meghan Markle, will stay in Nottingham Cottage on the Kensington Palace grounds.
These same sources are placing their bets on Buckingham Palace being turned into the de facto business headquarters of the Royal Family, as well as a sprawling museum that would be open to the public year-round.
Prince Charles’ controversial plan to “streamline” the Royal Family
Recently, we clued you in on Prince Charles’ reported strategy for cleaning up the image of the Royal Family—and boy has it caused a stir.
You see, the future king isn’t really seen as a popular figure in England these days. In fact, his current approval rating rests at right around 36%, pretty awkward considering the public will have to call him “king,” whether they like it or not.
That said, Prince Charles seems dead set on mending his relationship with the citizens of the U.K., so much so that he has shown interest in cutting down on some of the more extravagant expenses that the Royal Family has splurged on over the years, including the aforementioned Buckingham Palace transition, as well as disallowing spouses of royals to hold titles.
The changes may be disappointing for certain royals, but we have to say that we agree with what’s been discussed so far. To learn even more about the future living situations of Prince George and Princess Charlotte, be sure to watch the video below!
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this royal residence shakeup. Do you agree with Prince Charles’ plans to rein in royal spending? Do you think Buckingham Palace should be used for a purpose other than a “Royal HQ?” If so, what should it be?