King Charles' 'most important' royal home is a palace the Queen never lived in
For years King Charles' London base has been Clarence House - and that hasn't changed since he became king - due to the extensive building work currently happening at Buckingham Palace.
Before he moved into his grandmother, the Queen Mother's former home, Charles had a different building to call home which is located just next door. While many people might think that the most senior Royal residence is Buckingham Palace as it has been an official residence of the monarch since Queen Victoria's reign, that isn't true.
Despite Buckingham Palace's 775 rooms and famous reputation as the centre for public celebrations, it is
around the corner that is the highest ranking Royal home. The red brick palace has links that go back to the times of King Henry VIII, but the late Queen never called it home - although many of her relatives have.
St James's Palace was built by order of King Henry VIII in the 1530s and was seen as the second most important London residence by most Tudor and Stuart monarchs. The most important was the Palace of Whitehall which was destroyed by a terrible fire in 1698. St James's was used more and more by the Georgian monarchs and was seen as the official and ceremonial home of the monarch. However, it was once again pushed aside when Buckingham Palace became the main Royal residence in 1837.
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St James's Palace (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)Both King George I and King George II used the palace as their main London home and kept their mistresses there. But King George III found St James's too small, preferring his new pad, Buckingham House (later Buckingham Palace) and Windsor Castle. Queen Victoria made it official in 1837 that the monarch's main home would be Buckingham Palace and St James's would be used for formal events and public meetings, reports OK.
The Royal website says St James's was a "home of Kings and Queens of England for over 300 years until Queen Victoria's reign". It also mentions how important the house is because it's where "the accession of a new Sovereign" happens. The late Queen never lived at St James's Palace as she set up her family home at Clarence House before her dad, King George VI, suddenly died in 1952.
The christening of the then three month-old Prince George at Chapel Royal in St James's Palace (Getty Images)Royal Family members who have their offices at the palace now include Princess Anne, Princess Alexandra and Princess Beatrice. Prince Charles also lived in the palace at York House with Prince William and Prince Harry after he split from Diana, Princess of Wales in 1992. Famous events that happened there include the weddings of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and the marriage of King George V and Queen Mary (then The Duke and Duchess of York).
Several Royal christenings have also taken place at the palace, including those of Prince George (October 23, 2013) and his younger brother Prince Louis's (July 9, 2018).
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