The Royal House of Windsor owns a collection of some of the finest historic properties in Britain. From Buckingham Palace in central London to Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands of Aberdeenshire, their castles, palaces and stately homes never cease to impress visitors to British shores.
Royal property is divided into two types: the occupied Royal residences and the private estates.
Occupied Royal Residences
Occupied Royal residences are owned by the state and held in trust for use by future generations. They're used by The Queen as Sovereign whilst fulfilling her role as Head of State and serve many purposes including State and official events.
Each year The Queen is hostess to approximately 80,000 guests at events including receptions, garden parties and Investitures, all of which are held at occupied Royal residences.
The palaces are also used for ceremonial entertaining whenever overseas diplomats and foreign ambassadors visit the United Kingdom. State banquets and audiences are also held regularly.
Occupied Royal residences attract approximately 1.7 million visitors yearly with Buckingham Palace, unsurprisingly, being the most popular Royal residence even though visits to the state rooms are restricted to periods when they're not being used in any official capacity.
Private Estates
Private estates are palaces, castles and stately homes that have been built, bought or otherwise acquired by previous generations of the Royal family and are now owned by The Queen. Past monarchs owned far more properties than Queen Elizabeth as most private estates having disappeared over the years.
Many of those in use today are places of relaxation for the Royal family when spending time away from their official duties.
A Brief History Lesson
One question that's often asked is why the Royal family has access to so many homes. Most of us, after all, manage perfectly well with just one.
To explain this, we need to look back at the way the monarchy existed in the past.
Until the middle ages, the king would regularly move around the country thus necessitating the availability of suitable properties in different areas. Some were used to rule from whilst others were used as homes for the king's family. Eventually the monarchy centralized government in London and many of the original old castles and palaces fell into disrepair.
Although it appears that today's Royal family has many homes available to use, what's left today is in fact nothing but a handful of what former king's and queen's enjoyed. Those that are left are heritage sites and should be seen as an investment for the future.
Buckingham Palace
Fondly known by the locals as "Buck House," Buckingham Palace has been the premier London residence of Britain's Royal family since 1837 although its Royal connections go back much further.
Originally a town house situated close to St James' Palace, it was bought by George III in 1761 as a private residence for his wife, Queen Charlotte and quickly became known as the Queen's House.
Extensive remodeling work was carried out to the tune of £73,000 -- an unthinkable amount of money almost 250 years ago. The money came directly from the public purse.
Almost sixty years later, George IV wanted the house reconstructed yet again, this time it was to be transformed into a palace. Another £450,000 of public money was spent but as the work took longer than expected, King George IV never got to live there.
The first sovereign to use Buckingham Palace as her London residence was Queen Victoria in 1837. Shortly after making the palace her home, Victoria found that the building lacked adequate sleeping facilities for guests and the lack of nursery space meant raising children would be difficult. In order to solve these problems, a new wing was built. In order to spare the taxpayers from more building expense, George IV's Royal Pavilion at Brighton was sold and the money raised used to fund the improvements.
Today the palace has probably one of the most recognizable facades in the world. It's also the administrative headquarters of the Monarchy and venue for Royal ceremonies and State visits.
Part of Queen Victoria's new wing held the "ballroom." At the time, this was the largest room in London and was first used to celebrate the end of the Crimean War. Today it's used for State banquets and the annual Diplomatic Reception. It is also here that Investitures are held (an occasion where the Queen or The Prince of Wales meets recipients of British honors and gives them their awards, including knighting those who are awarded a knighthood).
The Throne Room is rarely used except to receive loyal addresses on very special occasions and as the setting for formal wedding photographs.
Garden parties are held annually in the formal gardens and have been part of Palace tradition since their introduction by Queen Victoria in 1868.
Visits to Buckingham Palace can be combined with visits to The Queen's Gallery and the nearby Royal Mews.
Windsor Castle
This splendid 900-year-old castle is The Queen's official residence in England and the largest occupied castle in the world.
Built by William the Conqueror in circa 1070, the site was chosen for its position high above the river Thames where it could guard the western approaches to the capital. It was also just a day's march from The Tower of London.
Having been inhabited by a succession of monarchs, a plethora of changes have been made, each reflecting the needs of the time. Some strengthened the castle against rebellion and attack whilst others, lucky to have lived in peaceful times, gave the castle a touch of luxury.
During the Civil War, Oliver Cromwell captured the castle and used it as a prison and headquarters of parliament. Charles I was held in the castle before his execution in London and was subsequently returned to be buried in St. George's chapel where nine other sovereigns, including Henry VIII and George VI, now lay buried.
The Queen Mother, wife of George VI, and their daughter Margaret are also interred within the chapel.
Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret made the castle their home during World War II while their parents remained in London supporting the war effort. The Queen, having fond memories of her childhood and a soft spot for Windsor, spends most of her weekends at the castle.
Sadly, a fire destroyed approximately one-fifth of the castle's area in November 1992 when a spotlight came into contact with a curtain causing a blaze in the Private Chapel. The fire spread quickly and took 15 hours to extinguish. However, over the course of the following five years and as a result of the most extensive historic restoration project ever undertaken in Britain, the castle was restored to its former glory at no additional cost to the taxpayer.
The castle is often used to entertain visiting Heads of State and other diplomats as well as being the main venue for Royal weddings and, more sadly, Royal funerals. It's also the Queen's official residence during Easter and for the weekend of the Royal Ascot Races.
Visitors have access to the State Apartments and for part of the year it's also possible to visit the Semi-State rooms, some of which are furnished with treasures from the Royal Collection including Rubens and Van Dyck, splendid tapestries, porcelain and fabulous sculptures.
The Palace of Holyroodhouse
Founded in 1128 and situated in Edinburgh at the end of the Royal Mile, The Palace of Holyroodhouse is The Queen's official residence in Scotland.Originally the site of an Abbey, in 1501 James IV cleared the surrounding ground and built a palace for himself and his bride, Margaret Tudor, sister of Henry VIII.
The most famous Royal to have been associated with The Palace of Holyroodhouse is Mary, Queen of Scots, who lived in the palace between 1561 and 1567, a dramatic time for the Queen whose secretary, David Rizzio, was murdered by her husband who believed Mary and Rizzio were having an affair. The murder took place in her private rooms.
Following Mary's residence, the palace fell into disrepair as turbulence within the monarchy caused Royalty to stay away from Scotland and it wasn't until Queen Victoria's reign that the custom of staying at Holyroodhouse was again introduced, inspiring the Scottish people to undertake a massive renovation program.
King George V and Queen Mary continued the restoration work on what they came to regard as a family home. The addition of bathrooms and electricity brought Holyroodhouse into the twentieth century.
Palace garden parties became a tradition that The Queen still upholds by inviting around 8,000 guests from all walks of Scottish life to the palace gardens during Holyrood week.
Today the palace is used for State receptions, Investitures, and other official occasions. Any member of the Royal family having official engagements in Scotland would normally choose to stay at Holyroodhouse, a Royal home that's busier today than at any other time in history.
Balmoral Castle
The Queen's private residence in Scotland, Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire comes to life during August and September when the Queen gathers her family for a late summer holiday.
The castle is situated on a large estate and employs fifty full-time staff and twice as many part-time workers thus being a major contributor to the local economy.
The estate is partly farmed and is home to the Queen's stock of Highland Cattle. Due to the nature of the landscape, much of the area is woodland offering shelter for red deer that are stalked during the hunting season. Grouse shoots and salmon fishing also provide employment on the estate. The estate also renders indirect employment for the 4,000 people who are engaged in the tourist industry as Balmoral is one of the major attractions of the area.
Following a holiday in the Scottish Highlands, Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert, decided to buy a private home in the area to use during holidays. Drawn by the beauty of the surrounding mountains, Prince Albert purchased an old fifteenth century castle in 1852 but being small and dark, a new castle was erected about 100 yards from the original building and stood ready for the couple to enjoy about five years later.
Royal descendants of Victoria and Albert have made a variety of improvements to both the buildings and the grounds with the latest addition being a water garden designed by The Duke of Edinburgh.
The estate gardens and the Castle Ballroom are open to visitors between April and July with about 85,000 people visiting annually.
Sandringham House
Another of the Queen's private homes, Sandringham House in Norfolk has been owned by the Monarchy for four generations.
The Queen takes up residence at Sandringham during December and remains until February, during which time the entire family is invited to join the Royal Christmas celebrations.
Like Balmoral, Sandringham is a commercial estate offering employment to 100 staff from the local community. Originally bought for the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, in 1862, the house was of solid Georgian structure but was later rebuilt and, despite a serious fire in 1891, expanded to accommodate the Princes' growing family.
Subsequent members of the Royal family have found Sandringham to be the perfect holiday retreat and it was on the estate that King George VI, The Queen's father, died in 1952.
The estate covers over 600 acres of woodland and heath and has two camping and caravan club sites within its boundaries. A variety of craft fairs and country shows are also hosted on the estate throughout the year.
When members of the Royal family are not in residence, Sandringham House is open to the public.
St. James' Palace
Although many believe that Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the Sovereign, it is, in fact, the lesser known St. James' Palace. Official letters are addressed to St. James' Palace and ambassadors are still formally accredited to the Court of St. James.
Situated in central London, the palace was built by King Henry VIII on the site of St. James' Hospital. Whilst much of the original red-brick building still remains, the succession of kings and queens that have made it their home over the past 300 years have made various structural changes.
Often used for official functions, St. James' Palace has been the setting for some of very important events in Royal history. It was there that Mary Tudor signed the treaty surrendering Calais and it was from St. James' Palace that Elizabeth I set out to address her troops at Tilbury during the threat of an invasion by the Spanish Armada. Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in the Chapel Royal within the palace in 1840. The chapel remains an active place of worship for the Royal family today.
The Palace is now the London residence of Anne, The Princess Royal, and Princess Alexandra.
Clarence House
Standing beside St. James' Palace, Clarence House was the London home of The Queen Mother from 1953 until 2002. Built in 1825 by the Duke of Clarence, later to become King William IV, the house has been a Royal residence for over 170 years and is now the official London home of The Prince of Wales and his wife, The Duchess of Cornwall.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, later to become Queen Elizabeth II, also lived at Clarence House following their marriage in 1947 and prior to Elizabeth's accession to the throne in 1952. Clarence House is very much a home rather than a place of State entertaining and still houses many pieces from the Bowes-Lyon's art collection brought to the house by The Queen Mother.
Parts of the building are open to the public during summer months.
Kensington Palace
As home to The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, The Duke and Duchess of Kent, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Kensington Palace has a central role within the Royal family.Princess Margaret, Diana, Princess of Wales and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester have all lived in and had their offices within the palace.
During his engagement to The Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, The Duke of Edinburgh stayed at Kensington Palace at his grandmother's apartment.
The palace was also Queen Victoria's birthplace and childhood home. However, following her accession in 1837, she moved to Buckingham Palace and never again stayed at Kensington Palace.
The palace is home to the Royal Ceremonial Dress collection and some parts are open to the public.
So there you have eight of the finest homes in Great Britain, all of which are a cultural investment for the future of both the Monarchy and the nation.
Although the House of Windsor has lost some of its previous respect, the Monarchy has a strong place in British history and will undoubtedly continue to feature long into the foreseeable future.