With the royal wedding of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in May the royal mania is full in force. A lot of rumour is arising like: Is she already pregnant?
Although we won’t know the answer to this questions until the royal family makes it official, we do know where the couple will live: In Kensington Palace, more specific at Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington palace. What a difference for Meghan living in Toronto, Canada, before moving to the UK for her prince.
Let’s take a look at the palace the former actress is now calling home and the other official royal residences of the British Monarchy.
Kensington Palace
Official residence of: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent
Location: London, England
Kensington Palace interesting facts:
- Built in 1605 for the Earl of Nottingham, Secretary of State
- Originally called Nottingham House
- William III chose it as his residence instead of Whitehall Palace because he suffered from asthma and bronchitis and did not want to live in the London city centre
- It became the official residency of the King after the Whitehall Palace was destroyed by fire in 1698
- By 1897 the building started was in bad shape and plans were made to demolish it. Queen Victoria did not want to have the building torn down while she was alive convinced the Parliament to restore the Palace
Buckingham Palace
Official residence of: The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh (Monday – Friday), The Yorks, The Wessexes
Location: London, England
Buckingham Palace interesting facts:
- The site was originally a mulberry garden planted by King James I from 1603-1625 to rear silkworms.
- It was originally called Buckingham House
- It was built as a large townhouse for the Duke of Birmingham in 1705
- The Palace has 775 rooms
- The Palace’s gardens cover 40 acres
Windsor Castle
Official residence of: The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh (most weekends, 1 month during Easter, a week in June)
Location: Windsor, Berkshire, England
Windsor Castle interesting facts:
- The Castle of Windsor was built by William the Conqueror in 1070 and took 16 years to complete
- It is the largest inhabited castle in the world
- The original castle was made of wood
- Henry I was the first monarch to call Windsor Castle home
Palace of Holyroodhouse
Official residence of: The Queen and Duke Edinburgh (official Scottish residence, used mainly during July’s Holyrood week)
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Holyrood Palace interesting facts:
- David I founded Holyrood Abbey on this site in 1128
- The palace was built at the end of the 15th century by James IV to replace an existing royal guesthouse by the Abbey
- It was the site of the violent murder of David Rizzio, the private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots, who was rumoured to have made Mary pregnant
- It was almost completely destroyed by a fire in 1650 and was rebuilt by Charles II from 1671-1679
Clarence House
Official residence of: The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall
Location: London, England
Clarence House interesting facts:
- The house was built from 1825 to 1827 for the third son of George III, Prince William Henry, Duke of Clarence and his wife Adelaide
- The final cost was calculated at £22,232 in 1829
- The Clarence House stands beside St. James’s Palace
- During the summer months Clarence House is open to visitors, which are given guided tours of five rooms and adjoining spaces on ground floor
Bagshot Park
Official residence of: The Wessexes
Location: Surrey, England
Bagshot Park interesting facts:
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- Originally the Royal hunting lodge
- During the early 1800’s it was enlarged and repaired by orders of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
- Currently, most of the estate is used as a farm
St. James’s Palace
Official residence of: The Princess Royal, Sir Timothy Laurence, Princess Alexandra
Location: London, England
St James’s Palace interesting facts:
- The Palace was built by King Henry VIII from 1531 to 1536
- Henry VIII chose to build it on the site of a former leper hospital for women, which had been named in honor of St. James
- In 1702, it became the principal royal residence when Whitehall Palace was destroyed by fire and Queen Anne moved to St. James
- The Queen Mother lived here until her death in 2002
Thatched House Lodge
Official residence of: Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (leased not state-owned)
Location: Richmond, Surrey, England
Thatched House Lodge interesting facts:
- The Lodge is located in Richmond Park, London’s largest Royal Park
- Was the London home of U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower during WWII
- It was originally built in 1673 as two houses for two Richmond Park Keepers and named Aldridge Lodge
