One is the most famous royal residence in the world and the other is one of the oldest. And they are about to do a swap. The £369m renovation to London’s Buckingham Palace means that State Visits will be relocated – well for a few years, anyway.
According to reports, Windsor Castle is about to take over as the main location for incoming State Visits. The Times, notes it will become the main location for these important events as Buckingham Palace undergoes one of the “biggest upheavals” in its history.
The imminent State Visit by the Amir of Qatar will serve as the last before the change takes effect. The Amir arrives in London at the start of December for a two day visit which will begin with the Prince and Princess of Wales accompanying him to the official welcome overseen by King Charles and Queen Camilla.
The work at Buckingham Palace also means another change for King Charles.
His Majesty has moved his office, meeting rooms, and the dining area (where he takes his daily afternoon tea) to the Belgian Suite. The suite is on the ground floor of the west-facing Garden Wing of the Palace. The suite of rooms also includes the Orleans Room where he was born in 1948.
While taxpayers fund part of the palace’s 10-year refurbishment, Charles is personally funding the redecoration of his private suites in the north wing. This portion of the renovation will not be ready until three years from now – 2027.
The ongoing work also makes it unlikely that King Charles and Queen Camilla will move permanently into Buckingham Palace. They are still in residence at their long time London home, Clarence House. The Times reports courtiers used to insist Their Majesties would definitely move from Clarence House to Buckingham after the renovation and refurbishment is complete. Royal sources now say The King’s private rooms will be redecorated for “potential residential occupation.”
Building work will temporarily pause during the summer to allow for the annual opening of the State Rooms to the public. Palace tours during the summer included access to the East Wing for the first time since it was built 175 years ago. The change brought in a record 605,190 paying visitors, the most since the Palace first threw open its doors in 1993.
After next month’s Qatar state visit, all similar visits will take place at Windsor Castle until the latter half of 2027. The last state visit to Windsor was in 2014 by Irish President Michael D. Higgins. For some of 2025, Their Majesties will host smaller receptions at Buckingham Palace in the Picture Gallery and other State Rooms. Once those rooms close, all receptions will move to St James’s Palace or Windsor until the palace fully reopens in 2027.
Buckingham Palace has been the main residence of the Monarch since 1837.
