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British RoyalsPalaces & BuildingsQueen Elizabeth II

Buckingham Palace ‘could become Queen’s 3rd home’

One of Britain’s most famous buildings, Buckingham Palace, is likely to become the Queen’s ‘third home’ as she plans to spend more time at Windsor Castle and Balmoral next year.

The Queen, who turns 90 in April, will according to The Daily Telegraph, spend a greater amount of time in Scotland from now on so she can conserve her energy for all of the royal engagements she undertakes.

The Queen currently spends more nights at Windsor Castle than she does at Buckingham Palace meaning the SW1A property will in effect be her third home.

Staff in the Royal Household have already begun plans to reorganize her diary, meaning she spends fewer days conducting engagements.

She will still work every day of the year going through official government papers & legislation, as well as holding meetings with staff. However, much more of this will be done at Balmoral where Her Majesty can relax.

Speaking to the Telegraph, a source said: “It’s a question of managing her energy to give her sufficient downtime, whether that be more time at Balmoral or making sure that her weekend starts earlier on a Thursday so her time at Windsor is longer.

“It’s not about her doing less, it’s about what she does being done differently.”

The Telegraph’s analysis of the Queen’s diary shows that the total time Her Majesty spends at Buckingham Palace has decreased dramatically.

In 2011 she spent 109 nights at Buckingham Palace. Compare that to this year, she only spent 88 nights at the palace. 119 nights were spent at Windsor Castle in 2011 compared to a rise of 159 in 2015, and Sandringham has risen from 51 nights to 54.

Every year, the Queen spends summer at Balmoral Castle and Christmas at Sandringham where she is currently.

She stays at Windsor Castle over the weekends, leaving London on a Thursday afternoon and returning on Monday. This means the time she spends at Buckingham Palace is a lot less than people may think.