King Charles’s spectacular property portfolio extends as far south as Tamarisk House in the Isles to Scilly to The Castle of Mey in Northern Scotland.
While the Crown Estate is in charge of several of these houses, some of them, including Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House, are privately owned.
The King stayed in a variety of homes during his many years as the Prince of Wales, but he always had his eye on one specific residence.
The residence in question is Marlborough House, which is only a short distance from Clarence House and Buckingham Palace, and has since been used for another purpose.
The late society diarist Kenneth Rose recounted the King’s desperate attempt to make the house his home.
The diaries of the late society journalist Kenneth Rose were released after his death, and they contained a variety of sources.
The observations cover a wide range of topics, including the state of Charles and Diana’s marriage and the bizarre tale of the late Queen having a church service in a Sandringham bedroom after employees claimed it was haunted.
King Charles reportedly had a strong desire to live at Marlborough House on The Mall, but was turned down because the property had already been leased to the Commonwealth Secretariat in 1965. Mr Rose’s diary excerpts were printed in The Daily Mail.
After meeting Charles in 1985, he recorded: “Prince Charles would love to live in Marlborough House. ‘I grit my teeth with rage whenever I go to some Commonwealth event there. But what can one do? Once the people get inside a building, it is impossible to throw them out’.”
The headquarters of the Commonwealth of Nations and the location of the Commonwealth Secretariat are located in Marlborough House, a Grade I listed palace on The Mall in St James’s, City of Westminster, London.
The home was constructed in 1711 for Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, Queen Anne’s alleged lover.
It served as the Marlborough Dukes’ London home for more than a century. Throughout the 19th and early half of the 20th centuries, it was converted into a royal home.
The mansion was enlarged for the Prince of Wales, who would later become King Edward VII, and in Victorian times came to be intimately linked with the Prince and his social circle.
When she was the Princess of Wales, his daughter-in-law, afterwards known as Queen Mary, resided there and showed a special interest in the home.
She later moved back there after becoming widowed, and the property now contains a tribute to her.
Queen Mary had a rotating summer house constructed for her that is still standing. In 1967, Queen Elizabeth II unveiled a plaque honouring Queen Mary on the external wall.
Beginning in 1965, Queen Elizabeth II leased the building to the Commonwealth Secretariat.
