Queen Camilla may call Buckingham Palace her home but she has a link to the iconic building, which is not linked to her marriage with King Charles.
Buckingham Palace is one of the most recognisable royal landmarks in the world and the palace is the official home of the sovereign.
The building has 775 rooms, including 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, and 78 bathrooms.
Queen Camilla’s ties to the palace are because her great-great-great grandfather, Thomas Cubitt, designed the East Front and balcony of Buckingham Palace in the 1840s.
Prior to that, Cubitt earned his stripes as an impressive architect designing homes in north London – he also built and personally funded nearly a kilometre of the Thames Embankment.
After Cubitt’s death in 1855, Queen Victoria said: “In his sphere of life, with the immense business he had in hand, he is a real national loss. A better, kind-hearted or more simple, unassuming man never breathed.”
Queen Victoria was the first sovereign to rule from Buckingham Palace in 1837, according to the Royal Collection Trust. Over 20 years, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert transformed the Palace into the centre of an energetic, cosmopolitan court.
When Queen Elizabeth II reigned, the late Queen and Prince Philip lived in the private apartments on the north side of the Palace.
However, King Charles and Queen Camilla have resided at Clarence House since 2003, shortly after the death of the former resident, the Queen Mother.
While it is custom for the monarch to reside at Buckingham Palace, considered the royal headquarters, the King and Queen Consort are famously yet to leave their current home.
Even after the staggering £369million worth of renovations are complete, Charles could remain “reluctant” to move to the famous property.
Royal historian and commentator Mok O’Keeffe told Express.co.uk it could be down to the personal connection the King has to Clarence House, which is deeply rooted in his family history.
He said: “The King has spoken with much warmth about spending time at home with his grandmother – he has shared that as a child, Clarence House was always full of laughter and love.”
The King is currently spending time between Sandringham in Norfolk and Clarence House in London as he undergoes treatment following his recent cancer diagnosis.
For the next few weeks, King Charles will be staying at his luxurious estate in Sandringham in Norfolk, where he has often celebrated key holidays such as Christmas and New Year when the wider family gets together to mark the special occasions.
