The British Monarchy Miscellany

by Alex David

century. It later became the main residence of the Stuart monarchs, including James IV and Mary Queen of Scots.

  Rebuilt by Charles II after the Restoration, it fell into disuse after the union of Scotland and England into one kingdom in 1707. It was briefly used as a base by Bonnie Prince Charlie during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. The Palace was completely renovated by George IV in the 1820s, and it became again a centre of Scottish royal court life during Queen Victoria’s reign. George V

  instituted a program of official yearly ceremonies when the monarch would be in residence at the Palace which still continues today.

  Uses: Investitures, receptions and garden parties are held once a year during Holyrood Week (June/July) when the monarch is in residence. Official ceremonies are also held by the Prince of Wales, as Duke of Rothesay, one week per year. Various other engagements and events are held throughout the year. The private royal

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  apartments in the Palace are also used by the Royal Family when visiting Scotland.

  Visiting: The state apartments, grounds, and the Queen’s Gallery annex are open to visitors throughout the year. The Royal Family private apartments are not open to the public.

  Hillsborough Castle, County Down, Northern

  Ireland

  Official Residence of the Monarch in Northern Ireland

  History: Originally built as a country house in the 18th century, the property was bought by the government in 1922 as a viceregal residence after the formation of Northern Ireland. It has been used by the Royal Family since the 1920s for ceremonial functions while in

  Northern Ireland, and also occasionally for holidays. It was the venue of several stages of the Northern Ireland peace process in the last 30 years.

  Uses: The Castle is a working residence used by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the official representative of the monarch in the country. It is used by the Royal Family when they visit Northern Ireland and serves as a venue for official functions and receptions.

  Visiting: Guided tours are given on selected days from April to September, and by private arrangement at other times of the year. The gardens are open all year round.

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  CURRENT PRIVATE RESIDENCES

  Private residences are palaces and houses that are owned directly by members of the Royal Family, and that are not subject to state control like the residences that are owned by the Crown. They were originally bought

  privately by individuals, they are passed down from person to person as inheritance, and are managed

  directly by the Royal Family. They include the following residences below.

  Sandringham House, Norfolk

  History: Bought and expanded by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) in 1860s, it has been the birthplace of several Royal Family members and the place of death of kings George V and George VI. During the 20th century it became the Christmas retreat of the monarch and was the site of the first radio and TV Christmas messages.

  Uses: The House is still used today by the Royal Family for Christmas celebrations and winter hunting, and serves as the official base of the monarch between December and February. The Sandringham Estate is privately owned by the Royal Family and used for farming, forestry and livestock breeding throughout the year.

  Visiting: The house, gardens and a small museum are usually opened to visitors from April to November.

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  Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

  History: Bought by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1852 and rebuilt in 1856, Balmoral became a favourite retreat of Queen Victoria during her widowhood. It has continued to remain the summer residence of every

  monarch since the late 19th century.

  Uses: It is used as a summer retreat by various members of the Royal Family who stay in various residences on the Balmoral estate. Occasionally the Castle is used to receive official foreign visits when the monarch is in residence.

  The Balmoral Estate, privately owned by the Royal

  Family, covers 50,000 acres and is used throughout the year for farming, hunting, fishing and hospitality. It includes forests and nature trails open to the public.

  Visiting: The grounds and gardens, the Castle Ballroom and an exhibition area are open to visitors from April to July. All other rooms in the castle are not open to the public. Other parts of the estate are open all year round.

  Other private residences used by individual members of the Royal Family include Highgrove House, country residence of the Prince of Wales, and Gatcombe Park, country residence of Princess Anne, both of them in Gloucestershire. Bagshot Park, a residence in Surrey owned by the Crown since the 18th century, is currently the private home of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and his family.

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  HISTORIC RESIDENCES

  Historic residences are palaces and houses that were official residences of the Royal Family in the past but are no longer inhabited today. Some of them, like the Tower of London and the Palace of Westminster, are still

  considered royal palaces and are used for functions associated with the monarchy. Others survive simply as visitor attractions. Except for the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, all the residences listed below are still owned by the Crown.

  The Palace of Westminster, London

  History: The oldest royal palace in England, originally built by Edward the Confessor in the 11th century,

  Westminster was the principal royal residence of English monarchs throughout the medieval period. It was the meeting place of the first parliaments in the 14th century, and after Henry VIII moved the royal court to Whitehall the palace became the permanent home of Parliament

  and the law courts. Guy Fawkes and his accomplices tried to blow up the building in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, and Charles I tried by arrest MPs in it by forcing himself into the House of Commons in 1642, precipitating the English Civil War (no monarch has entered the House of Commons since). The original palace was destroyed by 499

  fire in 1834 with only a few buildings surviving including Westminster Hall, built in 1097 and one of the oldest medieval buildings in Europe. The new palace was rebuilt in the 1840s-1850s in Gothic style and designed to

  accommodate the great ceremonies of state.

  Current Use: Although used by the Houses of

  Parliament, the Palace retains its status as a royal residence. The monarch attends the yearly State Opening of Parliament at the palace when he or she delivers a speech from the Sovereign Throne in the House of Lords, which is the only throne in the realm in practical use.

  Visiting: The palace is open to visitors for guided tours most of the year. Members of the public can attend

  debates in both Houses.

  The Tower of London

  History: The British monarchy’s most famous fortress was originally built by William the Conqueror in the 1060s and expanded throughout the medieval period. Fortress, treasury, residence, armoury and mint, possession of the Tower was key to a monarch’s power until the 17th

  century. It became a much feared prison during the Wars of the Roses, was the site of the Princes in the Tower’s disappearance in 1483, and it saw the execution of Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey during the Tudor period. It has been home to the Crown Jewels

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  since the 14th century, and was the location of the Royal Mint until 1810. It was also the site of the earliest zoo in London. A visitor’s attraction since the 17th century, the Tower also remained a prison and military barracks until the mid 20th century.

  Current Use: Visitor attraction managed by Historic Royal Palaces. The Tower however still retains royal functions overseen by the Constable of the Tower,

  including the safekeeping of the Crown Jewels. It is home to the Beefeaters guards who both guard the Tower, act as stewards to visitors, and who live on site.

  Visiting: Open all year round.

  Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

  History: Scotland’s most histori
c building, Edinburgh’s fortress was the centre of Scottish royal life and principal royal residence of Scottish Kings from the 12th to the 15th century. The object of much fighting by foreign invaders and Scottish factions, it was also the birthplace of King James VI/I. His son Charles I was the last monarch to stay at the Castle in 1633. After the Restoration in 1660 the Castle became home to a full time military garrison until 1923.

  Current Use: Visitor attraction managed by Historic Scotland. The Castle retains a military garrison and is the 501

  location of the Scottish National War Memorial, the Crown Jewels of Scotland, and the Stone of Scone.

  Visiting: Open all year round.

  Hampton Court Palace, Surrey

  History: Thomas Wolsey built the original Tudor Palace south of London in the 1510s before Henry VIII

  appropriated in 1528 and enlarged it to accommodate the royal court. Henry’s third wife, Jane Seymour, died at Hampton Court after giving birth to Edward VI there, and Henry also wed his sixth wife, Catherine Parr, at the palace. It was then used by Mary I, Elizabeth I, and greatly expanded by William III and Mary II. It was later embellished by George II who was the last monarch to live there. Queen Victoria opened the Palace to visitors in 1838.

  Current Use: Visitor attraction managed by Historic Royal Palaces, who have their headquarters there. The Palace is furnished with royal treasures and items loaned from the Royal Collection. It also houses the Royal School of Needlework.

  Visiting: Open all year round.

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  The Banqueting House, London

  History: The only surviving part of the Palace of Whitehall (see Lost Palaces below), the Banqueting Hall was built by Inigo Jones for James I in 1619-1622, and was the first neoclassical building ever built in Britain. In the 1630s Charles I commissioned Rubens to paint a large series of canvases on its ceiling showing the divine right of kings, but ironically it was right in front of this building that Charles was later beheaded in 1649. Charles II and James II used the building for ceremonies of state, and William III and Mary II accepted their crowns from

  Parliament there in 1689 during the Glorious Revolution.

  After the Palace of Whitehall burned down in 1694, the building was used as a Chapel Royal until 1893.

  Current Use: Visitor attraction managed by Historic Royal Palaces. Also used for various receptions and events.

  Visiting: Open all year round.

  Kew Palace, London

  History: Originally built in the 1630s as a private residence, this Dutch-style house was first used to house some of the children of George II in the 1720s. It then became one of the residences of Frederick Prince of Wales together with a nearby property called the White 503

  House. His son George III used both residences as a country retreat and to educate his children, and later was interned in both houses during his episodes of madness in the 1780s and 1800s. Kew Palace continued to be used by the royal family throughout George III’s reign, and his wife Queen Charlotte died there in 1818. The house was subsequently abandoned and opened to the public by

  Queen Victoria in the 1890s, after which it was gradually restored. The nearby White House was demolished by

  1802.

  Current Use: Visitor attraction managed by Historic Royal Palaces. The house is furnished with original family items loaned from the Royal Collection.

  Visiting: Open usually April to September.

  White Lodge, Richmond Park, London

  History: Built as a hunting lodge for George II in 1730, the house was later expanded and used as a residence by two of his daughters, Princess Amelia and Princess Mary.

  It was used briefly by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to educate their son Albert, Prince of Wales, in the 1850s and later it was granted in the 1870s to Victoria’s cousin, Princess Mary Adelaide, the mother of the future Queen Mary of Teck. Mary grew up in the house and later stayed at White Lodge to give birth to her firstborn son, the future Edward VIII, in 1894. Mary’s second son, the future 504

  George VI, and his wife Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon spent the first two years of their marriage in the 1920s at White Lodge, after which the house began to be leased out.

  Current Use: The building was leased for permanent use to the Royal Ballet School in 1955.

  Visiting: Tours of the house and visits to a small museum on site can be arranged by contacting the Royal Ballet School.

  Royal Pavilion, Brighton, West Sussex

  History: This fanciful palace was built by George, Prince Regent as a seaside retreat in the 1810s, to indulge in his private pleasures. The Pavilion was built in extravagant Indian-Saracenic style on the outside and contains lavish Chinese interiors. It was one of George’s principal residences during his later reign as King George IV, and the site of famous entertainments. After his death it was used by William IV as a family retreat. Queen Victoria disliked it and sold it to the town of Brighton after removing most of its furniture to Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

  Current Use: Visitor attraction managed by Brighton &

  Hove City Council. The council has restored much of the interior to its original appearance under George IV, and many original items on loan from the Royal Collection have been returned to the Pavilion.

  Visiting: Open all year round.

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  Marlborough House, London

  History: The house was first built by Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, the great favorite of Queen Anne, and was completed in 1711. It was the London

  residence of the Dukes of Marlborough until it came to the Crown in 1817. It was the home of Queen Adelaide after she became Queen Dowager in 1837, and then the home between 1863 and 1901 of Albert, Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII) who made it a famous centre of London society. Most of his children, including the future George V, were born there. It then became the London residence of Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary after

  they became Queen Dowagers. After Queen Mary died in 1953, Elizabeth II loaned it to the Commonwealth

  Secretariat but it remains a Crown property today.

  Current Use: The building continues to be used by the Commonwealth as its Headquarters and Secretariat.

  Visiting: Not open to visitors except for a weekend in September. Special group tours can be arranged upon request at other times in the year.

  Osborne House, Isle of Wight

  History: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert first bought this house in 1845 so that their family could enjoy a degree of normal life outside of London. The original 506

  house was completely rebuilt to Prince Albert’s designs in the Italianate style. The estate had its own private beach, as well as a specially designed cottage on the grounds where royal children learned how to farm and cook. After Albert’s death, Victoria spent much of her time at

  Osborne and died there in 1901. Her son Edward VII

  bequeathed most the house to the nation in 1902 after which it was turned briefly into a naval college. Queen Victoria’s private apartments however were kept

  separate and sealed until they were finally opened to the public in 1954.

  Current Use: Visitor attraction managed by English Heritage. The house is furnished with original family items loaned from the Royal Collection.

  Visiting: Open all year round.

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  LOST RESIDENCES

  Many more royal residences besides the ones listed

  above have existed in England in the past, including some of the most famous and lavish palaces ever used by the monarchy. Most of them have disappeared completely

  over the last 500 years, whilst for a few only some structures survive. Listed below is a selection of these lost residences including their fates.

  Havering Palace, Essex

  History: Havering, near London, was a royal possession since Anglo-Saxon times. William the Conqueror and its successors expanded the site into a small country palace and it
became a favourite retreat of medieval English kings. Beginning with Queen Eleanor of Provence in the 13th century the palace was granted for the special use of Queens Consorts, with Queen Joan of Navarre dying

  there in 1437. James I and Charles I were the last

  monarchs to stay at Havering in the 17th century.

  Fate: Havering Palace fell into disrepair during the English Civil War and was later sold off. Over the

  following centuries it became a ruin and was demolished in the early 19th century.

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  Woodstock and Beaumont Palaces,

  Oxfordshire

  History: Henry I built both palaces near Oxford in the 1120s-1130s, Beaumont as a residence and Woodstock as a hunting lodge. Henry II expanded Woodstock into a palace and made use of both places, and his sons, kings Richard I and John, were both born at Beaumont.

  Woodstock Palace continued to be used as a royal

  residence by most medieval kings until the late 14th century, and was the birthplace of Edward the Black Prince in 1330. Elizabeth I was kept in house arrests at Woodstock in 1554-55 during the reign of her half-sister Mary I.

  Fate: Beaumont Palace was sold by Edward I in 1275 and later turned into a monastery which was dissolved during the Reformation in the 1530s. Woodstock Palace fell into neglect under the early Stuart kings and was much