The term Royal Residences and estates refers to Castles, Palaces and houses along with the lands that they are built on, that belong to or are occupied by members of the British Royal Family. The famous Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle are owned by the Monarch while they reign over England. Balmoral castle and Sandringham house are personal properties that have been passed down through many generations. Gatcombe Park, situated near Stroud in Gloucestershire is famously owned and occupied by The Princess Royal (Princess Ann). Renowned for her passion for horse riding, parts of the extensive grounds are open for horse trials and craft fairs.
The Sandringham house and estate situated in Norfolk, is owned by the Queen and has over 8,000 hectares of land. Balmoral Castle it’s lands and surrounding estates occupy a magnificent 25,000 hectares of land and within the stunning grounds are, forests and moors.
This year of course has been all about Windsor Castle and the Royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in the St Georges Chapel. On the 19th of May 2018 at mid-day the wedding took place in glorious sunshine, while an estimated eighteen million people looked on. The extensive lands of Windsor castle are estimated to be around 2,020 hectares and include a deer park as well as private hunting grounds. There are many buildings, summerhouses and out houses situated within the grounds. If you live locally and want to add a stunning Summerhouse Worcester, Evesham or Pershore to your home then check out https://worldofsmile.com/conservatories/ or other similar companies.
Most areas of the Great park are open, free of charge, to the public from dawn to dusk, it is managed and funded by the Crown estates.
Other Royal residences include, St James’s palace in London, Clarence House, London, the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and Hillsborough Castle, Northern Ireland. The Queen herself resides in Buckingham palace, London, with her husband, Philip, The Duke of York. When Queen Victoria ruled over England she also lived at Buckingham Palace until the death of her husband, Albert, when she withdrew from social events and went to stay at Windsor Castle, Balmoral castle and Osbourne House.
Located within the City of Westminster, Buckingham Palace is construed to be the very heart of Royal hospitality and often used for State occasions. Originally just a townhouse built in 1703 by the Duke of Buckingham, it was purchased by King George the third in 1761 for Queen Charlotte. There are now seven hundred and seventy-five rooms in the Palace and the garden is the largest private garden situated in London. England is incredibly fortunate to have such a fabulous array of British Royal Residences and estates.