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King Charles plans to open up Buckingham Palace to the public all year round

Buckingham Palace - Sylvain Sonnet
Buckingham Palace - Sylvain Sonnet

The King plans to give the public greater access to Buckingham Palace all year round as members of the Royal family vacate royal residences, the Telegraph understands.

His Majesty is also keen to “repurpose” the historic buildings following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

It raises the prospect that large parts of Buckingham Palace or Sandringham, for example, could be remodelled in the vein of Dumfries House, the King’s 18th-century mansion in Ayrshire, which is used as a base for his own charitable foundation and hosts numerous educational courses and training programmes.

It comes after it emerged that the Duke of York was told he could no longer use his private apartments at Buckingham Palace.

The disgraced Duke’s possessions were moved out of his suite of rooms due to the ongoing renovation work but he was told that he could not return.

Meanwhile, the King and the Queen Consort have indicated that they would prefer to keep Clarence House as their main residence, leaving the palace largely unoccupied.

A palace source insisted that work was under way to make Buckingham Palace ready for Their Majesties in due course.

Around 500,000 people a year visit Buckingham Palace each year, with the state rooms open from July to September. There are otherwise exclusive guided tours offered at limited times from Friday to Sunday during the winter months.

Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Windsor Castle, which like Buckingham Palace is held in trust by the monarch for the nation, has also remained unoccupied and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are said to feel settled at Adelaide Cottage, the 19th-century property they moved into with their three children last summer, and have no desire to move into the castle.

King Charles - DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images
King Charles - DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images

They are understood to be enjoying the privacy afforded by the relatively modest four-bedroomed cottage, which has no room for any live-in staff and are keen to maintain it for as long as possible.

Unlike other royal residences, Windsor Castle is open to the public all year round and as such, enjoys the greatest footfall, with around 1.6 million annual visitors pre-Covid.

Balmoral, the late Queen’s favourite residence, also remains unoccupied, with the King preferring to return to his own home on the estate, Birkhall, when in Scotland.

And although he will host the Royal family at Sandringham at Christmas, as per tradition, the Norfolk estate has also been earmarked for wider public access.

Sandringham and Balmoral, both of which are privately owned by the King, are currently only open to the public from April to October.

Sources have indicated that the King acknowledges that foreign dignitaries will expect to stay at Buckingham Palace during official visits. Similarly, banquets, investitures and exhibitions will always be held in the grand state rooms.

However, it is felt that the public should be able to connect with the royal residences and also potentially benefit from their facilities.

He is acutely aware of the cost of living crisis and has indicated that he wants his reign, just like his coronation, to be as inclusive as possible and representative of multicultural Britain.