Queen Camilla's shocking link to Buckingham Palace that's nothing to do with King Charles
Buckingham Palace is one of the most recognisable royal landmarks in world and has served as the national centre for pomp and celebration for over than 180 years. Ever since the reign of Queen Victoria began in 1837, the palace has been the official home of the sovereign and today it is the administrative headquarters for the King and several members of his family.
The building, which is currently undergoing essential maintenance work, has 775 rooms, including 19 State rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. Even though Queen Camilla is familiar with the building thanks to her marriage to King Charles, her own family has some impressive ties to the palace which will come as a surprise.
The original Buckingham Palace structure was first completed in 1703 and has been lived in by everyone from Queen Charlotte to King George VI.
READ MORE:Prince Harry's 'extremely foolish' move could see him booted out of US by Donald Trump
READ MORE:Queen 'wanted Diana to marry Andrew' instead of Charles
While there have been only a handful of changes over the years, one major adaptation came about after Queen Victoria's wedding in 1840 and provides a special link between the famous building and Camilla's family.
Camilla's great-great-great grandfather was the architect Thomas Cubitt who is famous for having designed the East Front and balcony of Buckingham Palace, as well as Osborne House on the Isle of Wight and a number of other areas in Belgravia, Bloomsbury and Pimlico.
Sign up to OK!'s royal newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free
Through his son, George Cubitt, 1st Baron Ashcombe, he is a direct relative of the current Queen and forged her initial link to Buckingham Palace over a century before she would come to call in home.
Born in Norfolk in 1788, Thomas Cubitt started to grow in prominence when his work in London caught the eye of the Duke of Bedford and the Marquess of Westminster.
While he is most well-known for his work on residential squares, he also built and personally funded nearly a kilometre of the Thames Embankment and was commissioned to work on the large Kemp Town development in Brighton.
His work later lead him to an association with the Royal Family as he co-designed Osborne House on the Isle of Wight with Prince Albert after the view reminded him of the Bay of Naples.
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."
With the extensive restoration work taking place at the palace, the King and Queen have never permanently moved from their home at Clarence House which is located just a stone's throw away on The Mall.
