Buckingham Palace has been home to many monarchs since it was first turned into a royal residence in the 1800s. There was Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and, of course, Queen Elizabeth II. Yesterday, however, King Charles and Queen Camilla announced they would break with tradition and not move into Buckingham Palace following the structure’s extensive renovations.
The BBC reports that, while the palace will continue to function as “administrative headquarters of the monarchy,” the monarchs themselves will not call the palace home. Instead, the pair will remain at the nearby Clarence House, an aristocratic townhouse near St. James’s Palace. Charles has lived in Clarence House since 2003, and Camilla moved in following their marriage in 2005.
BBC explains the decision behind the break in tradition is two-pronged. Unofficially, it’s “understood” that the couple, both in their seventies, doesn’t want the “upheaval of moving themselves and their staff across to Buckingham Palace.” Officials have also stated the move—or non-move, in this case—was in part to allow for “greater public access” to the famous palace following extensive renovations to the structure, which are scheduled to be finished in March.
These renovations, which have taken the better part of ten years, include updating cables and lead pipes, as well as refurbishing some wings of the Palace. This included the once-closed-to-the-public East Wing, which features the Palace’s opulent Centre Room. According to the BBC, the renovations amount to about £369 million, which equates to over $400 million.