If you’ve ever been to London, you might assume that Queen Elizabeth II lives in Buckingham Palace, the massive royal structure in the heart of the city. However, it’s an open secret that Her Majesty prefers Windsor Castle. Here’s what we know about the queen’s preferred living quarters.
Queen Elizabeth Never Wanted To Live At Buckingham
During her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the queen stayed in Buckingham Palace to take part in the festivities. Yet, according to recent reports, when she returns from her Balmoral holiday, she’ll be settling into Windsor Castle instead of the capital. What fans of the family may not know is that Her Majesty never wished to live in Buckingham Palace.
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In the royal biography The Firm, Penny Junor asserts that Queen Elizabeth wished to remain at Clarence House after taking power. Apparently, it was Sir Winston Churchill who urged her to post up in a more central location.
“None of them wanted to go. They loved Clarence House; it was a family home, but Winston Churchill, who was then Prime Minister, insisted upon it,” Junor writes.
Her struggle with relocating was even covered in Netflix’s The Crown, although the show is far from an indisputable historical record.
Even so, it’s clear that the queen has chosen to live elsewhere whenever she can. From Holidays at Sandringham, summers at Balmoral, and all the stolen moments in between spent at Windsor, it’s clear Her Majesty’s heart does not lie at Buckingham.
The Queen Moves Into Windsor Castle
In this day and age, more and more jobs can be done in remote locations. The COVID-19 pandemic has enlightened businesses of all kinds to the attainability of a completely virtual workplace—the Firm included. While the queen’s meetings and public engagements have kept her staked in London for large portions of the year, these obligations have dwindled in number as she focuses more on her health.
So, it’s no surprise that she’ll be making the official move to Windsor Castle where she’ll keep up with whatever duties she’s able to fulfill. The move has a bitter-sweet edge to it as well since Windsor Castle is where the Duke of Edinburgh chose to spend his final days.
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It’s been confirmed that the queen will spend the holidays in Sandringham, as is tradition, but she’ll settle back into Windsor as soon as she returns. While we’re happy that Her Majesty is finally living her most comfortable life, the news is a grim reminder that Queen Elizabeth II’s reign cannot last forever.