Built in 1825, London's Clarence House has been home to so many prestigious royals over the years. According to Town & Country, it's been host to Queen Victoria's mother, Queen Victoria's son, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth's mother, Princess Margaret, and then King Charles, and his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles. Because it's a royal residence, it's only open to the public one month a year. But the royals have treated fans to a few glimpses inside Clarence House over the decades that give us a good idea of what it's like to live there.
As with many of the other royal residences, Clarence House doesn't actually belong to the royal family. It's part of the Crown Estate, which is publicly funded. That means the home technically belongs to the citizens of the UK, because they're the ones paying for it.
It's been Charles' home base for a long time, but now that he's on the throne, he's thought to be planning a big move. Rumor has it he isn't interested in relocating to Buckingham Palace anytime soon, but if and when he does, Clarence House could get passed on to the new Prince and Princess of Wales — Prince William and wife Kate Middleton, of course — though it's not clear if they'll actually move in or not.
Much of Clarence House has remained the same as it was when Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother lived there, but during their time there, Charles and Camilla have also added some personal flair. Here are 20 times fans got a look inside the royal residence.
Morning Room, 1894
Long before Charles and Camilla called it home, Clarence House belonged to Queen Victoria's son, Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, according to Town & Country. He renovated large swaths of the home while he lived there, from the 1860s until the early 1900s. This photo of the grand Morning Room was taken in 1894. There are about a thousand different fabric prints going on here, which is a style that remains throughout many of the royal homes today.
Queen Elizabeth's Sitting Room
After marrying in 1947, Queen Elizabeth (she was Princess Elizabeth at the time) moved into Clarence House with her husband Prince Philip. She had her own sitting room, pictured here in 1949. There are so many grand parts of this room — including the meticulously decorated ceiling, the stunning chandelier, and the plush furniture. It may have been a princess' sitting room, but it was fit for a queen.
Prince Philip's Sitting Room
Prince Philip got his own sitting room separate from his wife's at Clarence House. His was decidedly more masculine, with plain colored chairs and wood paneling on the walls. The three portraits are of Philip's mom, dad, and grandfather. At the time, his father had recently died, and his mother was far away in Greece, so it must have been nice for Philip to have these reminders of them.
Personal Photos
When Charles and Camilla took over Clarence House, they added their own personal touches to the place. On the table behind Camilla, there are several personal photos, including one of her on her wedding day, and some of Charles with his children. There's also a framed drawing of corgis, which are basically the official dog of the royal family.
Tea Time
In 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife visited Clarence House, and Camilla and Charles had tea with them. This grand room features large portraits on the wall, ornate furniture, and a large coffee table/ottoman draped in expensive-looking red and gold fabric. On the table in the background are some more personal photos, which dot the whole of Clarence House.
A Silky Setting
Kate Middleton's first solo engagement after marrying William took place at Clarence House. This room is another fine one, with a seafoam silk motif. The drapes are seafoam silk, the chairs are seafoam silk, the carpet is seafoam silk, and even Kate's dress coordinates with the decor. The royals are not ones to shy away from matchy-matchy color schemes.
Funky Decor
Many of the decor pieces in the royal homes have been passed down for generations, and are considered both valuable antiques and family heirlooms. But the royals find little ways to put their own spin on decorating. In the background of this photo, we can see two rooster statues, which feel like they're more modern and in a different style to other items in the room.
The Horse Corridor
The queen consort loves animals, particularly dogs and horses. Camilla is such a horse person, in fact, that she has an entire hallway of her home dedicated to them. Fondly known as the Horse Corridor, this hallway is all decked out in framed photos of horses. (Because why not?) Camilla certainly has the space to turn full corridors into her personal fangirl spots.
King Charles' Office
As the royals began working from home in spring 2020, Charles showed off his office. Eagle-eyed fans spotted a photo of Prince George in the background that was never officially released. It's him as a baby wearing a floppy sunhat, and we're obsessed. We love that among all these antique books, Charles is just a doting grandfather at heart.
Camilla's Office
Camilla also showed her Instagram followers what her office looks like. It seems a little cluttered, but she has plenty of personal items dotting the shelves, including a paper doll version of the royal family, a painting of a dog, a photo of a horse (of course), and a ton of family moments captured on film. We like that she's made Clarence House her own in so many small ways.
The Dining Room
For Christmas one year, Camilla opened up the Clarence House dining room for a charity luncheon. The dining room is one of the places that Charles and Camilla renovated after moving in. They added bronze molding to the ceiling to warm up the room a bit, but it seems to have retained the same carpet as the original dining room.
Decorated for Christmas
Speaking of Christmas, Clarence House goes all out for the holiday every year, and Charles and Camilla's social media channels usually share the decorations with their followers. In 2019, they put up a giant tree that almost touched the ceiling in one of the hallways. No, not the Horse Corridor, although we hope that Camilla decorates that hallway, too.
The Queen Mother's China
Before Charles and Camilla inherited Clarence House, it belonged to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. According to Town & Country, many of the Queen Mother's decorations are still in the residence — like her collection of Chelsea porcelain, which can be seen in the background on the left side of this photo. The Queen Mother was Charles' grandmother, so it makes sense that he would want to honor her in his home.
The Queen Mother's Portrait in the Morning Room
There's also a portrait of the Queen Mother in the Morning Room, seen on the right side of this photo. Her portrait matches the green-gray decor perfectly, and it's right above the door, so people always see it as they leave. Though she died in 2002, her memory lives on in so many nooks and crannies of the place she used to call home.
A Bust of the Queen Mother
In addition to the Queen Mother's porcelain and a portrait of her, there's also a bust of her on the table in the Garden Room. She really is still a presence in Clarence House. Also of note in the Garden Room is the elaborate painting of Noah's Ark that hangs above the Queen Mother. The royals' art collection is really unparalleled.
Charles' Photo Collection
When King Charles remotely opened a hospital, fans got an inside look at the extensive personal photo collection behind him. We spy a photo of him with his sons, a black and white picture of him hugging Prince Louis, and a picture from Louis' christening, which was taken in Clarence House.
Louis' Christening Photo
The whole family gathered in the Morning Room at Clarence House for Louis' christening photos. Queen Elizabeth was unable to attend, but she was there in spirit, thanks to a large portrait of her on the wall behind the group. It seems like they probably staged the photo there on purpose to still involve the Queen as much as they could.
The Grounds
Like all the royal residences, Clarence House is surrounded by lush and beautiful grounds. Charles' family posed in the garden for a series of pictures honoring his 70th birthday, and the greenery really makes the photos pop. Charles doesn't often show off his private gardens, but he did on this occasion since they were such lovely group pictures.
Private Beehives
Charles is an avid beekeeper, and there are several hives on the grounds of Clarence House that were given to him for his 70th birthday. This isn't the only royal residence with its own beehives. The late Queen had several of her own on the grounds at Buckingham Palace. They should start packaging and selling royal honey.
Virtual Clarence House Tour
Every August, Charles and Camilla let visitors come and tour Clarence House, but that ended up getting canceled for 2020 out of an abundance of caution due to the global health crisis. It has stayed closed to the public since, but fans can still take a virtual tour of Clarence House, thanks to Google. The virtual reality experience will make everyone feel like they're really there.
