After living at Buckingham Palace for almost 70 years, the queen has made the decision not return there from Windsor Castle (where she has spent most of the COVID pandemic.) The Sunday Times reports that the queen will “never again” reside at Buckingham Palace, and has decided to make Windsor Castle her “forever home.” Before the pandemic, Windsor Castle was until now was mainly the queen’s ‘weekend’ home, with the monarch travelling back to London to undertake engagements at Buckingham Palace from Monday to Friday. Apparently the queen has not spent a night at the palace since March 2020. She has already received her first guest at Windsor Castle since the news broke: Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, which also marks her first in-person engagement since she contracted COVID in February. Windsor—just half an hour’s drive outside London—is where Prince Philip spent the last few months of his life before dying at the age of 99 almost one year ago. The Windsor estate is also home to Frogmore Cottage, the UK residence of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan. When they stepped back as senior royals almost two years ago, they repaid the $3 million of taxpayers’ money that they had spent renovating it. Currently the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are leasing Frogmore Cottage to Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie, where she lives with her husband Jack Brooksbank and their one-year-old August. Last month Eugenie and her family visited Harry, Meghan, Archie and baby Lili at their home in Montecito, California, with the two royal cousins enjoying a day out at the Super Bowl. The queen’s son Prince Andrew, who recently settled a $12 million sexual assault case with Virginia Giuffre, also lives on the estate. When Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla become king and queen, they will move from Clarence House to Buckingham Palace—or will they? Reports have suggested that Charles is keen to turn the palace into a museum, with no member of the royal family ever to reside there again. Next up, What is Prince William’s Net Worth? Find Out More About the Future King’s Wealth
