The Queen leaves London home, makes move to Windsor permanent

The Queen has permanently moved to Windsor Castle, according to multiple reports, leaving London and Buckingham Palace as a place of residence for good.

Her Majesty and her late husband the Duke of Edinburgh moved to the 1000-year-old site in Berkshire at the beginning of the pandemic two years ago.

Having spent the past two Christmases there due to Covid restrictions, the monarch is said to have “no plans” to return to Buckingham Palace.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II appears on a screen via videolink from Windsor Castle, during a virtual audience to receive the High Commissioner of Malawi, Dr. Thomas Bisika (not pictured), at Buckingham Palace in London on March 3, 2022. - - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION (Photo by Victoria Jones / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION (Photo by VICTORIA JONES/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

As The Sunday Times reports, Buckingham Palace is midway through a ten year, £369 million refurbishment due to be finished in 2027, and it is not practical for the Queen to return.

“Windsor is the place she loves,” royal author Hugo Vickers told the Times. “She has her memories with Prince Philip there, she has her ponies there and family nearby. It makes sense.”

Her Majesty will still make day trips to the central London palace, it is understood

Buckingham Palace has been the official royal residence since 1837. And, even if the Queen never lives there again, she will return there for events including the Platinum Jubilee in June.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Queen Elizabeth ll stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London to watch the flypast to mark the centenary of the RAF (Royal Air Force)  on July 10, 2018.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Queen Elizabeth ll stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London to watch the flypast to mark the centenary of the RAF (Royal Air Force) on July 10, 2018. (EMPICS Entertainment)

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are set to be the next royals to take up residence at Buckingham Palace. Charles is said to prefer his London residence Clarence House but accepts that Buckingham Palace should remain “monarchy HQ”.

The Queen spent much of her childhood at Windsor, after her parents were gifted the Royal Lodge by her grandfather, King George V, when Her Majesty was five years old.

EMBARGOED TO 2200 SATURDAY FEBRUARY 5 File photo dated 5/6/2012 of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duchess of Cornwall arrive in the 1902 State Landau coach at Buckingham Palace at the end of a carriage procession following a National Service of Thanksgiving and a Lunch in honour of her Diamond Jubilee. The Queen has used her Platinum Jubilee message to the nation to back the Duchess of Cornwall as Queen Camilla, shaping the future of the monarchy on her historic milestone. Issue date: Saturday February 5, 2022.

She went on to use the castle as a weekend retreat during World War II, before moving there for a time with her sister Princess Margaret as it was considered to be safer than London.

Her Majesty will now be a short drive from Bagshot Park, where Prince Edward lives, while Prince Andrew resides at the Royal Lodge.

Windsor is also where the Queen’s late husband, Prince Philip, is buried. When Her Majesty dies, the pair will be buried together in King George VI’s memorial chapel.

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