Ironically, Charles III is back where he started, where it all began. Due to the work which will soon begin on the first floor of Buckingham Palace, the King has had his office moved, as well as the lounge in which he takes tea every day at 5 p.m., from the north wing of the palace to the Belgian Suite, or Belgian suite. However, it was precisely in these apartments, located on the ground floor of the west wing, facing the gardens, that on November 14, 1948 Princess Elizabeth gave birth to him – more precisely in the Orleans Room.
“He is extremely aware of the weight of History, and the decision to reinvest the Orleans Room will not have been taken without a half-smile,” concedes a close friend of the sovereign to journalist Roya Nikkhah, royalty editor-in-chief of the Times. “The king will appreciate coming full circle by exercising his royal duty in the room where he was born.”
Last state visit before 2027
The move of the office from which Charles manages day-to-day affairs is not the only consequence of the last phase of work in the official residence of the British sovereigns. In a few weeks, several state rooms and private apartments usually reserved for the royal family and their guests will be cluttered with scaffolding, tools and craftsmen. In other words, it is impossible to hold receptions there or plan a state visit.
That of the Emir of Qatar Tamim Ben Hamad Al-Thani, scheduled for December 3 and 4, will therefore be the last to take place under the gold of Buckingham Palace at least until 2027, if the deadlines are met. While waiting for the work to be completed, heads of state visiting the United Kingdom will now be received at Windsor Castle, the historic family stronghold in Berkshire. Most major royal receptions will be held at St James Palace.
Ten years of work, a pharaonic undertaking
Antiquated electrical installation, floors in poor condition, infiltrations weakening the walls and piping from another age… When a titanic renovation campaign begins in 2017, the risks of fire or flooding are a daily threat. It is nothing more and nothing less about saving this national monument of 775 rooms, 30,000 square meters of floor space for 760 windows and 6,500 power outlets.
The budget is up to the task: pharaonic. Between 2017 and 2027, no less than 369 million pounds sterling – around 442 million euros – must be spent to renovate and secure the headquarters of the British monarchy, which has become a mecca for global tourism. The last major works dated from the Second World War, to rebuild a palace damaged by bombing.
After 2027, what future for Buckingham?
Once completely renovated, will the palace once again become the official residence of British sovereigns? Will King Charles and Queen Camilla settle there for good upon completion of the project at the end of 2027? Nothing is less certain. THE Times underlines that if the sovereign insisted on paying the bill himself for the decoration of his private apartments in the north wing, “aware that public funds should not finance personal touches”, he does not count as we might as well move there for good. And his wife even less…
“It’s true, she has no desire to live in Buckingham,” admits a source close to the royal household about the queen. As for Charles, “He’s not a fan of the ‘big house’as he calls it”, adds a relative. “He does not seem to consider it as an option for his future residence, nor as a house adapted to the modern world”. Both would have no intention of leave Clarence House, their London residence since their marriage And the next generation is not far from imitating them…
Because William and Kate themselves did not hesitate to leave Kensington Palace to settle with their three children in the more modest and more discreet Adelaide Cottage, on the royal estate of Windsor. If Charles and Camilla are reluctant to settle in Buckingham, will William and Kate choose to live there one day with their children? Or would we be at the dawn of a new era for the Windsors, marking the displacement of the nerve center of the institution? It would indeed seem that King Charles’ desire is to consider the palaces less and less as royal residences for his people, and more and more as heritage monuments open to the public. A resolutely modern bias.
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