Buckingham Palace is the beating heart of the monarchy – but not a home

There was a time when, walking the corridors of Buckingham Palace, you were far more likely to spy a damp spot or a dangerously dangling wire than a member of the Royal family.

On any given day, staff dart in and out of its 775 rooms. A vacuum cleaner is invariably on the go; the spectacular paintings and artefacts of the Royal Collection are offset by prosaic items from modern life, from Tupperware to a mobile cash machine (Coutts).

Buckingham Palace is many things to many people: an office, a venue, a garden, a magnet for tourists, the best-known balcony in the world, an inspiration for AA Milne’s poetry and James Bond Olympic stunts, and the symbol of a nation. It is not, however, a home.

The King and Queen confirmed on Thursday that they will never move in there. Despite refurbishment works carried out over the course of a decade, at a cost of £369m, Buckingham Palace will no longer be the official London residence of the monarch.

Instead, the King and Queen will stay at the cosier, more comfortable Clarence House, which they love, and commute across the road to work as they have been doing since he became King in 2022.

For those in royal circles, the news was not a surprise.