Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is unlikely to return to Buckingham Palace in London, preferring instead to reside at Windsor Castle in Berkshire, according to a Sunday media report.
The 95-year-old monarch has been based at the Castle, which was formerly solely a weekend resort, since she moved there for isolation during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The Queen now prefers it as her permanent residence and main official residence over the palace in central London, where she spent the majority of her 70-year reign, according to ‘The Sunday Times.’ Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of British monarchs since 1837, is currently undergoing a 10-year, 369-million-pound renovation.
The Queen had only intended to shift temporarily from her own chambers to another area of the palace while her quarters were being refurbished. But, as her 96th birthday approaches on April 21, and after two years of working remotely from Windsor Castle, she is thought to be increasingly interested in continuing on longer.
The monarch is said to have preferred life at the Castle, where she has spent much of the past two years after leaving London with her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. It also implies that her son and heir, Charles, Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, will be the next members of the royal family to move into Buckingham Palace.
The 73-year-old prince is said to prefer his present London home, Clarence House, but whenever he becomes King, Buckingham Palace is expected to remain the monarchy’s headquarters. According to the article, he also intends to open up the palace and other official and private royal palaces to the public. Buckingham Palace, a majestic structure with 775 rooms, has played host to some of Queen Elizabeth II’s most iconic moments, including royal newlyweds kissing on its balcony. The Commonwealth Day ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London on March 14 is the Queen’s next planned engagement outside Windsor Castle, and it will be her first official function away from a royal house in five months.
