Buckingham Palace may have been the seat of the British monarchy – since 1937! – but Elizabeth II no longer wishes to live there. According to several English media, the queen would have decided to stay at Windsor Castle for good, rather than returning to London and her palace. In March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, the sovereign had left the bustle of the capital to confine herself to Windsor, in a smaller committee.
“Windsor is the place she loves. She has her memories with Prince Philip there, she has her ponies there and her family nearby. It makes sense“, commented the royal expert Hugo Vickers near the Sunday Times, March 6. It was indeed at Windsor Castle that Elizabeth II spent her last moments with her husband Philip, who died in April 2021. This is where the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh was held, buried (provisionally) in the Royal Vault, a vault located under the Saint-Georges chapel. When the Queen joins him in death, they will be reunited in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, still in Windsor.
In addition to enjoying her walks in Windsor Park, with her adored ponies or corgis, the 95-year-old sovereign is thus closer to two of her four children: the disparaged Prince Andrew (installed with Fergie at the Royal Lodge) and his brother Prince Edward, who lives not far from the castle with his wife Sophie of Wessex and their two children.
Renovation work in question?
At the end of February, just recovered from Covid-19, Elizabeth also took advantage of a Sunday afternoon with several members of her family, starting with her granddaughter Princess Beatrice (accompanied by her husband and their little Sienna, 5 months), but also William, Kate Middleton and their three children. The latter would also have plans to leave London and Kensington, to settle in the green, not far from Windsor… Princess Eugenie also lives in the region, at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, which was initially intended for the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Beyond the Queen’s fondness for Windsor, the decision may have been bolstered by the fact that Buckingham is currently undergoing major works. For some time now, it has been undertaken to renovate the electricity, heating and plumbing which date from the 1950s. Work – estimated at 369 million pounds (around 448 million euros) – which should continue, better, until 2027. The next royal tenant of Buckingham would thus be Prince Charles, when he succeeds his mother…