Queen Camilla and King Charles have lived at Clarence House since 2003, two years before they got married, but it was formerly home to several other members of the royal family.
Not only did the Queen Mother reside at the London property from 1953 until she died in 2002, but Prince William and Prince Harry also moved into the four-storey house in the same year as their father. While William left the home after marrying Princess Kate in 2011, his younger brother continued to live there until 2012.
It is well-documented that the King made many changes to the royal residence before moving in – including updated colour schemes, personal artwork and new furniture – but Queen Camilla also made sure to put her stamp on the property.
According to the Duke of Sussex, he “cared” that his stepmother had made one big change to his specific living quarters. Recalling the moment his wife Meghan Markle visited Clarence House for the first time, he wrote in Spare: “I’d also mentioned that I used to live here at Clarence House, from when I was nineteen until I was about twenty-eight. After I moved out, Camilla turned my bedroom into her dressing room. I tried not to care. But, especially the first time I saw it, I cared.”
He added that the impressive stucco exterior of Clarence House “made Meg gasp”, while he praised the gardens that his father designed “in honor of Gan-Gan.”
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The Duke moved into William and Kate’s former home Nottingham Cottage in 2013 and stayed there until after his royal wedding with Meghan Markle in May 2018. Harry admitted that he had hoped to spend more quality time with the Prince and Princess of Wales and their young children since they were living in such close proximity.
“They were half a football pitch away, just beyond a stone courtyard, so close that I could see their nanny pass by all the time with the pram, and I could hear their elaborate renovations. I assumed they’d have me over any minute now. Any day.
“But day after day it didn’t happen. ‘I get it’, I thought. ‘They’re busy! Building a family! Or maybe…they don’t want a third wheel? Maybe if I get married, things will be different?'” he wrote.
Harry and Meghan later moved into Frogmore Cottage in Windsor in early 2019 where they briefly lived with their son Prince Archie. The Duke explained their decision to move into a different royal residence was because Nott Cott was “charming but too small. And falling down around our heads,” while the bigger yet not too lavish Frogmore was “a dream come true.”
The couple reportedly spent £2.4 million – which they later refunded the taxpayer – on renovations creating a chic family home before stepping back as senior royals and moving to America.
While they made a few visits to their UK home over the past few years, Charles reportedly asked for the keys back in 2023 following the publication of Spare. Now, it is unknown where Harry stays during visits, with his chosen accommodation thought to be a hotel after flying back to the UK to see his father King Charles following his cancer diagnosis in February.
