King Charles III will not live at Buckingham Palace after its costly refurbishment

Britain's King Charles III salutes the troops outside Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour, the King's annual birthday parade, in London, Saturday, June 13, 2026. Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP hide caption toggle caption Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP LONDON — King Charles III will not live at Buckingham Palace after the completion of a 10-year, 369 million-pound ($487 million) refurbishment program as the monarchy seeks to increase public access to the historic building that has been the center of royal life for almost 200 years. Royal officials stressed that the king and Queen Camilla would continue to work out of the palace, which will remain "the ceremonial and operational center" of the monarchy. But for the rest of Charles' reign, the king and queen will remain in nearby Clarence House. "It is and will remain Monarchy HQ, the crown jewel of our national buildings," said James Chalmers, the senior royal official responsible for managing the king's financial affairs. The decision was announced Thursday during a briefing on royal finances at which Charles became the first British monarch to reveal the taxes he paid to the government. The king paid 12.9 million pounds ($16.1 million) in income and capital gains taxes in the 2024-25 financial year, up from 11.7 million pounds the previous year. …