Built / Designed For: Prince William Henry, Duke of Clarence, later King William IV

House & Family History: Clarence House is beside St James's Palace and was built between 1825 and 1827 to the designs of John Nash for Prince William Henry, Duke of Clarence, who resided here as King William IV from 1830 until 1837. In 1942 the building became the headquarters of the Red Cross and St. John Ambulance Brigade. It has since been altered and enlarged twice and needed extensive restoration work following bomb damage during World War II. Three of its original stories remain, along with several mantelpieces and ceilings from the early 19th century. From 1953 until 2002 Clarence House was the London home of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. The Late Princess Margaret moved in with her mother in 1953, though she left in 1960 when she married Anthony Armstrong-Jones. The Prince of Wales lived here between the ages of one and three, when his mother (then Princess Elizabeth) and father, Prince Philip, moved to Clarence House following their marriage in 1947; when Princess Elizabeth became queen, the family moved to Buckingham Palace. In 2003, after extensive restoration work, including interiors designed by Robert Kime, Clarence House became the Prince of Wales's official London residence. The total restoration cost an estimated £5.8 million, of which £1.5 million was paid by Prince Charles, with the government picking up the balance. Like Windsor Castle, St. James's Palace, Kensington Palace, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and Buckingham Palace, Clarence House is not the personal property of the sovereign, but is owned by the crown (the government) for the use of the royal family.

Collections: A circa 1740 oval mirror, formerly in the collection at Ditchley Park, and a set of verre eglomisé chairs, circa 1790, and formerly in the collection of Preston House, Midlothian, were at Clarence House as part of the collection of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

House Listed: Grade I

Park Listed: No Park

Current Seat / Home of: King Charles III and Queen Camilla; here since 2003.

Past Seat / Home of: Prince William Henry, Duke of Clarence, later King William IV, 1827-37; Princess Augusta, 1837-40; Duchess of Kent, 1841-61; Alfred Ernest Albert, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Duke of Edinburgh, 1863-1900; Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, 1901-42; Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II), 1947-1952; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, 1953-2002.

Current Ownership Type: The Crown / Royal Family

Primary Current Ownership Use: Private Home

Ownership Details: Crown property used as the London home of the king

House Open to Public: Limited Access

Phone: 02077-667-303

Website: https://www.rct.uk/

Historic Houses Member: No