King Charles will never live at Buckingham Palace despite £369m taxpayer

Key Points:

• King Charles will continue to reside at Clarence House rather than Buckingham Palace, despite the £369 million taxpayer-funded refurbishment of the palace, ending nearly 200 years of monarchs living there since Queen Victoria.
• Buckingham Palace will remain the operational center for royal duties, hosting state visits and public events, but Charles and Queen Camilla will maintain their primary residence at Clarence House, alongside homes in Scotland, Gloucestershire, Norfolk, and Windsor Castle.
• The Sovereign Grant funding for the monarchy is set to nearly double to £100 million annually by 2027-28, partly to cover maintenance, cybersecurity, and energy-efficient upgrades at royal residences, amid criticism over royal expenses and calls for greater financial transparency.
• Prince William has become wealthier than King Charles through the Duchy of Cornwall, and has pledged to return rental income from Dartmoor Prison to local community regeneration; he and the Princess of Wales have also moved to a new Windsor estate home, with no plans to live at Buckingham Palace or Kensington Palace.
• The royal household reported a 54% female workforce and a low gender pay gap of 4.29%, but ethnic minority representation slightly declined to 11.9%, below the long-term target aligned with UK census data.