Clarence House is a royal residence on The Mall in the

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a London borough with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in Greater London, England. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It contains a large par ...

, London. It was built in 1825–1827, adjacent to

St James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, England. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster. Although no longer the principal residence ...

, for the royal Duke of Clarence, the future King William IV. The four-storey house is faced in pale render. Over the years, it has undergone much extensive remodelling and reconstruction, most notably after being heavily damaged in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

by enemy bombing during

The Blitz The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...

. Little remains of the original structure designed by John Nash. It is

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

on the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, ...

. The house is open to visitors for about one month each summer, usually in August. Clarence House serves as the London residence of King

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

and

Queen Camilla Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. Camilla was raised in East ...

. It has been Charles's residence since 2003. From 1953 until 2002 it was home to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and before her, it was the official home of her daughter, Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

History

The house was built between 1825 and 1827 to a design by John Nash. It was commissioned by the Duke of Clarence, who in 1830 became King William IV of the United Kingdom (reigned 1830–1837). He moved there in preference to the adjoining

, an antiquated Tudor building which he found too cramped. When he became king, he remained at Clarence House, in preference to

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

, and had John Nash create a direct passageway into the State Apartments of St James's Palace, where he could conduct royal business. Built on palace grounds, Clarence House faces greenspace and The Mall and is next to Stable Yard road, across which lies

Lancaster House Lancaster House (originally known as York House and then Stafford House) is a mansion on The Mall, London, The Mall in the St James's district in the West End of London. Adjacent to The Green Park, it is next to Clarence House and St James ...

. From William IV, the house passed to his sister Princess Augusta Sophia, and, following her death in 1840, to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

's mother, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duchess of Kent. In 1866 it became the London home of Queen Victoria's second son, Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (also

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a substantive title that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not pr ...

), until his death in 1900. Queen Victoria's third son,

Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (Arthur William Patrick Albert; 1 May 185016 January 1942) was the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He served as Gove ...

, used the house from 1900 until his death in 1942. During his tenure, for a brief period in the 1930s, it was the location of the library of the School of Oriental and African Studies, until all universities in London were evacuated in 1939 and the school temporarily relocated to

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Clarence House suffered damage by enemy bombing during

the Blitz The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...

(1940–1941). Following the death of the Duke of Connaught in 1942, it was used by the

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

and the

St John Ambulance St John Ambulance is an affiliated movement of charitable organisations in mostly Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries which provide first aid education and consumables and emergency medical services. St John organisations are primari ...

Brigade as their headquarters during the rest of World War II. After their marriage in 1947, it became the residence of Princess Elizabeth and her husband, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Their daughter,

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...

, was born there in August 1950. Princess Elizabeth acceded to the throne as Queen Elizabeth II in 1952 and moved to Buckingham Palace the following year; her mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and sister,

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II. ...

, moved into Clarence House. Princess Margaret later moved into an apartment in Kensington Palace following her marriage in 1960, whilst the Queen Mother remained in residence at Clarence House until her death in March 2002. Charles, at that time Prince of Wales, took up residence in 2003. Clarence House was also the official residence of Prince William from 2003 until April 2011, and of Prince Harry from 2003 until March 2012. Currently, Clarence House is the London residence of King

and his wife,

. They intend to continue to use Clarence House as their London home until at least 2027 during renovations to

. Buckingham Palace will remain the administrative headquarters for the monarchy and the location of state events during this time. Tenants of Clarence House * King William IV and Queen Adelaide (1827–1837) * The Duchess of Kent and Strathearn (1841–1861) * Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, and Maria, Duchess of Edinburgh (1866–1900) * Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, and Princess Louise, Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn (1901–1942) * Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1947–1952) * Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1953–2002) * Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (1953–1960) * King Charles III and Queen Camilla (2003–present) * Prince William of Wales (2003–2011) * Prince Harry of Wales (2003–2012)

References

External links

Clarence House
at the Royal Family website
Clarence House
at The Royal Collection – Visitor Information
Clarence House
Official website of the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

{{Authority control Houses in the City of Westminster Historic house museums in London Museums in the City of Westminster Royal buildings in London Royal residences in the United Kingdom Grade I listed houses in London Grade I listed buildings in the City of Westminster Houses completed in 1827 1827 architecture 1827 establishments in England John Nash (architect) buildings Neoclassical architecture in London Buildings and structures on The Mall, London Regency architecture in Westminster William IV Royal residences in the City of Westminster Townhouses in the United Kingdom