Queen Elizabeth II will no longer call Buckingham Palace home: report
Queen Elizabeth II has permanently quit living in Buckingham Palace, according to a report.
The 95-year-old UK monarch, who called the palace home for most of her record-breaking 70-year reign, has decided to permanently reside in her weekend home, Windsor Castle, according to the Times of London.
The decision was based partly on an ongoing “reservicing” of the palace — but also Elizabeth’s preference for the castle, where she spent her last days with late husband Prince Philip, sources told the paper.
“Windsor is the place she loves,” one of her acquaintances, royal author and deputy lord lieutenant of Berkshire Hugo Vickers, told the UK Times.
“She has her memories with Prince Philip there, she has her ponies there and family nearby. It makes sense.”
The decision comes after a series of health scares for the Queen, who on Monday met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Windsor Castle — in her first in-person engagement since falling ill with COVID-19.
In October, she also spent a night in the hospital for an unspecified ailment, scaling back her official duties and resting afterward on doctors’ orders.
She had moved to Windsor with Philip in what was supposed to be a temporary stretch during lockdown. Philip died in April, at age 99.
The Queen is closer to key family members there, however — including her scandal-scarred middle son, Prince Andrew, who lives with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson on the Windsor estate.
Her decision means her eldest son, Prince Charles, 73, will likely be the next resident of the palace when he becomes king, the paper noted.
Charles is also known to prefer his London home, Clarence House — but has conceded that the palace should remain “monarchy HQ” once he ascends to the throne, the UK Times said, noting his plans to also allow greater public access.
On Monday, the Queen, wearing a patterned dress, greeted Trudeau at Windsor Castle without the walking stick she has been using.
Although visibly frailer, she appeared smiling and laughing after the pair shook hands.
Her eldest son and heir, Prince Charles, told members of the public on a royal visit last week that she was now feeling “a lot better.”
With Post wires
