Charles to keep Clarence House as home after palace renovation

King Charles III will keep Clarence House as his and Queen Camilla’s home after Buckingham Palace’s long renovation is finished, royal officials said Thursday, according to The Associated Press. The decision means Britain’s monarch will work from the palace but will not return it to use as his main residence.

The palace is undergoing a 10-year refurbishment priced at 369 million pounds, or about $487 million, the AP reported. Royal officials said Buckingham Palace will continue to serve as the monarchy’s ceremonial and administrative base, while the king and queen remain at nearby Clarence House for the rest of Charles’ reign.

James Chalmers, the senior royal official who oversees the king’s finances, described Buckingham Palace as “Monarchy HQ” and “the crown jewel of our national buildings,” according to the AP. Chalmers said the residence decision will allow the palace to host more events and increase visitor access.

The AP reported that Buckingham Palace already draws about 700,000 visitors a year. Royal officials have not yet laid out the full plan for broader public use after the refurbishment is completed, which is scheduled for next year.

Buckingham Palace was built in the 1820s and has been the London residence of British monarchs since Queen Victoria, the AP reported. The 775-room building also contains offices for the royal household and is used for state dinners, ceremonies and public moments centered on its balcony and the Mall.

The refurbishment began in 2017 after royal officials said the building needed major work on plumbing, electrical systems and heating, according to the AP. The project was intended to keep the palace usable for the monarchy for another half-century.

Ed Owens, author of “After Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself,” told the AP he is waiting to see whether officials present a more ambitious plan for the palace’s future. He said it would be regrettable if the building stood largely unused for much of the year.

The residence announcement came during a briefing on royal finances, where Charles disclosed how much he paid in tax, the AP reported. The AP said Charles is the first British monarch to reveal the taxes he paid to the government.

Charles paid 12.9 million pounds, or about $16.1 million, in income and capital gains taxes for the 2024-25 financial year, up from 11.7 million pounds the year before, according to the AP. The king had disclosed his personal taxes when he was Prince of Wales, but Thursday’s figures were his first since he became king after Queen Elizabeth II’s death in 2022.

The AP reported that the king pays tax on personal income, including income from the privately owned Balmoral and Sandringham estates, and on capital gains tied to asset sales. Royal assets connected to the office of monarch, including palaces, jewels and art, are separate from his personal property.

Prince William also released tax details Thursday, his office said, according to the AP. William paid 7.76 million pounds in income and capital gains taxes for 2024-25, down from 8.34 million pounds the prior year.

The AP reported that the disclosures come as the royal family seeks greater transparency after months of scrutiny over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, and his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Craig Prescott, a constitutional law and monarchy expert at Royal Holloway, University of London, told the AP that openness from the monarchy sharpens the contrast with Mountbatten-Windsor.

This story draws on original reporting from NPR.