Buckingham Palace is one of the world’s most recognized structures, famous for its opulence and history.

It is, however, more than simply a tourist attraction; it is also the residence of several members of the royal family.

Buckingham Palace has been the official London home of the British monarchy since 1837, and it also acts as the British royal family’s corporate headquarters. The palace is the primary administrative headquarters for “The Firm,” in 2021.

The Queen and her family have a lot of space with 775 rooms and the largest private garden in the UK capital.

There are 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest beds, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, and 78 bathrooms. According to Woman and Home, the palace stands on 42 acres and  employs around 800 people, including “staff, caretakers, gardeners, chefs, and more.”

In fact, there’s so much space that, although Buckingham Palace is best known for royal meetings and events, many of the royals actually have private apartments there and use the palace as their London home base.

Who owns Buckingham Palace?

Despite being purchased by one of the Queen’s ancestors, Buckingham Palace, like other Royal Palaces, is held by the Crown Estate and therefore accessible to the current monarch in the same way as 10 Downing Street is available to the Prime Minister.

The Queen directly owns just two royal properties: Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House.

Who lives there?

Queen Elizabeth

The opulent structure became the monarch’s official, primary residence in 1837. However, Buckingham Palace is not the Queen’s primary residence.

She spends the most of her time at Windsor Castle, Balmoral, or Sandringham.

Instead, the queen often spends her working weeks at the palace, retiring to the royal apartments when she is needed to work in London.

Prince Edward and Sophie Countess of Wessex

The count and countess, as well as their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, do not live in the palace full time, but rather use it as a temporary residence in London.

Sophie and Edward are often in the city for royal responsibilities, so the pair naturally spends a lot of time in their residences there.

The pair also has offices there where they conduct royal business — and where one of their official workers would also work.

Princess Anne

Princess Anne, the Queen’s daughter, has a set of offices at Buckingham Palace, much like the Count and Countess of Wessex.

Princess Anne, on the other hand, has a private residence where she may retire in addition to her actual house.

The Princess Royal spends most of the year in Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire, a privately owned magnificent structure.

The Duke of York

Prince Andrew also resides at the palace. The Duke, like Sophie and Prince Edward, has private rooms at Buckingham Palace that he utilizes while he is in London for business or pleasure.

The Very First Resident

Queen Victoria

In 1837, Queen Victoria became the first sovereign to govern from Buckingham Palace. The Queen’s marriage to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1840 established Buckingham Palace as a royal family residence as well as a venue for entertaining and official business. Over the course of 20 years, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert turned the Palace into the heart of a vibrant, cosmopolitan court.

Apart from State events, entertainment in the Palace came to a halt after Prince Albert’s tragic death in 1861. After her husband’s death, Queen Victoria remained away from Buckingham Palace for extended periods of time, and towards the conclusion of her reign in 1901, the Palace had started to appear neglected.