Royal London: Clarence House
Visit the London Home of Prince Charles and Camilla this Summer
© Mike Gerrard



Clarence House, the London home of Prince Charles and Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall, as well as Prince William and Prince Harry, is open for private visits in summer

Many London visitors know that you can tour Buckingham Palace in the summer months, when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is not in residence. What is less well-known is that if you are interested in Royal London you can also make a private visit to Clarence House, the home of Prince Charles, The Duchess of Cornwall, and the young royal princes, Prince William and Prince Harry.

Clarence House has been the official residence of Prince Charles and his family since 2002. Prior to this it was the home of Prince Charles's beloved grandmother, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who had lived there since 1953. It has been a royal London home for over 170 years.

Visitors to Clarence House are shown around the five ground floor rooms where Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall hold their official engagements and receive their visitors from all over the world. Although Prince Charles gave Clarence House a major refurbishment before he moved in, many of the items have stayed much the same as they were when the Queen Mother lived there.

*

CLARENCE HOUSE ART COLLECTION
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was a great collector of furniture and art, and some of the highlights of her private art collection can be seen. These include paintings by Augustus John, WS Sickert, John Piper and Graham Sutherland.

*

CLARENCE HOUSE: HISTORY
Clarence House was built from 1825-7 for Prince William Henry, the third son of King George III. The house was designed by John Nash, the renowned architect who also turned Buckingham House into Buckingham Palace at about the same time, and whose other work included Marble Arch, Trafalgar Square, the Haymarket Theatre and, in Brighton, the Royal Pavilion.

When King George IV died in 1830, Prince William Henry became King William IV, but remained living at Clarence House until he died in 1937. The house remained a royal residence for various people over the years, though during World War II it was made available for use by the British Red Cross and the Order of St John of Jerusalem.

Clarence House became a royal London residence again when the then Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth II, moved in with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, in June 1949. Prince Charles had already been born, but Princess Anne was born in Clarence House in August 1950. It became home to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother when Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II and moved into Buckingham Palace.

*

ROYAL LONDON: CLARENCE HOUSE OPENING TIMES
Clarence House is open from 1 August through to 30 September 2007, from 10am-5.30pm (last admission 4.30pm). Admission is by pre-booked, timed guided tour only. Note that tours of Clarence House will start promptly at the time on your ticket, and late arrivals will not be admitted.

*

ROYAL LONDON: CLARENCE HOUSE ADMISSION PRICES
Admission to Clarence House for 2007 is £7.50 for adults, £4 for under-17s and free for under-5s

*

ROYAL LONDON: CLARENCE HOUSE CONTACT DETAILS
Clarence House is on the north side of The Mall, near the junction with Stable Yard Road.

Clarence House

St James's Palace

London SW1 1BA

Nearest tube: Green Park or St James's Park

*

ROYAL LONDON: CLARENCE HOUSE BOOKING DETAILS
To book tickets use this email link.

*



The copyright of the article Royal London: Clarence House in England Travel is owned by Mike Gerrard. Permission to republish Royal London: Clarence House in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.



Clarence House, London
Morning Room, Clarence House, London