Marcelo OliveiraWhere do William and Kate live in London? The couple’s London base is Kensington Palace, but the family’s main residence today is Forest Lodge, in Windsor Great Park. For travelers, the distinction avoids a common mistake: neither house is an attraction, and the palace you actually visit — Buckingham — isn’t where they live.
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Where do William and Kate live today?
William and Catherine have lived at Forest Lodge, in Windsor Great Park, since the move was completed in November 2025; Kensington is their London base, not the main family residence.
The family moved with their three children to Forest Lodge, inside Windsor Great Park, on the outskirts of Windsor. The completion of the move in November 2025 was attributed to a Kensington Palace spokesperson by ABC News. Kensington Palace remains their London base for engagements and staff.
Neither address belongs on an itinerary. Forest Lodge sits in a closed-off area of the park, and the couple’s apartment at Kensington is private — what’s open to the public there are the palace’s historic rooms, tied to other periods of the monarchy. If you’re looking for royalty in London, you’ll find institution, ceremony and architecture, not anyone’s home.
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Who lives in Buckingham Palace currently?
Buckingham Palace is the official London residence and working palace of King Charles III, also used for state engagements.
The building is an office, a place for audiences, receptions and state events before it is a home. The Royal Collection Trust defines it as the King’s official residence and a working royal palace. There are 775 rooms, including 19 State Rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms, according to the Royal Family.
The association with William and Kate comes from there: from the building’s public function, not from who sleeps in it. For history and general orientation around the city, the London guide to plan your trip helps you fit the stop into your day.
Who was the first queen to live in the palace?
Queen Victoria was the first sovereign to take up residence at Buckingham Palace, in July 1837, just weeks after ascending to the throne.
Before her, the complex was Buckingham House, bought by George III and remodeled by George IV without any monarch ever officially living there. The British Royal Household records Victoria as the first sovereign to take possession of the residence, in July 1837. Her statue in front of the main gate, the Victoria Memorial, has since marked the most popular meeting point for those arriving for the Changing of the Guard.
Can you go inside Buckingham Palace?
Yes, but only in the State Rooms and only in season: in 2026 the summer opening runs from July 9 to September 27, with advance tickets at £33 per adult (Aug/2026).
In July and August it’s open daily, from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., with last entry at 5:15 p.m.; in September, Thursday to Monday, from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with last entry at 4:15 p.m. The visit is timed, goes through security screening and takes about 2 hours until the route ends in the garden. Outside the season, what’s left is the facade, the Victoria Memorial and the outdoor ceremony. Check the official calendar before buying.
Showing up just for the Changing of the Guard and assuming your ticket gets you straight in is the most common mistake: they’re two separate programs, and the outdoor ceremony doesn’t open a single door.
Tickets, price tiers, concessions, what’s visible in each wing and how to combine the Royal Mews and the King’s Gallery are detailed in the complete Buckingham Palace guide, which covers the visit itself. Here, what matters is the difference between the working palace and the family’s home.
Does Queen Elizabeth’s castle still exist? Windsor from the inside
Windsor Castle is open to visitors with adult tickets at £32 in advance or £36 on the day (Aug/2026), while Forest Lodge, on the same estate, remains closed to the public.
The two coexist inside Windsor Great Park, and the confusion is frequent. The castle is an official royal residence, welcomes visitors and includes St George’s Chapel on the route; the adult ticket costs £32 booked in advance and £36 on the day, according to the Royal Collection Trust (Aug/2026). Forest Lodge is a few kilometers away, in a closed residential area, and isn’t part of any circuit.
| Place | What it is today | Open to the public |
|---|---|---|
| Buckingham Palace | Official residence and working palace of the King | State Rooms in the summer season |
| Kensington Palace | London base of William and Catherine | Historic rooms, year-round; private apartment, no |
| Windsor Castle | Official royal residence still in use | Yes, with a ticket |
| Forest Lodge | Family home since November 2025 | No |
If you’re coming from London, you need to set aside the whole day: the journey and the visit don’t fit into the window of a Buckingham ticket. To fit other icons into your itinerary, see how to visit the Big Ben area and the London Eye.
What happened to the man who broke into the palace
Michael Fagan broke into Buckingham Palace on July 9, 1982: he climbed the railing, scaled a drainpipe to the roof and entered through an unlocked window, reaching Elizabeth II’s bedroom.
The Queen pressed the alarm bell beside the bed and, getting no response, called the palace switchboard asking for police in the room, according to the account published by Biography. Fagan wasn’t prosecuted for the break-in itself: at the time, entering someone else’s property was a civil wrong, not a crime, in the UK. He ended up tried for drinking wine from the palace and was acquitted in September of that year.
The episode explains part of what visitors encounter today. Perimeter security was rewritten after 1982, and it’s what imposes the entry check, the bag screening and the timed entry for the summer visit.
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Frequently asked questions
Can the King sell Buckingham Palace?
No. The property belongs to the Crown, held for the sovereign and their successors, and is part of the estate used for the monarchy’s official functions — it is not the private property of whoever sits on the throne.
Is there a Christmas market at Buckingham Palace?
There is no fixed Christmas market announced by Buckingham Palace. The official reference is that there are guided tours on selected dates in December, January and Easter; for December, the official calendar is the source, and the markets are in London’s neighborhoods and market squares.