Where Do the Royals Reside? This Handy Guide Will Tell You Who Lives in Which Palace

Royal relatives have inhabited the stately Buckingham Palace for centuries, and it has been the official London residence of the sovereign since 1837. As a 10-year-old princess in 1936, Elizabeth moved into the palace with her family when her father, George VI, became king — and since her own reign began in 1952, the queen has worked there, too.

Buckingham Palace boasts 775 rooms and functions as a home, office, art gallery, and year-round tourist attraction. It also serves as the site of many official visits with world leaders and a celebratory space for the royal family. We often see the entire brood step out onto Buckingham's famous balcony for Trooping the Colour, as well as after big royal weddings!

Kate and Will officially moved into apartment 1A full-time after spending a few years living the country life at Anmer Hall on the queen's Sandringham Estate. It may have been Kate's first time living there, but Kensington Palace was actually where Will grew up and where his late mother, Princess Diana, lived after her divorce until her death in 1997. Before that, apartment 1A was also Princess Margaret's living quarters.

Another royal live-work space, Kate and Will's apartment has served as a fun meeting spot for famous visitors like Michelle and Barack Obama, seen here in April 2016 with Will, Kate, Prince George, and Prince Harry. And being on the grounds of Kensington means having plenty of royal neighbors around, including the queen's cousins the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.

Much like Buckingham, the 17th-century Kensington Palace is also steeped in history. The queen's grandmother, Queen Mary, was born there in 1867, and it's where Prince Philip stayed in 1947 before marrying Elizabeth. Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones moved into Apartment 10 after their wedding in 1960, and Princess Diana moved into the combined Apartments 8 and 9 at Kensington after marrying Prince Charles in 1981.

Diana was only 20 years old at the time, and was given the fun task of redecorating three floors of rooms with the help of an interior designer. It was where she and Charles brought both of their sons home from the hospital, and even after their messy divorce, Diana was allowed to keep her apartment at Kensington as "a central and secure home" for her and her boys. Upon Diana's death in August 1997, mourners from around the world placed flowers and notes outside the palace that eventually stretched five feet deep. Her funeral was held a week later, and the procession began outside of Kensington Palace, leading through the streets of London and ending at Althorp, where she was laid to rest.

After their parents' divorce, Harry and his brother moved into Prince Charles's quarters at St. James's Palace, then on to military barracks and college dorm rooms. When they came of age and required their own official London residence, both boys moved back to Kensington Palace, where they spent much of their early childhood with Princess Diana (no word on whether Harry brought along his photo of Halle Berry).

While Will lives with his family in apartment 1A, Harry took over the nearby Nottingham Cottage, a modern two-bedroom starter home on the Kensington property. It's where Meghan Markle secretly stayed while she and Harry were dating, and she officially moved into the cottage after their engagement in 2017 (which was marked with a photo call in the Sunken Garden, one of Princess Diana's favorite places to spend time).

In April 2019, just weeks before giving birth to their son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, Meghan and Harry moved into Frogmore Cottage, located on the Windsor Estate and about an hour's drive from their previous digs in London. The two-story home was gifted to the couple by Queen Elizabeth II, and is also near Frogmore House, where Harry and Meghan shot their engagement photos and also held their wedding reception in May 2018. According to reports, the property underwent "a large refurbishment to turn it back from staff accommodation to a family home" before Meghan and Harry settled in.

Clarence House is situated on The Mall and attached to St. James's Palace. Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother called Clarence House her home from 1953 up until her death in 2002. After massive renovations, it became the official London residence of Prince Charles and his second wife, Camilla Parker Bowles.

The most senior royal palace, St. James's serves as the official residence of a handful of minor royal family members including Princess Beatrice. Official receptions and charity events are often held there, and St. James's is also a popular spot for royal engagement announcements — Prince William and Kate Middleton held their first photo call there, as did Prince Edward and his now-wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

Also on the grounds is the Chapel Royal, where Prince George and Prince Louis's christenings were recently held. Beatrice was baptized there in December 1988, four months after her birth.

Princess Eugenie lived with her older sister Beatrice in a four-bedroom apartment at St. James's Palace until May 2018, when she and her now-husband Jack Brooksbank moved to Ivy Cottage on the Kensington Palace grounds. She was close neighbors with her cousin Prince Harry before he and Meghan Markle moved to Windsor.

The queen's thirdborn resides near his parents at Buckingham Palace, which is also where he was born in 1960. He also splits his time at Royal Lodge, which is located in Windsor Great Park. It was also the private residence of the Queen Mother, and was gifted to Andrew in 2003.

Prince Edward and his wife Sophie spend most of their time at their family home in Bagshot Park, Surrey, with their daughter and son. While Bagshot is their privately leased home, their official London residence is Buckingham Palace.