Clarence House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Clarence House |
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April 2006 image
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| General information | |
| Type | British royal residence |
| Architectural style | Regency |
| Address | The Mall |
| Town or city | London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°30′14″N 0°08′19″W / 51.5040°N 0.1385°W |
| Elevation | 16 m (52 ft) |
| Named for | William, Duke of Clarence |
| Construction started | 1825 |
| Completed | 1827 |
| Owner | King Charles III in right of the Crown |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 4 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | John Nash |
Clarence House is a special royal home in London. It is located on The Mall in the City of Westminster. This house was built between 1825 and 1827. It was made for the royal Duke of Clarence, who later became King William IV.
The house has four floors and is covered in light-colored stucco. Over the years, it has been changed a lot. A big part of it was rebuilt after it was badly damaged during World War II. This happened when bombs fell on London during a time called The Blitz. Because of this, not much of the original building designed by John Nash is left.
Clarence House is a very important historical building. It is open for visitors for about one month every summer, usually in August. Today, it is the London home of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. King Charles has lived there since 2003. Before him, his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, lived there from 1953 to 2002. Her daughter, Princess Elizabeth (who became Queen Elizabeth II), lived there before her.
The Story of Clarence House
Clarence House was built between 1825 and 1827. It was designed by a famous architect named John Nash. The Duke of Clarence asked for it to be built. He became King William IV of the United Kingdom in 1830. He preferred living in Clarence House instead of the older St James's Palace next door. He found St James's Palace too small and old-fashioned.
When he became king, William IV stayed at Clarence House. He liked it more than Buckingham Palace. He even had John Nash build a direct path from Clarence House to the State Apartments of St James's Palace. This way, he could easily go there to do his royal work. Clarence House is on royal land, facing a green area and The Mall. It is also near Stable Yard road, across from Lancaster House.
After King William IV, his sister, Princess Augusta Sophia of the United Kingdom, lived in the house. When she passed away in 1840, Queen Victoria's mother, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, moved in. In 1866, Queen Victoria's second son, Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, made it his home. He lived there until he died in 1900.
Alfred's younger brother, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, was Queen Victoria's third son. He lived in Clarence House from 1900 until he died in 1942. For a short time in the 1930s, the library of the School of Oriental and African Studies was located there. But all universities in London moved away in 1939 because of the war.
During World War II, Clarence House was damaged by bombs. This happened during The Blitz in 1940–1941. After the Duke of Connaught died in 1942, the house was used by the Red Cross and the St John Ambulance Brigade. They used it as their main office for the rest of the war.
After they got married in 1947, Princess Elizabeth and her husband, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, lived there. Their daughter, Princess Anne, was born in Clarence House in August 1950. In 1953, after her father King George VI died, Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II. She then moved to Buckingham Palace. Her mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and sister Princess Margaret moved into Clarence House.
Princess Margaret later moved to an apartment in Kensington Palace after she got married in 1960. The Queen Mother continued to live in Clarence House until she died in March 2002. King Charles, who was then Prince of Wales, moved into the house in 2003. Clarence House was also the official home of Prince William from 2003 to 2011. Prince Harry lived there from 2003 to 2012.
Today, Clarence House is the London home of King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla. They plan to keep using Clarence House as their London home for a few more years. This is because Buckingham Palace is being renovated. Buckingham Palace will still be the main office for the monarchy and where big royal events happen.
Who has lived in Clarence House?
- King William IV and Queen Adelaide (1827–1837)
- Duchess of Kent and Strathearn (1841–1861)
- Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Maria, Duchess of Edinburgh (1866–1900)
- Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn and Princess Louise, Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn (1901–1942)
- Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1947–1952)
- Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1953–2002)
- Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (1953–1960)
- Prince William of Wales (2003–2011)
- Prince Harry of Wales (2003–2012)
- King Charles III and Queen Camilla (2003–present)
See also
In Spanish: Clarence House para niños
- Birkhall – a house in Scotland that King Charles III inherited from his grandmother.
- Highgrove House – a house in Gloucestershire, England, which is another family home for King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
