The British royal family is facing a new chapter. Next December 4, Buckingham Palace will host its last gala dinner until at least 2027.
This event will be the state banquet for the Emir of Qatar, marking the temporary closure of the palace due to the costly refurbishment works being carried out for the residence of King Charles III.
Renovations at Buckingham Palace
Although the palace will be undergoing works, the meetings will not stop; they will just change scenery.
According to the Sunday Times, from that date on, both gala dinners and other events will be held at Windsor Castle, which is about 45 minutes from London.
The more routine audiences that usually take place in the Picture Gallery and other palace rooms will be held at St. James’s Palace.
As for King Charles III and Queen Camilla, it appears they will continue to live at Clarence House, their home since they married.
Previously, the royal household had denied rumors about their desire not to live in Buckingham, but now they prefer to talk about a “potential residential use” of the rooms that Charles III has been allocated, which will also be refurbished.
An interesting detail is that the king has decided to personally finance the refurbishment to avoid possible criticism for spending public money on a space he will hardly use.
However, the rest of the refurbishment will be paid for with public funds, impacting British taxpayers by approximately $400 million.
This expenditure was justified in 2016 by the then government, which considered it “essential” to maintain Buckingham as the epicenter of the country’s institutional life.
Since it became the official residence of the royal family under the reign of Queen Victoria, Buckingham has become the most recognizable symbol of the British monarchy, to the point that its name is used as a synonym for the institution itself.