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Why does the Queen travel so much? Why does she need to have so many residences, which are costly and high in maintenance? And what are the functions of the many different palaces and castles she has? Grab your mug and find out about these questions as we take you through the Queen’s busy and gripping itinerary through the year. Before we get there, we take a look into the past to understand why the Queen needs to travel and stay at different castles and palaces throughout the year.

Past: Itinerant court (travelling kingdom)

Back in the Middle Ages it was paramount for European monarchs to travel and thus insure their power and be a known face in their kingdoms. Their subjects barely had any idea of how their king or queen looked like in real life. The only images available were either embellished larger- than- life portraits like Henry VIII.’s example below or their faces on coins (if at all). Another main reason for the kings and queens to travel and stay at various different places was to exert control over their realms and to strengthen national ties.

Today

Queen Elizabeth doesn’t have to travel anything near that much, because she belongs to the most photographed and well-known monarchs in the world. Nonetheless, she travels her kingdom to uphold that long cherished tradition. In doing so, she credits the countries of her kingdom and swiftly marks them as part of her realms with each and every prolonged stay.

Here you can see the Queen at Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Each year, the Queen spends one week there for what is called “Holyroodweek”. Once there, the Queen has a packed schedule meeting dignitaries, politicians and mingling with Scottish citizens on a garden party. After the usually very busy week, the Queen and the key courtiers of her royal household move further north to Balmoral Castle, where she spends her much anticipated summer break.

The Queen’s residences

The Queen calls 23 royal residences to her name. But there is one thing to know here: Some of the impressive homes and estates belong to the Crown, like for example Buckingham Palace. Other homes, however, are privately owned, like Balmoral Castle. Here is an overview of The Queen’s residences:

• Buckingham Palace (Crown)
• Windsor Castle (Crown)
• Palace of Holyroodhouse (Crown)
• Hillsborough Castle (Crown)
• Sandringham Castle (private)
• Balmoral Castle (private)
• Craigowan Lodge (private)
• Clarence House (Crown)
• Highgrove House (Crown)
• Llwynywermod (Crown)
• Tamarisk (Crown)
• Birkhall (private)
• Kensington Palace (Crown)
• Anmer Hall (private)
• Frogmore Cottage (Crown)
• St. James’s Palace (Crown)
• Gatcombe Park (private)
• The Royal Lodge (Crown)
• Ivy Cottage (Crown)
• Bagshot Park (Crown)
• Barnwell Manor (private)
• Wren House (Crown)
• Thatched House Lodge (Crown)

Some of the homes were given to her children, grandchildren and cousins who were granted lifelong residential rights. The Queen’s youngest son Edward, for example, is one of them. He, together with his family, lives in Bagshot Park in Surrey.

The Queen’s itinerary

Few things are as clear and fixed as the Queen’s itinerary stays throughout the year. The Queen wouldn’t change it for anything in the world and her royal household routinely prepares everything for a swift move of the royal court from one residence to another. In the infographic below you can see the Queen’s key royal residences and the time of year she spends there in residence. Scroll further down to find out more about her royal homes.

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Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace serves as the Crown’s administrative headquarters and is the undisputed number 1 on the list. Ever since 1837, Buckingham Palace has been the official royal residence of the British sovereign. The total number of the rooms is 775, allegedly all known to and inspected by the Queen. The Queen knows that particular palace like the back of her hand, having lived there almost all her life.

Buckingham Palace boasts 19 state rooms, 92 offices, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms and 78 bathrooms. The biggest and probably the most iconic (state) room is the ballroom which is 36.6m long, 18m wide and 13.5m high.

When in residence, the royal standard can be seen flying on top of Buckingham Palace. State visits, receptions, weddings and award ceremonies are usually being held here. A favourite motive each year is when the royal family and their extended members can be seen on the balcony waving at the crowds and watching the spectacular Royal Air Force fly-past for the Trooping of the Colour parade.

Windsor Castle

The Queen is said to prefer Windsor Castle over Buckingham Palace because its greener surroundings and much quieter atmosphere suit the Queen more. Whenever she can, the Queen and her most trusted courtiers leave the hoopla of central London for Windsor, which is a mere 45 min drive away from London.

The Queen sometimes uses a helicopter to get there as fast as possible.

Easter court

Windsor Castle is also where the Queen spends one month, usually over Easter, to preside over investiture ceremonies and, again, to host politicians and dignitaries from around the world. In 2018 one of her grandsons, Prince Harry, married Meghan Markle there with the whole royal family and hundreds of guests in attendance.

In June, the royal household has to relocate again to Windsor Castle. This time for a week full of chivalry and horse races. Each June the Queen hosts lunch for one of the highest orders in her kingdom: The Knights of the Garter. This date is a cornerstone in the royal calendar as members of that Garter are no other than the Kings of Spain, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden and the Queen of Denmark as well as former (still living) Queen of the Netherlands Beatrix.

Garter Week and Ascot week go together as the Queen is in residence. Guests and tourists line up to see the Queen in one of her spectacular horse-drawn carriages making her big entrance. As with her ancestors, those images are of key importance to uphold the magic and the pomp of the Crown.

Balmoral Castle

After Garter and Ascot week, the Queen moves north to Edinburgh for Holyroodweek and then finally gets to spend her summer break at her most favorite castle in Balmoral. Here she is free from most of her royal duties and can finally enjoy the rural surroundings of the castle. She often invites family and friends over and together they go hiking, fishing, horseback riding or hunting. The Queen usually stays there from July to October. Here we can see the young Queen with her family:

We get very few images from inside Balmoral Castle as it is a private home. Most pictures are a little dated, but the interiors have hardly changed as a documentary for the Queen’s 90th birthday has revealed. The furniture as well as the carpet of the drawing room for example have remained the same over the years. In another photograph, viewers were surprised to see that the Queen had an electric heater placed inside the fireplace. On a closer look one can also see two beds for her corgis on the left hand side of the picture. Actually, that room doesn’t look too different from any other rooms of women her age.

An invitation to Balmoral is gold as one can see the Queen for what she really is. It is no secret that the Queen loves the country life and would have wanted to have lived a quiet rural life at the side of a British noble man. In Balmoral, she actually comes quite close to that. Her family members come on a rota system, except for Prince Charles who spends most of his summer up north in Balmoral. Like his mother, Prince Charles is a country person and it’s a safe bet to say that he will continue his mother’s tradition once he is king.

Sandringham Castle

Sandringham Castle is where the Queen usually spends her winter months. Located in Norfolk, 112 miles north of London, the Queen loves to spend the quiet and rough nature near the North Sea. After having spent two months in London again upon her return from Balmoral, the royal household has to pack again for Sandringham.

She stays there from Christmas until at least February 6, the day her father died. George VI. died in Sandringham in 1952. Apart from losing her beloved father that day, she also became Queen aged only 26! Elizabeth II. commemorates that turning point in her life each year by staying at least until the anniversary of her father’s death.

But Sandringham these days is known for something else actually: Each Christmas the Queen and her family attend the church service at St. Magdalene Church near Sandringham. The walk between Sandringham Castle to the church is a much anticipated one by royal fans as many onlookers line the path to get a good glimpse of the royal family. Photographers are also having a blast that day since they get to see the royals not only together but also see them interacting with each other. Who talks to whom? Who is avoiding whom? Who is walking next to each other? The next day the papers are usually filled with numerous pictures and (fabricated or embellished) stories about them.

Sandringham Castle proves to be a real challenge for the Queen’s household as the main house on the vast estates is rumored to be too small to shelter all family members, guests and staff. This happens when all family members arrive at once for Christmas. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, however, can escape the packed house by retreating to their country home Anmer Hall down the road, which was given to them by the Queen’s as a wedding present.