King Charles owns an incredible palace in London, but he has never lived there. Even more fascinating, no royal has lived there for over 250 years.
His Majesty has an impressive property portfolio which stretches the length and breadth of the British Isles with Tamarisk House on the Isles to Scilly to the Castle of Mey in Scotland.
The last monarch to call this iconic London palace one of their homes was King George II, whose reign ended 265 years ago.
King George II and Queen Caroline used Hampton Court Palace often after becoming king in 1727 before leaving in 1737.
Hampton Court Palace’s history dates even further back to the Tudors and Henry VIII, who brought all six of his wives to the Grade I-listed palace, which stands next to the River Thames.
The Tudor monarch expanded the palace and included a few personal touches to impress his second wife, Anne Boleyn, including interwoven H and As carved into the stone work.
Hampton Court Palace says Henry VIII used it to demonstrate magnificence and power in every possible way, through lavish banquets, extravagant court life and expensive art featuring pieces by Rembrandt, Caravaggio and van Dyck.
Hampton Court Castle has been through an immense journey over the centuries. The oldest parts, including the Chapel, date all the way back to 1427.
Even to this day the palace remains cherished as a key historic site and is now run by Historic Royal Palaces and welcomes thousands of guests each year.
It often serves as a filming location, having featured in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Belgravia and Netflix‘s Bridgerton.
Today visitors to the palace, located in East Molesey, can explore 60 acres of magnificent gardens and the popular Magic Garden adventure playground. Visitors can also marvel at the lavishly decorated State Rooms and Apartments and see the sprawling Tudor kitchens that once produced more than 800 meals a day for the hungry household of Henry VIII.
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