Prince Charles may downsize the royal residency atBuckingham Palace after he's crowned king.- A source told the Mail on Sunday that the Prince of Wales planned to just keep a small apartment.
- Another source said
Balmoral ,the Queen 's favorite summer residence, could be turned into a museum.
Prince Charles is looking to downsize the 52-room royal residence at Buckingham Palace to a single apartment once he becomes king, a source told the Mail on Sunday's Kate Mansey.
According to the anonymous source, whom the Mail on Sunday described as a "friend of Charles," he plans to continue having a royal accommodation at the palace, but it would be a far cry from what the Queen, 95, has in place.
"It will be a much more modest flat-above-the-shop situation akin to that of the prime minister at Downing Street," the source told the Mail on Sunday.
They added that Charles, 72, and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were both "very practical" people but that they were aware that if they had no living quarters at Buckingham Palace, it would turn into a full-blown tourist destination like Hampton Court Palace, once home to King Henry VIII.
The source said the "central point" that Charles was debating, along with advice from his courtiers, was how to manage the royal residences "when the Queen is no longer here" and how much access the public should be given.
"The Prince of Wales strongly believes that these places have got to deliver something for the public beyond just being somewhere for members of the royal family to live," they said. "Everything is seen through the lens of the question: 'What value is this offering to the public?'"
The source added: "Everybody recognizes it makes no sense to run so many residences but if you give them up entirely you will never get them back when Prince George and the younger
Buckingham Palace declined to provide a comment to Insider regarding the report published by the Mail on Sunday.
A second source who spoke with the publication also said there was "talk" about a plan to convert part of the Queen's beloved Balmoral estate into a museum in her honor once Charles assumes the crown. Insider's Mikhaila Friel previously wrote that the residence was one of the few properties still owned by the family, not the crown.
The luxurious 50,000-acre estate in the Scottish Highlands is a favorite of the Queen, who traditionally vacations there each summer. It's also where her late husband, Prince Philip, proposed to her in July 1947, Vanity Fair reported.
In the Mail on Sunday report, a source also told the publication that there was discussion of moving Prince William and Kate Middleton from their residence at Kensington Palace to Windsor Castle.
Questions about the future of royal residencies across the UK coincide with reports that Charles is considering a radical restructuring of the British monarchy, including "slimming of the line of succession in the monarchy" to just eight senior working royals.
Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator, told Insider that there "has always been speculation as to how things will change when Charles ascends the throne."
"He has been closely identified with the concept of a 'slimmed-down monarchy,' though what that will mean in practice, given the royal family's links with some 3,000 institutions, is unclear," Fitzwilliams said. "There were even rumors that he would not take up residence in Buckingham Palace."
Fitzwilliams added: "How he will handle matters regarding the different royal residences is unclear.
"It is impossible to know how much credence to give this report. One thing is clear, after the £369 million refurbishment of Buckingham Palace, the world's most famous royal residence, the royal family have a priceless asset."