Perhaps topping the list as the largest property, The Duchy of Lancaster is a private, 45,550-acre estate owned by the royal family. The property is “an ancient body responsible for managing an investment portfolio of land, property, and financial investments” according to Duchyoflancaster.co.uk. “The Duchy’s main purpose is to provide income for the Sovereign as Duke of Lancaster, although the Sovereign is not entitled to any of the capital assets of the Duchy.”
The late Queen Elizabeth was technically the Duke, and not the Duchess because Queen Victoria believed that “Duchess” was a “courtesy title for the consort of a Duke.”
Balmoral Castle
Balmoral Castle is actually one of Scotland’s most popular vacation destinations - it includes extensive gardens, gift shops, and even cafes. This royal estate is in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and was built in 1852 after the house that used to stand on the property was deemed too small for the royal family.
It appears to be a true castle, with a huge stone keep, towers, parapets, and other classic features. The location is open during the summer months, and in just 2014 alone it attracted around seventy thousand tourists. It also hosts an annual RunBalmoral, a three-day running festival that raises money for a number of charities.
Amalienborg
Amalienborg is the home of the Danish royal family, located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is, in fact, four identical classical palace façades with rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard. It was originally built for four noble families, but when Christiansborg Palace burned in 1794, the royal family bought the palaces and moved in. Various monarchs, along with their families have resided in the four different palaces. The palaces took ten years to complete.
They are Christian VII's Palace, (originally Moltke's Palace), Christian VIII's Palace (Levetzau's Palace), Frederick VIII's Palace (Brockdorff's Palace) and Christian IX's Palace (Schack's Palace). In the center of the square in the middle of the palaces is a huge equestrian statue of Amalienborg's founder, King Frederick V.
Craigowan Lodge
In the summer months, the Balmoral Estate makes room for tourists, which means the royal family and VIP guests have to find a different place to stay. Their favorite place to lodge is Craigowan, which is built of luxurious stone and is located one mile from the rest of the castle. It houses plenty of royal members, including the late queen, in its seven bedrooms.
In the obituary of Michael Adreevich Romanoff, the highest-ranking member of the Russian Imperial family, it was revealed he and his family spent most of World War II at Craigowan. It was also one of the late Princess Diana and Charles’s favorite places to stay.
Hillsborough Castle
As both the residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and what used to be the official residence of the late Queen Elizabeth II, this 100-acre dwelling is not truly a castle but actually an 18th-century country house. The estate also hosts other members of the royal family, and it also accommodates prestigious international guests.
In addition, it’s also famous for hosting peace talks, and plenty of unbeatable garden parties. The property stayed closed for five years as an extensive $20 million renovation project, reopening in April of 2019. The stated goal was to turn the house into a place people of all ages could enjoy. Over seven hundred contractors and craftspeople worked on the project.