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.
The Duchy of Lancaster
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.”
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.
Royal Palace of Madrid
While the Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of the Spanish royal family in the city of Madrid (go figure), it is now only used for state ceremonies. It has over 135,000 square meters of floor space, and contains a staggering three thousand, four hundred, and eighteen rooms – it is the largest functioning royal palace and the largest by floor area in Europe.
King Felipe VI and the rest of the royal family do not reside in the palace, choosing instead the significantly more modest Palace of Zarzuela on Madrid's outskirts. The current building was built between 1738 to 1755, after spending more than seven hundred years as outposts and fortresses, after suffering fires, invading armies, and numerous regime changes.
Bagshot Park
While it’s possible J.R.R. Tolkein took a little bit of naming inspiration for Bag End of Bagshot Row, The Shire, there’s nothing small or idyllic about this huge property. It’s a hunting lodge fit for a king built between 1631 and 1633 and taking up fifty-one acres of Windsor Great Park.
It’s taken several different forms over the centuries before becoming home to Prince Edward and his family. Incredibly, initial rent for the Prince’s family was only $5,600 a year, but after extensive renovations, that number skyrocketed to around a hundred thousand a year. That’s quite the upgrade.