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.
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.
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.
Osborne House
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert purchased this 342-acre estate in East Cowes, Isle of Wright, in 1845 for use as a summer vacation home, but after Queen Vic’s death in 1901, the house became the property of the state and transformed into a small, private museum in honor of the late queen.
The property went on sale in 2018 for a market price of about $701,000. Some have speculated a royal ghost haunts the halls which brought the price down from what many expected it would be but don’t take our word for it - it’s open to the public for tours.