Legend says that Gråsten Palace is where Hans Christian Anderson wrote The Little Match Girl, but the rumor is false. However, it is true that it is the summer residence of the Danish Royal Family, located in Gråsten in the Jutland region of southern Denmark.
The main house has a modern, white façade, with Venetian doors opening onto sweeping, well-kept lawns and gravel walkways – the grounds also include a huge stables court. The Royal Family took over the palace and extensively restored it in 1935. The late Queen Ingrid, prior to her death in 2000, adored the palace, and it is the usual venue for the royal family’s official summer photoshoot.
Drottningholm Palace
While the Stockholm Palace is the official state residence, the Drottningholm Palace is the private residence of the Swedish royal family, located in Drottningholm. Built on the island Lovön in the 16th century, it served as the regular summer residence for the royal court for most of the 18th century. It is also a popular tourist attraction.
The palace has gone through numerous renovations, and now include a church, completed in 1746, a theater where the Royal Swedish Opera has performed, and a Chinese pavilion built during the years 1763-1770. It also has a garden, which includes both an extensive manicured baroque garden, and a more natural, English garden with ponds, canals, bridges, large lawns and hundreds of trees.
Heckfield Place
A babymoon is a romantic getaway for parents who are preparing for a new child, usually their first. The couple relishes a few last moments as two, and get themselves ready for life’s greatest challenge. When Prince Harry and pregnant wife Meghan disappeared, they were actually only forty-five minutes from home at a five-star hotel called Heckfield Place.
They stayed for only three nights in the suite known as the Long Room, costing $13,000 a night. This “simple” suite comes equipped with a chandelier-decked bathroom, an English Oak kitchen, and a private outdoor terrace, perfect for enjoying breakfast in the sunrise.
St. James’s Palace
As one of the oldest and most historic homes the royal family has made use of, St. James’s Palace has served as the official residence of Kings and Queens for over three hundred years, up until Queen Victoria took office. It may no longer be a home, but it is a “working palace” that houses several royal families and their places of official business.
The palace hosts more than a hundred charity events a year involving royal family members. It’s also responsible for the Accession Council meetings after the death of the queen. For the first time in history, the royal family opened two bedrooms for rent, at only $22,000 a month.
Meghan Markle’s Apartment in Toronto
Suits actress Meghan Markle’s old home is up for sale, and if you happen to have an extra one and a half million dollars lying around, you can live in the two-story house Meghan and her dogs lived in while she was at work shooting the USA Network television series.
Meghan has stated there is no place like home. After getting married to Prince Harry and moving to Frogmore Cottage (which is definitely an upgrade, despite the cost of her old home), Meghan put her old life on the market. It’s a gorgeous building, and if you need the royal treatment in Toronto you won’t go wrong.