Imagine living near the Queen, or the Prince of Wales?
You’d probably be forgiven for thinking that having the royal family as your neighbours is an unachievable dream – but it’s actually not out of reach at all.
And, according to our survey of more than 1,000 people, 22% would be willing to pay more for a home if a member of the royal family lived nearby, while 21% would pay more in rent to live near a royal.
Not only that, but having a home close to a royal residence could add as much as 63% to the value of your property, according to research.
We’ve worked out the average price of a property near to some of the best-known royal homes in the UK…
Where do the royal family live?
The royal family have a host of residences spread across the UK, including:
- Anmer Hall
- Buckingham Palace
- St James’s Palace
- Clarence House
- Frogmore Cottage
- Gatcombe Park
- Highgrove House
- Kensington Palace
- Nottingham Cottage (on the grounds of Kensington Palace)
- Windsor Castle
- Hillsborough Castle
- Palace of Holyroodhouse
- Balmoral Castle
1. Anmer Hall
Anmer Hall was built in the 19th century and is leased by the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
Previously lived in by the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Anmer Hall is now the country retreat of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – having been passed to the couple as a wedding gift by Queen Elizabeth II in 2013.
Where is it?
Anmer Hall is a Georgian property located on the Sandringham Estate, Norfolk.
What’s the postcode?
Anmer Hall sits in the PE31 postcode, north east of King’s Lynn and close to the River Great Ouse and Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
How much is a property near Anmer Hall?
Properties in the same postcode as Anmer Hall cost £280,307 on average – only just above the UK national average.
2. Buckingham Palace
The most famous of all royal residences, Buckingham Palace is visited by more than a million people every year.
The palace is the Queen’s primary residence, but it’s also lived in by Prince Andrew, the Duke of York and Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
Such is the popularity of the Queen, 26% of people in our survey would be prepared to pay more for a property close to one of the monarch’s main residences.
Where is it?
Buckingham Palace is in central London, located in the City of Westminster.
What’s the postcode?
Buckingham Palace sits in the SW1A postcode – one of London’s most prestigious areas.
How much is a property near Buckingham Palace?
Buying a property
within the SW1A postcode will cost you £4,409,813 on average.
3. St James’s Palace
Built by Henry VIII in the 1500s, St James’s Palace is home to Princess Anne, Princess Beatrice, and the Queen’s first cousin, Princess Alexandra of Kent.
Where is it?
St James’s Palace is situated close to Buckingham Palace in central London, between St James’s Park and Green Park.
What’s the postcode?
Like Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace sits in the SW1A central London postcode area.
How much is a property near St James’s Palace?
The average cost of a property close to St James’s Palace is £4,409,813.
4. Clarence House
Clarence House is steeped in history and was once the private residence of Princess Elizabeth, the current Queen Elizabeth II.
Now lived in by the Charles, the Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Clarence House was the residence of Charles’s sons, William and Harry, between 2003 and 2011.
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, also lived at Clarence House from 1953 until 2002.
Where is it?
Clarence House is located alongside St James’s Palace, between Green Park and St James’s Park in central London.
What’s the postcode?
Clarence House has the same postcode at both Buckingham Palace and St James’s Palace –SW1A.
How much is a property near Clarence House?
Properties close to Clarence House cost £4,409,813 on average.
5. Frogmore Cottage
The former home of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Frogmore Cottage is now lived in by Princess Eugenie, her husband Jack, and the couple’s son August.
Built in 1801, the cottage is Grade II Listed.
Where is it?
Frogmore Cottage can be found close to Windsor Castle and the River Thames in Windsor, Berkshire.
What’s the postcode?
Like Windsor Castle, Frogmore Cottage sits in the SL4 postcode of Windsor.
How much is a property near Frogmore Cottage?
Properties close to Frogmore Cottage cost £656,137 on average.
6. Gatcombe Park
Gatcombe Park is the country home of Princess Anne, the Princess Royal.
Grade II listed, it was built in the late 18th
century and purchased by Queen Elizabeth in 1976 as a home for Princess Anne and then husband Captain Mark Phillips.
The couple’s son and daughter, Peter and Zara, also lived at Gatcombe Park until both were married.
Where is it?
Gatcombe Park is in the heart of the Cotswolds, close to Stroud and between the Gloucestershire villages of Minchinhampton and Avening.
What’s the postcode?
Gatcombe Park sits in the GL6 postcode – around six miles from Prince Charles’s country residence, Highgrove House.
How much is a property near Gatcombe Park?
Properties close to Gatcombe Park average £483,442.
8. Highgrove House
Highgrove House was privately owned until 1980, when it was purchased by the Duchy of Cornwall as a country residence for the Prince of Wales and his then wife, Princess Diana.
Highgrove is still Prince Charles’s main retreat with the Duchess of Cornwall and the property’s gardens are open to the public, with more than 30,000 visitors every year.
Where is it?
Highgrove House is located in Doughton, Gloucestershire, close to Tetbury and in the eastern part of the Cotswolds.
What’s the postcode?
Highgrove sits in the GL8 postcode.
How much is a property near Highgrove House?
On average, properties close to Highgrove House in the GL8 area cost £394,232.
9. Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace is best known as the home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William, his wife Kate and their children, Prince George, Prince Louis, and Princess Charlotte.
As well as the Cambridges, Kensington Palace is also the home of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.
Where is it?
Kensington Palace can be found in Kensington Gardens, west London.
What’s the postcode?
W8 is the postcode of Kensington Palace, which is part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
in London.
How much is a property near Kensington Palace?
Properties in the W8 postcode area, close to Kensington Palace, average £2,411,735.
10. Nottingham Cottage
Close to Kensington Palace and within the palace grounds, Nottingham Cottage was Prince William and Kate’s home between 2011 and 2013, before being taken on by William’s brother Harry and his wife Meghan.
Where is it?
Nottingham Cottage is in Kensington Gardens, west London, close to Kensington Palace.
What’s the postcode?
Like Kensington Palace, Nottingham Cottage sits in the West London W8 postcode area.
How much is a property near Nottingham Cottage?
The average price of a property close to Nottingham Cottage is £2,411,735.
11. Windsor Castle
Originally built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror, Windsor Castle is synonymous with the British monarchy.
Used as an entertainment venue by Queen Victoria, the castle is now the weekend retreat of Queen Elizabeth II and a venue for state visits.
Where is it?
The castle is located just outside of Windsor town centre in Berkshire, close to the River Thames.
What’s the postcode?
Windsor Castle sits in the SL4 postcode of Windsor.
How much is a property near Windsor Castle?
Properties in SL4, close to Windsor Castle, average £644,441.
12. Hillsborough Castle
Hillsborough Castle is the Queen’s official residence in Northern Ireland.
Built during the Georgian era in the 18th
century, the building is a country house rather than a castle, despite its name.
Hillsborough Castle is also the home of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, as well as a royal residence.
Where is it?
Hillsborough Castle is in County Down, Northern Ireland, south west of Belfast and Lisburn.
What’s the postcode?
The castle sits in the BT26 postcode area.
How much is a property near Hillsborough Castle?
Property close to Hillsborough Castle costs £342,520 on average.
13. Palace of Holyroodhouse
The Palace of Holyroodhouse is the Queen’s official Scottish residence, although it’s more often used for state occasions and entertaining.
The Queen, however, does spend at least a week in the palace every summer, where she carries out official engagements.
Where is it?
The Palace of Holyroodhouse is in central Edinburgh, Scotland, close to the Scottish Parliament building, Holyrood Park and Edinburgh Castle.
What’s the postcode?
Built in the 16th century, the Palace of Holyroodhouse is in the EH8 postcode area.
How much is a property near the Palace of Holyroodhouse?
Properties close to the Palace of Holyroodhouse are among the cheapest homes close to royal residences, with an average price of £246,077.
14. Balmoral Castle
Owned by Queen Elizabeth II, Balmoral Castle has been an official royal residence since 1852, when it was purchased by Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert.
The old castle purchased by Albert was demolished and the new castle opened in 1856.
The estate as a whole now covers around 50,000 acres, having been added to by the royal family over the years.
Where is it?
Balmoral Castle can be found close to the village of Crathie, around 50 miles west of Aberdeen
in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
What’s the postcode?
The castle is located in the AB35 postcode of Aberdeenshire.
How much is a property near Balmoral Castle?
Like the Palace of Holyroodhouse, average property prices close to Balmoral are among the most affordable at £230,179.
Methodology
Postcode areas of royal properties were searched on Dataloft and Zoopla to find average property values. All average values are based on 100+ sales over the last five years apart from SW1A 1 which had only 29 sales, and BT26 6, EH8 8 and AB35 5 which are average values based on an unknown number of sales over the past 12 months. Data correct as of November 2021.
