The King will never live at Buckingham Palace.
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King → live → Palace
What does that mean for the monarchy?
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that → mean → monarchy
London landmark will remain a ceremonial and working headquarters
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landmark → remain → ?
Hello, royal watchers and all those intrigued by what's going on inside the House of Windsor.
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what → intrigue → Windsor
For quite a while now, it's been clear that King Charles is quite happy living at Clarence House and has little interest in moving out of that stately home and going down the road to reside in Buckingham Palace.
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Charles → live → Palace
So it was perhaps not a huge surprise when word emerged that he would never live in that historic central London landmark — even though in ways it has become the most high-profile and visible symbol of the monarchy itself.
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it → emerge → monarchy
While there have been efforts to emphasize that the palace will continue to be the working and ceremonial headquarters of the monarchy, the confirmation that the King won't be living there could also be sending signals about the institution and its future.
uncertain
King → emphasize → institution
"It's a real shift away from what we expect from the monarchy and … it's an example of perhaps slimming down," Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert and lecturer in law at Royal Holloway, University of London, said in an interview.
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Prescott → expect → interview
With fewer senior members of the Royal Family, there is perhaps a move to start to "rationalize some of the properties," he said.
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he → be → properties
The shift in emphasis for the palace could also be a harbinger of a more subtle but noteworthy shift in focus for the House of Windsor as the monarchy, an institution steeped in tradition, tries to fortify its relevance in a modern world.
uncertain
monarchy → steep → world
"The King will, in effect, use Buckingham Palace … as his office and in a sense go to work every day," said Prescott, who sees it as part of a potential distinction emerging between the institution of the monarchy and the person who holds the role of monarch at any given time, effectively becoming a custodian.
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who → use → time
"There seems to be a shift, which perhaps is more modern thinking, because with Elizabeth II, she was the monarchy — the two were totally sort of one in the same, whereas perhaps we're teasing out a distinction between the monarchy and the monarch at any particular time."
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we → seem → time
Buckingham Palace was built in 1703 and converted into a royal palace in the 1820s.
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Palace → build → 1820s
While it had been the home of every monarch from Queen Victoria up to Elizabeth, no monarch had actually lived there since the COVID-19 pandemic.
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monarch → live → pandemic
At that time, Elizabeth moved to Windsor Castle, just as a 10-year, 369-million-pound ($692 million Cdn) refurbishment project at the palace was also underway.
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project → move → palace
When Charles started his cancer treatment in 2024, there were also some advantages to the royal residence and the royal office being in separate places, Toronto-based royal historian Carolyn Harris said in an interview.
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Harris → start → interview
"At a time when there was an enormous amount of concern about King Charles III's health and the aftermath of his cancer diagnosis, the fact that he had a short commute from Clarence House to Buckingham Palace had the effect of keeping him in the public eye without a need for formal public occasions," she said.
"
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she → be → occasions
Some of the symbolism that came out of that moment might also have informed this decision."
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that → come → decision
A shift in royal residences has precedents.
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shift → have → precedents
"There have been many periods where an established royal residence that seemed as though it would always be a royal residence — it didn't necessarily suit the needs of the next dynasty or the next generation in the Royal Family," said Harris.
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Harris → establish → Family
"George III refused to live at Hampton Court, which had been a royal residence all the way from Henry VIII to his grandfather George II, because he didn't have good memories of that palace.
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he → refuse → palace
He remembered his grandfather … boxing his ears there.
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grandfather → remember → ears
Still, the move away from the monarch calling Buckingham Palace home feels significant.
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move → call → Palace
"In the 21st century, this is being treated as a seminal moment as Buckingham Palace is so closely associated with the Royal Family today that we sometimes forget about palaces that no longer exist or mostly no longer exist, such as Whitehall or Greenwich, [which] were at one time the centre of royal power," said Harris.
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Harris → treat → power
With the monarch no longer living at Buckingham Palace, it remains to be seen what effect — if any — that will have on public perceptions of the monarchy.
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that → live → monarchy
"So many people — when they visit London, [they] visit Buckingham Palace and peer through the gates, watch the changing of the guard … always hoping they might catch a glimpse of a member of the Royal Family," said Harris.
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Harris → visit → Family
"So it'll be interesting to see if what Buckingham Palace symbolizes transcends whether there are royalty in residence or not, or whether we see … more interest in some of the other royal residences."
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we → see → residences
Harris isn't writing off Buckingham Palace just yet.
"
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Harris → write → Palace
I think Buckingham Palace's name recognition, its appeal as a tourist destination, I think there's still going to be a lot of interest."
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I → think → interest
An 'unusual' royal phone call with Canada
As far as royal phone calls go, there don't seem to be many precedents — at least not any calls that get public attention drawn to them.
After Prince William and Prime Minister Mark Carney were on the phone together the other day, their spokespeople let it be known they'd had a chat.
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they → go → chat
The Prime Minister's Office didn't share any details of what they talked about, but a Kensington Palace spokesperson said the heir to the throne "discussed the enduring strength of the U.K.-Canada relationship" with Carney.
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heir → share → Carney
William also expressed his "longstanding affection for Canada and its people," the spokesperson said.
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spokesperson → express → Canada
The call "certainly seems to be unusual," royal historian Justin Vovk said via email.
"
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Vovk → seem → email
In most situations like this, the prime minister would be speaking directly with the King as sovereign."
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minister → speak → King
It's also rather unusual that the PMO would release a statement announcing that a phone call had taken place and then provide no details of what was discussed, Vovk said.
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Vovk → release → details
"We know that William will not speak about the conversation, so without more information, we have to assume that the PMO disclosed this conversation as an optics exercise and a reminder that Canada maintains close ties with the United Kingdom in no small part because of our shared monarchy."
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Canada → know → monarchy
The call, says Harris, shows that William's diplomatic role is expanding and he's building a "strong rapport" with political figures in the Commonwealth realms along with the United Kingdom.
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he → say → Kingdom
Harris also noted the public reference to William's feelings toward Canada, a country he first visited as a child with his parents and younger brother, going up the CN Tower in Toronto and visiting Niagara Falls.
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he → note → Falls
Canada was the first country William and Catherine visited as a married couple and during this visit William quoted his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1939, who stated: 'Canada made us.'
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Canada → visit → us
"
Traditionally, Harris said via email, the heir to the throne has built relationships with Commonwealth prime ministers through royal tours and official engagements.
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heir → say → tours
…and 24 more, not listed.
The Aporia
