Prince Charles will give public greater access to royal residencies as king: Reports

Prince Charles wants people to have greater access to royal residencies when he becomes the king, reports suggest. The Prince of Wales wants parts of the royal property to be converted from “private spaces to public places”, according to a report published in the Sunday Times.

His plans include opening up Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Clarence House, Sandringham and Balmoral to the public. The next in line to the British throne also wants royal properties to be available to the public for longer periods than currently allowed.

Prince Charles is currently in talks with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cornwall in addition to other royals to implement these plans. When he becomes king, Charles would open the Buckingham Palace and its gardens to the public for the whole year.

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This may be partly due to the growing interest of the public in royal properties. In April 2021, demands for tickets for Buckingham Palace’s lawns forced the Royal Collection Trust (RCT) to halt new bookings.

The charity is responsible for organising the public walkthroughs of royal residencies. Recently, self-guided garden tours were launched and people responded with great interest, so much that the RCT was forced to suspend sales.

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Traditionally, Buckingham Palace’s rooms and exhibitions are open to public through the summer. But these viewings were cancelled for a second year in a row due to the pandemic.

Even then, self-guided garden tours will continue from July to September as planned. The public would able to roam through the lush greenery in the heart of London spread across 16 hectare (39 acre).