Charles Receives Stark Warning From Camilla’s Friend Over Royal Housing: 'It’s a Serious Mistake'
Queen Camilla's friend, Nicky Haslam, argued that merely treating Buckingham Palace as an office does not align with royal tradition.
Amid speculation that King Charles and Queen Camilla may never permanently move into Buckingham Palace, royal editor Richard Eden spoke to one of Camilla's close friends, interior designer and socialite Nicky Haslam. Haslam warned the King that remaining at Clarence House while treating Buckingham Palace merely as an office does not align with tradition. He also argued that without a reigning monarch living there, the Palace could gradually lose both its appeal and its historic significance.
In an article for the Daily Mail, Eden explained the historic importance of the Palace. He revealed that after Prime Minister Winston Churchill nudged the late Queen Elizabeth to move there, as he believed it to be a symbol of national unity, she reluctantly agreed. She lived there for most of her reign, until moving to Windsor Castle during her final years, which coincided with extensive renovations at the Palace. With this in mind, Haslam was quoted as having said, "Turning Buckingham Palace into an office is wrong. William won't use it either. It stops Buckingham Palace from being the jewel in the Crown."
Viewing through this lens, the 86-year-old designer believed that Buckingham Palace would lose its mystique to tourists if it were no longer used as a royal residence. He stressed, "If people think it's an office, they won't go there." Meanwhile, Eden noted that it was easy to see why Charles and Camilla preferred living at Clarence House, as it is a low-key, elegant home, but argued that it is their duty to move out soon. Chiming in, an insider asserted, "Buckingham Palace will be used for royal events. There will be investitures, receptions, and banquets, but the King and Queen won't sleep there."
This revelation, as Eden claimed, left him worried for the future of the Palace. He said, "The King's grandfather, George VI, and his wife, Queen Elizabeth, defied Adolf Hitler and remained at Buckingham Palace throughout the war, even during the nine occasions when German bombs fell on it. Churchill knew the symbolic power of the King being at the nation's home." Pointing out how the government spent an eyewatering $500 million from taxpayers' money for its renovation, he continued, "For King Charles to abandon it at a time of peace would be a serious mistake."
Previous reports have also alleged that Charles and Camilla were not interested in living in the mouse-infested Palace, which is currently undergoing renovation till 2027. A source told the Telegraph, "Ironically, you couldn't describe the royal living quarters at Buckingham Palace as palatial. When private citizens buy a big house, they use all of it as their living space, but at Buckingham Palace, they are confined to a small corner of quite a draughty building." While Camilla is allegedly pushing back on the move, Charles, on the other hand, "doesn't view these things as a choice; he just views it as what is done."
