Editing Monarchy of the United Kingdom (section)

==Residences==
[[File:Buckingham Palace aerial view 2016 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Buckingham Palace]], in London, England, is the monarch's principal residence.]]
[[File:Holyroodhouse, front view.jpg|thumb|[[Holyrood Palace]], in Edinburgh, Scotland, is the monarch's official Scottish residence.]]
{{Main|List of British royal residences}}
The sovereign's official residence in London is [[Buckingham Palace]]. It is the site of most state banquets, investitures, royal christenings and other ceremonies.<ref name="BuckinghamPalace">{{Citation |title=Buckingham Palace |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/BuckinghamPalace/BuckinghamPalace.aspx |work=Official website of the British Monarchy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327220845/http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/BuckinghamPalace/BuckinghamPalace.aspx |publisher=The Royal Household |access-date=14 July 2009 |archive-date=27 March 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Another official residence is [[Windsor Castle]], the largest occupied castle in the world,<ref name="WindsorCastle">{{Citation |title=Windsor Castle |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/WindsorCastle/WindsorCastle.aspx |work=Official website of the British Monarchy |publisher=The Royal Household |access-date=14 July 2009 |archive-date=25 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125223608/http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/WindsorCastle/WindsorCastle.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> which is used principally at weekends, Easter and during [[Ascot Racecourse|Royal Ascot]], an annual race meeting that is part of the [[social calendar]].<ref name="WindsorCastle" /> The sovereign's official residence in Scotland is the [[Palace of Holyroodhouse]] in Edinburgh. The monarch stays at Holyrood for at least one week each year, and when visiting Scotland on state occasions.<ref name="Holyroodhouse">{{Citation |title=The Palace of Holyroodhouse |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/ThePalaceofHolyroodhouse/ThePalaceofHolyroodhouse.aspx |work=Official website of the British Monarchy |publisher=The Royal Household |access-date=14 July 2009 |archive-date=15 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215211019/http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/ThePalaceofHolyroodhouse/ThePalaceofHolyroodhouse.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>

Historically, the [[Palace of Westminster]] and the [[Tower of London]] were the main residences of the English monarch until Henry VIII acquired the [[Palace of Whitehall]]. Whitehall was destroyed by fire in 1698, leading to a shift to [[St James's Palace]]. Although replaced as the monarch's primary London residence by Buckingham Palace in 1837, St James's is still the senior palace<ref name="StJamessPalace">{{Citation |title=Royal Residences: St. James's Palace |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/StJamessPalace/StJamessPalace.aspx |work=Official website of the British Monarchy |publisher=The Royal Household |access-date=14 July 2009 |archive-date=16 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116214613/http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/StJamessPalace/StJamessPalace.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> and remains the ceremonial royal residence. For example, foreign ambassadors are accredited to the [[Court of St James's]],<ref name="BuckinghamPalace" /><ref>{{Citation |title=Ambassadors credentials |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/RoyalEventsandCeremonies/Audiences/Ambassadorscredentials.aspx |work=Official website of the British Monarchy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309035640/http://www.royal.gov.uk/RoyalEventsandCeremonies/Audiences/Ambassadorscredentials.aspx |publisher=The Royal Household |access-date=14 July 2009 |archive-date=9 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and the Palace is the site of the meeting of the [[Accession Council]].<ref name=accessioncouncil/> It is also used by other members of the royal family.<ref name="StJamessPalace" />

Other residences include [[Clarence House]] and [[Kensington Palace]]. The palaces belong to the Crown; they are held in trust for future rulers and cannot be sold by the monarch.<ref>{{Citation |title=A brief history of Historic Royal Palaces |url=http://www.hrp.org.uk/aboutus/whoweare/history.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218040250/http://www.hrp.org.uk/aboutus/whoweare/history.aspx |publisher=Historic Royal Palaces |access-date=20 April 2008 |archive-date=18 December 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Sandringham House]] in Norfolk and [[Balmoral Castle]] in Aberdeenshire are privately owned by the royal family.<ref name=res/>