Something that defines the Royal Family is the number of castles, palaces and stately homes they're lucky enough to have the keys to.
Whether it's Buckingham Palace, Sandringham or Kensington Palace, the royals have an impressive selection of private and public homes around the country.
While Her Majesty notably has a soft spot for the Windsor Estate in Berkshire, she has many homes that hold a number of treasured memories.
Many people may believe that the most senior royal palace in London is Buckingham Palace as it has been an official residence of the monarch since King George III's reign - however that isn't the case.
Despite Buckingham Palace's 775 rooms and iconic reputation as the centre for public celebrations and commiserations, it is nearby St James's Palace which is considered to be the highest ranking royal home.
While the red brick palace has links that stretch back to the times of King Henry VIII, the current Queen has never called it home - but many of her relatives have and continue to do so.
St James's Palace was built by order of King Henry VIII in the 1530s and was considered as the second most important London residence by most Tudor and Stuart monarchs.
In first place was the Palace of Whitehall which was destroyed by a devastating fire in 1698.
St James’s Palace was used increasingly by the Georgian monarchs and was considered as the official and ceremonial home of the monarch.
Yet, it was once again side-lined when Buckingham Palace became the principal royal residence in 1837. Both King George I and King George II used the palace as their principal residence in London and housed their mistresses there.
King George III, however, found St James’s too small and instead favoured his new home, Buckingham House (later Buckingham Palace) and Windsor Castle.
The tradition set by George III was formalised by Queen Victoria in 1837 whereby the official residence of the monarch was Buckingham Palace and St James’s would be used for formal occasions and public audiences.
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The royal website explains that it was a "residence of Kings and Queens of England for over 300 years until the reign of Queen Victoria". The site also touches on the importance of the home as it is where "the accession of a new Sovereign" takes place.
The Queen herself has never lived at St James's Palace as she made her family home at Clarence House before the sudden death of her father in 1952.
It is thought that the current residents of the palace include Princess Anne, Princess Alexandra and Princess Beatrice. The official offices of The Prince of Wales are also located there.
Famous events that have taken place there include the weddings of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and the union of King George V and Queen Mary (then The Duke and Duchess of York). Several royal christenings have also taken place at the palace, including those of Prince George (October 23, 2013) and his younger brother Prince Louis’s (July 9, 2018).
