Windsor Castle takes crown as ‘most Googled Royal residence’

 The results complied before yesterdays ‘intruder news’.

Windsor Castle is the most Googled Royal residence in the UK, and fetches more searches a month than Buckingham Palace, new research can reveal.

The 1,000-year-old castle, once just the weekend residence of The Queen, became Her Majesty’s full-time home during the COVID-19 pandemic, was where her husband Prince Philip passed away in April this year.

Windsor Castle, which has nearly a millennium of Royal family ties and history locked within its walls, pulls in 124,000 searches a month – more than seven times the average searches for all Royal residences on the list. The castle is likely to be Her Majesty’s permanent base for the rest of her reign, following her recent period of ill-health.

Worth an estimated £177 million, it dates back to the Norman Invasion, and boasts one of the richest and most varied architectural histories in the country, from its stunning series of state rooms to its 15^th Century chapel. The research, by Luxury Hotel, analysed Google searches for 23 of the most popular Royal residences belonging to the British Royal Family, to discover which one was the most sought-after of all.

A spokesperson for Luxury Hotel commented on the findings:

“All residences belonging to the Royal Family are stunning, architectural masterpieces, but it’s particularly fascinating to see that Windsor Castle now fetches more online interest than Buckingham Palace, given that Buckingham Palace has been an integral part of the monarchy and its identity for centuries.”

News reports yesterday (Christmas Day) revealed that an ‘armed intruder’ was caught at Windsor Castle while The Queen had Christmas celebrations with son Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. The Queen was in residence at the castle following cancelling her traditional plans of going to Sandringham.

Press reports note a 19-year-old man from Southampton had been arrested in the grounds, with what is believed to have been some sort of ‘cross bow’ device.

In a statement, Thames Valley Police noted, ‘An investigation is ongoing following this incident and we are working with colleagues from the Metropolitan Police. The man has been arrested on suspicion of breach or trespass of a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon. He remains in custody at this time. We can confirm security processes were triggered within moments of the man entering the grounds and he did not enter any buildings. Members of the Royal Family have been informed about the incident.’

Top 10 most searched Royal residences

Buckingham Palace is the second most Googled Royal residence in the UK, pulling in 118,000 searches a month – over six times more than the average searches for all residences on the list. Buckingham Palace has been the official residence of the monarch in Britain since the reign of Queen Victoria.

A spokesperson for Luxury Hotel commented on the findings:

“Since the first Covid-19 lockdown, The Queen has made Windsor her main residence, and may well never return to Buckingham Palace, and – for the time being at least – Windsor may well attract some of the fascination and focus that has belonged to Buckingham Palace for decades. It will be up to Prince Charles, the next in line to the throne, to decide whether Buckingham Palace will continue as the focal point of the Monarchy in London, or whether the moment has come for change”

The palace, which boasts 775 rooms, is a shower of regal splendour, from its state rooms and ballrooms designed in a wide array of styles including Chinese Regency and the cream and gold of the Belle Epoque era, to its tumbling staircases inlaid with rich red carpet, and the famous balcony on which the Royal Family gather to greet crowds. However, despite the enduring association of Buckingham Palace with the Royal Family, Buckingham Palace is reportedly not a favourite residence among the Royals, with the Queen viewing it more as an office than a home. Before King George died unexpectedly in 1952, catapulting the then Princess Elizabeth prematurely onto the throne, The Queen and Prince Philip had made their home in the newly refurbished Clarence House, and leaving this home for Buckingham Palace was a stark proclamation of a new era, in which the weight of the Crown would alter their private family life forever.

Kensington Palace, the official home of Prince William and Kate Middleton, is the UK’s third most popular Royal residence, pulling in 58,000 searches a month. The stunning palace, nestled in the heart of London, is composed of a rich variety of rooms and is home to the Sunken Garden, one of Princess Diana’s favourite spots. Within the lavish palace are a variety of Royal wings and ‘apartments’. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge reside with their children in Apartment 1A, an opulent four-storey mansion within the palace, comprising of three bedrooms, two nurseries and several dressing rooms.

Balmoral Castle, the Scottish home to the Royal family, is also among the most searched, raking in 38,000 Google searches a month. The Queen is famously “most happy” at Balmoral, a sprawling seat surrounded by acres of lush Scottish countryside, and the castle has strong associations of holidaying and relaxing for the Royal family – strolling through the land, fishing and barbecuing.

The home of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles – Clarence House – also sees a high number of searches. ‘Clarence House’ fetches 22,000 searches a month. The luscious residence, formed of creamy stone and stucco, is the formal London residence of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and dates back to 1825. Frogmore Cottage, the former residence of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry before they resigned as working Royals and exposed their dissatisfaction within the Royal family, is high on the list of most popular Royal residences, with 18,000 searches a month. The idyllic property, tucked away on the Windsor Estate, was a gift from The Queen to Meghan and Harry, after they decided not to keep a residence in London.