Skip to main contentSkip to footer
King Charles© Chris Jackson/Getty Images

King Charles's London home set for big change over Easter weekend

Buckingham Palace will welcome clocks from the Royal Collection

Nicky Morris
TV and film writer
March 30, 2024
Share this:

King Charles's London home Buckingham Palace will welcome a big change over the weekend. Ahead of the clocks going forward on Sunday as British Summer Time begins, clocks from the Royal Collection will be returning to the Yellow Drawing Room and Centre Room in the East Wing of Buckingham Palace.

Over the weekend, a team of three horological conservators will change the clocks across the King's official residences. 

Images released by the trust show horologists returning clocks to the East Wing, as works of art are reinstalled after the completion of five years of improvement works.

A Horological Conservator adjusts a late-18th-century French marble mantel clock in the Centre Room in the East Wing of Buckingham Palace.© Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2024
Clocks from the Royal Collection are returning to the East Wing of Buckingham Palace this weekend

The timepieces returning to the palace include musical clocks, astronomical clocks and miniature clocks. The Anne Boleyn Clock is the oldest in the collection and is said to have been given by Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn on the morning of their marriage in 1532.

While Buckingham Palace isn't Charles and Queen Camilla's current home, it soon will be as the pair are set to relocate from Clarence House to the 775-room palace in 2027. 

A Horological Conservator adjusts a late-18th-century mantel clock, known as the Kylin clock in the Yellow Drawing Room in the East Wing of Buckingham Palace© Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2024
Musical clocks, astronomical clocks and miniature clocks are included in the collection

The move is due to take place after a ten-year renovation in the Palace's North Wing is complete, where private apartments are currently being constructed. The project, costing £369 million, began when the late Queen Elizabeth II was alive, with her son now overseeing the works.

The monarch is also in the process of hiring a new full-time Housekeeping Assistant member ahead of the relocation. 

A Horological Conservator adjusts a late-18th-century French mantel clock in the Centre Room in the East Wing of Buckingham Palace© Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2024
A late-18th-century French mantel clock is placed in the Centre Room in the East Wing of Buckingham Palace

The duties for the role, which is advertised on the Royal Household website, include: "Upkeep clean and care for a wide range of interiors and items, ensuring they're presented to their very best."

It is unclear whether Charles will keep Clarence House as a secondary home after he and Camilla move to the palace. 

The return of clocks to the King's London abode isn't the only change to his residencies in recent weeks as his beloved Scottish estate Balmoral is now open to the public. As of 23 March, the doors to the Aberdeenshire-based castle have been open to visitors. 

King Charles' royal residence Buckingham Palace© Dan Kitwood
King Charles and Queen Camilla will relocate to Buckingham Palace in 2027

As well as the changes at Buckingham Palace, this weekend will also see Charles and Camilla attend the Easter Sunday service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. 

The couple are expected to attend the service alongside other members of the royal family. In the past, Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James have been present, as well as Zara and Mike Tindall, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. 

royal couple walking to easter service © Getty Images
King Charles and Queen Camilla will attend Easter service on Sunday

HELLO! understands that this year, the Prince and Princess of Wales will not be making an appearance at the church service as Kate continues with her preventative treatment for cancer and undergoes her recovery. 

Sunday's service will mark Charles' first significant public outing since he was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer earlier this year.

LISTEN: How Kate's video came about and how it's connected to the late Queen

Sign up to HELLO! Daily for all the latest and best royal coverage

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More Homes

See more