Skip to main contentSkip to footer
King Charles looking sad in a blue suit© Getty Images

King Charles sanctions painstaking changes at all royal homes

His Majesty has a team on hand to action all of the changes

Rachel Avery
Homes Editor
4 days ago
Share this:

All of His Majesty King Charles III's royal homes will undergo changes this weekend, as will all UK houses – when the clocks go forward!

As we 'leap into Spring', this may mean you remembering to adjust the living room clock and change the time on the oven, but for the royal household it is a military operation. 

charles clarence house clock
A grandfather clock inside Clarence House

It is reported that there are over 1,000 timepieces across the royal portfolio, housed in various locations. In total, there are 450 timepieces at Windsor Castle, 600 at Buckingham Palace and 50 at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Changing all these clocks to the correct time is a process that will take over 40 hours to complete and there will be teams based at each property to ensure no clock is missed. However, the lengthy task means even after beginning the admin at 2 am on Sunday morning, some of the clocks will still be at the wrong time come Monday.

Sign up to HELLO! Daily for the latest royal news and breaking updates

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.

Luckily, the royals employ a royal horological conservator who will oversee the mission.

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 Horological Conservator adjusts a late-18th-century French mantel clock in the Centre Room in the East Wing of Buckingham Palace

Clocks are a special thing for the monarch, so he will no doubt want to ensure everything runs smoothly. The types of clocks he owns include musical clocks, astronomical clocks, miniature clocks and turret clocks.

ROYAL FAN? JOIN THE CLUB

Welcome to The HELLO! Royal Club, where thousands of royal fans like you get to delve deeper into the wonderful world of royalty every day. Want to join them? Just click the button below for a list of club benefits and joining information.

Interestingly, the clocks inside the royal kitchens are all set a little early and this is to make sure that all meals are definitely served up in time! 

Clocks are put forward at Dumfries House in 2010© Getty
A clocking being put forward at Dumfries House

The King's love of clocks 

The King previously opened up about why he loves clocks so much during a special episode of The Repair Shop that aired in October 2022 as part of the BBC's centenary celebrations. 

WATCH: See King Charles make a surprise appearance on The Repair Shop

His Majesty invited Jay Blades and the team into Dumfries House in Scotland where he showed them two pieces that he wanted repaired, one of which was an 18th-century bracket clock.

Steve Fletcher, the show's horologist, was tasked with fixing the clock and he quizzed the King why they mattered to him so much.

"To me, I just love the sound of a tick tock," said Charles. "But also, if they chime. That's why I love grandfather clocks.

King Charles appeared on The Repair Shop with Jay Blades
King Charles appeared on The Repair Shop with Jay Blades

"I find it rather reassuring in a funny way, and they become really special parts of the house… as you were, the beating heart of it. So that's why they matter to me."

He added: "I'm afraid it is something I learnt from my grandmother. She had great fun putting a few together and trying to get them to chime at the same time in the dining room, which made it very enjoyable because everybody had to stop talking. All the clocks and cuckoos would go off, then you'd hear a voice saying, 'What time is it?'"

Later in the show, the King made a confession. "It took me a long time to realise there is one at Clarence House that plays the national anthem, it took me a long time to realise it was," he told The Repair Shop team and viewers.

LISTEN: Inside scoop on Prince William's Estonia visit and the importance of royal fashion

More Homes

See more