King Charles owns the most senior royal home in Britain but it’s a place the late Queen Elizabeth has never lived in.

King Charles may have a lot of places to call home in Britain but there is a particular one with a special history behind it.

The monarch currently has Clarence House as his main residence in London – which has been his residence since 2003 – but that is also down to the fact that Buckingham Palace is undergoing a huge restoration and repair job, said to cost £369 million.

But whilst many people would assume the glorious Buckingham Palace to be the most senior royal residence of the sovereign, it is not.

St James’s Palace, which is just around the corner, takes the top spot. The last time a sovereign used St. James’s Palace as a residence was William IV.

The late Queen Elizabeth never used St James’s Palace as her residence as she used Clarence House before the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952.

Her son, King Charles has neither lived in it but did use York House which is located within St James’s Palace with Prince William and Prince Harry after his separation from Princess Diana in 1992.

The red-brick building was built by King Henry VIII between 1531 and 1536 and was considered one of the top two royal residences in London by most Tudor and Stuart monarchs along with the Palace of Whitehall.

The palace now serves as the ceremonial meeting place of the Accession Council, the office of the Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps, and the London residence of several members of the royal family, including Princess Anne, Princess Beatrice, and Princess Alexandra.

The building still retains a significant ceremonial function, as it is where the Accession Council meets following the death of a monarch and where the accession of a new one takes place.