Introduction

ever since it was built for the Duke of Clarence (later William IV) in 1827, Clarence House has been a royal residence, usually reserved for senior members of the Royal Family. It remains most closely associated with the late Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, whose London home it was for fifty years. The distinctively warm and welcoming atmosphere of the house owes much to her influence and to her personal art collection that is still displayed on the ground floor.

Today Clarence House is the official London residence of TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. It is a busy working house. The ground-floor rooms that can be seen by the public during the annual Summer Opening are in regular use throughout the year for receptions and meetings as well as for official entertaining. At the same time it is very much a family home that has always reflected the tastes of its occupants. Memorably described as a ‘sunny, cheerful, happy house’, Clarence House offers a dignified yet intimate setting for the many activities that take place there in support of the monarchy.

Detail from a portrait of William IV in 1827, when he was Duke of Clarence, by Sir Thomas Lawrence.

right The west front of Clarence House on Stable Yard Road was originally designed by John Nash to be the entrance front.

overleaf Elevation of the proposed south front by the builder C.B. Waller in 1873, adding another storey to the whole house and a portico to provide a more imposing covered entrance.

below The Royal Family celebrates Queen Elizabeth’s 76th birthday on 4 August 1976 in the grounds of Clarence House. Left to right: Prince Edward, The Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Andrew, The Queen, Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, Princess Margaret and Viscount Linley.