King Charles Creates Palace Of His Own As Late Queen's Prized Possessions Head To Storage

Some 10 months after Queen Elizabeth II died, King Charles III is preparing for his move into Buckingham Palace, and he's having it redecorated to better reflect his personal style. Apparently, Queen Elizabeth's renowned love for horses extended to her decor, but King Charles doesn't have quite the same fondness for them in terms of interior design. And so a number of Queen Elizabeth's equestrian pieces — from paintings to sculptures — are being moved into storage.

King Charles has spent much of his life on horseback, even playing polo for a time and riding a horse for his first Trooping the Colour as monarch, but he doesn't have quite the same deep love for horses that his mother had. Queen Camilla is apparently the one in the couple who is most like Queen Elizabeth in that way. 

John Warren, former racing advisor to Queen Elizabeth, said (via the Daily Mail) that Charles and Camilla do own some horses together but that for Charles, when it came particularly to horse racing, "it has been his mother's interest so it has been at arm's length."

What will replace the horse decor when King Charles III and Queen Camilla move into Buckingham Palace we don't yet know. Perhaps some of his own work? The king is an accomplished painter, specializing in watercolor. The move to the palace by the royal couple is one that has been postponed since he became king. Charles and Camilla had been living in Clarence House since 2003, and Buckingham Palace is currently being "reserviced," a term that the Royal Household website is using to describe the extensive renovations, including updating the heating, plumbing, and electric wiring. It's set to be a 10-year process, which started in 2017, so they're right in the middle of it for King Charles' upcoming move. 

Buckingham Palace is just one of King Charles' U.K. homes, and it's where he spent much of his time as a child. It's been the London residence for the monarch since 1837 so, while the couple previously had been said to be staying in Clarence House, they will end up living at the palace. Notably, Clarence House has been a popular place to live with the royal family in a way that Buckingham Palace perhaps hasn't been. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were also reluctant to give up Clarence House in favor of the palace as fans of Netflix's "The Crown" will remember from Season 1.