Prince Charles will open up the royal palaces to give the public greater access to the monarch's official and private homes when he becomes king.
The Prince of Wales is planning to "transform the royal residences from private spaces to public places", according to The Sunday Times.
The royal wants Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Balmoral, Sandringham and Clarence House to open more widely for longer periods during the year.
The newspaper reports that Charles has been consulting family members including the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge about increasing public access while still retaining the palaces as homes.
© Samir Hussein - Getty Imagesgettyimages-482254998
A royal source told the publication: "The direction of travel is about greater opening-up of palaces and residences."
They continued: "The prince wants to bring people in to connect with the institution. He recognises that it needs to keep evolving, and in the modern era people want to be able to access their palaces. He embraces that and sees them as public places more than private spaces."
It's believed that when Charles ascends to the throne, he will split his time between Buckingham Palace, Highgrove, his home in Gloucestershire, Sandringham in Norfolk and Birkhall, his Scottish residence on the Queen's Balmoral estate.
© Sylvain Sonnet - Getty ImagesBuckingham Palace
Under his plans, and during his residence as monarch, Buckingham Palace and gardens would be open throughout the year. Since 1993, the palace has been open to the public during the summer months (from July to the end of September). The annual opening of Buckingham Palace's state rooms and themed exhibition was cancelled again this year due to the global pandemic.
Self-guided garden tours were announced instead, giving the paying public the chance to explore through the Queen's private 39-acre site and to picnic with views of the palace.
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