Clarence House: A Royal Residence

Clarence House: A Royal Residence is on Channel 5, 8.30pm on Saturday 2 March

Clarence House is the hidden gem of royal residences. Located just steps from Buckingham Palace, for the last 20 years it’s been the home of King Charles and Queen Camilla, the latest in a long list of royal residents who follow in the footsteps of everyone from the Queen Mum to Queen Victoria’s favourite son. The Royal Princes William and Harry have also called it home. But despite a long list of illustrious residents, Clarence House is tucked away from the tourist trail and remains surprisingly unknown by the public.

This 90-minute documentary takes us inside this stately Georgian mansion, revealing the secrets that lie behind those high walls. Clarence House is somewhere the royals have always been free to be themselves – to fall in love, to celebrate, to argue, and to mourn.

Built to help restore the reputation of a wayward prince, Clarence House has changed dramatically through the years, as each occupant put their own stamp on the residence. It became a beloved idyll for the late Queen in the early years of her marriage, and a hub for fashionable socialites when her sister, Princess Margaret, moved in. For the Queen Mother, and her servants, it was a place of entertainment and long tipsy lunches. More recently, it’s where William, Harry, Charles and Camilla became a family… of a sort.

A strong cast of royal historians, journalists and biographers divulge the fascinating stories of Clarence House and the Kings and Queens who’ve called it home.