Many royals and celebrities split their time between two homes, one in the city and one in the countryside, and Princess Anne, 75, is no different. Her main residence, Gatcombe Park, is located in the stunning Gloucestershire countryside and she also has a pied-à-terre inside St James's Palace in London.
The Princess Royal's apartment is a private space that she uses for working and as a base when she's in the city for royal engagements. This is a grace-and-favour place to stay, which means it is given to Anne rent-free because of her role as a senior royal.
© Getty ImagesWhile Buckingham Palace may often steal the limelight, St James’s Palace is officially the most senior royal palace in the United Kingdom, built by Henry VIII between 1531 and 1536. Anne's city apartment remains highly private, and there are not often any images taken within the walls.
Princess Beatrice also has a base inside the palace walls, which we've seen once before. But could this be set to change for the royals, given the controversy surrounding their cut-price or free accommodations?
Prince William's plan to change royal housing
According to The Sunday Times, Prince William intends to stop non-working royals from living rent-free in palaces when he becomes King one day.
A recent report by the National Audit Office (NAO) found Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor sublet three cottages on his former Windsor home, Royal Lodge, despite only paying peppercorn rent himself. Now, there are calls for royal living arrangements to be reviewed thoroughly.
Princess Anne's main home, Gatcombe Park
© Alamy Stock PhotoLocated 100 miles away from St James's Palace is Anne's main home, Gatcombe Park. The 730-acre countryside estate nestled in the Gloucestershire hills is terribly impressive with its own stables, paddocks and picture-perfect lakes. It was gifted to Princess Anne by Queen Elizabeth II in 1976 as a wedding present, when she married her first husband, Mark Phillips.
While the Grade II-listed manor house is postcard-worthy from the outside, the interiors are pleasantly relaxed. A rare photo shared by Anne during lockdown revealed a living room that is surprisingly relatable. It features a red patterned two-seater sofa with matching floral armchairs, lime-green curtains, a vintage wooden TV unit, and various books and ornaments dotted around the space.
Elsewhere, Anne's has access to a library, a billiard room, and a conservatory. The grounds also host a "party barn" complete with a lounge and a bar, which her children often use. Both Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips live in the estate in their own separate accommodations.
The estate also operates as a fully functioning organic farm. Princess Anne has previously noted that she relies on the farm to make its own money in order to stay living at Gatcombe. "This has got to pay its way, otherwise I can't stay here," she said.
