Clarence House
Clarence House
Clarence House is the official London residence of The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry. Here Their Royal Highnesses receive official guests from this country and overseas on behalf of the nation, and bring together people from all walks of life through official seminars, lunches, receptions and dinners. Several thousand official guests are received at the House annually, many connected with the charitable organisations with which The Prince or The Duchess is involved.
Visitors to Clarence House are taken on a 1 hour guided tour of the five ground-floor rooms – The Lancaster Room, The Morning Room, The Library, The Dining Room and The Garden Room – where The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall undertake official engagements and receive guests from around the world.
The arrangement of the rooms and the grouping of their contents remain much as they were in the time of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, with much of Her Majesty's collection of works of art and furniture in their former positions. Clarence House displays much of Queen Elizabeth's famous art collection, including outstanding 20th-century paintings such as important works by John Piper, Graham Sutherland, WS Sickert and Augustus John. Superb examples of English porcelain and silver, particularly pieces relating to the Bowes-Lyon family, are also on display.
The tour of Clarence House begins in the garden. Visitors can see the formal planting added at the front of the house in 2004-5 by The Prince of Wales in memory of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. It was laid out to His Royal Highness’s own design by members of The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts.