St James's Palace

St James's Palace is the official residence of the Sovereign and was built largely between 1531 and 1536 by Henry VIII. The Palace was built on the site of the Hospital of St James, an old leper hospital, and is said to have been designed by Holbein.

After the Palace of Whitehall burnt down in 1702, St James's Palace became the London residence of the monarch until 1837 when Queen Victoria chose to use the newly expanded Buckingham Palace, which is still used as the Monarch's official London residence.

As the home of several members of the Royal Family including Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, and Princess Alexandra of Kent, St James's Palace is often in use for official functions and is not open to the public.