Which royal residence is the most popular with visitors? Surprisingly, the answer isn’t Buckingham Palace

There are plenty of magnificent residences spread across the British Isles that the Royal Family call home. Arguably the most iconic of all of them is Buckingham Palace - even though King Charles and Queen Camilla live at Clarence House when they're in London instead.

It remains the official London home of the monarch and attracts tourists from around the world. However, it's not got the most footfall of all, according to the Royal Collection Trust's annual report.

The newly-released report revealed that Windsor Castle welcomes slightly short of double the visitors who visit Buckingham Palace. Just under 1.4 million people visited Windsor Castle in 2024-25, compared to the 683,000 who visited Buckingham Palace.

As per the RCT's report, 440,000 people visited the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, and 165,000 people visited the Royal Mews, home to the collection of historic coaches and carriages.

Of course, the caveat to point out here is this data only refers to paying customers, and it’s very likely a lot more people will visit the gates of Buckingham Palace for free since it’s easily accessible in Central London, without paying to go on an inside tour.

Windsor, being roughly 40km away from Central London, is more of a day-long excursion, with the gorgeous countryside of Berkshire another reason to make the trip. This royal home - still the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world - is open to visitors throughout the year.

Highlights of visiting Windsor Castle include St George’s Chapel. Not only is it the final resting place of so many iconic monarchs including Queen Elizabeth II and Henry VIII, but it's also been the venue for high-profile royal weddings. According to woman&home's Royal Editor, Emma Shacklock, these things make the Berkshire castle very enticing to fans.

"Prince Harry and Meghan and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are just two royal couples who've married there in recent years," she explains. "The late Queen also spent a lot of time there and I think people are intrigued to see a royal residence that's more of an actual 'home' compared to the historic majesty of Buckingham Palace."

The Royal Collection Trust’s findings also suggest that royal popularity in general is at one of its all-time highs. They revealed that the number of visitors paying to enter Buckingham Palace is the highest since the Palace opened its doors to the public in 1993. For the first time since its completion 175 years ago, the East Wing of the Palace was opened to the public for guided tours which might contribute to this.

While Buckingham Palace remains the official residence of the monarch, the late Queen Elizabeth II was widely rumored to favor Windsor Castle and spent a lot of time there during her final years. This might also possibly be a factor in the amount of visitors here outnumbering those at Buckingham Palace.

Another potential draw for royal fans to visit Windsor Castle is the proximity to Adelaide Cottage. Home of the Prince and Princess of Wales, Adelaide Cottage is located on the eastern side of the castle grounds.

It's not open to the public, so visiting Windsor Castle is the nearest any fan will get to the Wales family's gorgeous property.