Prince Charles is such a fan of the West Country, that he intends on staying here when he takes to the throne - although he will have to pay rent according to reports. Although it is believed by many that the Prince of Wales will take on Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle once he ascends to the throne, reports suggest he will stay where he currently is, at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire - a 40 minute drive from Bristol.
The 73-year-old heir to the throne has spent years restoring Highgrove House to suit his own personal taste, and a friend has suggested that he would be reluctant to leave the sprawling Gloucestershire estate to perform his duties as monarch. Therefore, it is believed he would downsize the royal quarters at Buckingham Palace so he can spend more time at his beloved home.
But if the future king does choose to follow this route, he will have to pay his eldest son, William, £700,000 a year for the privilege of renting Highgrove. According to MailOnline, Prince Charles has already met up with courtiers to discuss his plans for a slimmed down monarchy, which would include changes being made to the way royals spread themselves around many residences.
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Despite Prince Charles knowing that, for Buckingham Palace to be considered a working royal palace rather than a visitor attraction, the reigning monarch has to live there officially, he apparently has no plans to make it is family home. Instead of moving himself and his wife, Camilla, into the Queen's current living quarters within the London residence, which boasts 52 royal and guest bedrooms and 188 staff bedrooms, Prince Charles intends to downsize and turn his future living space at the Palace into little more than a 'flat above the shop'.
According to a friend, Prince Charles will have no ambition to up sticks and head to London full-time once the crown is on his head until his ten-year, £369million renovation project is complete at Highgrove House. The source said: "Despite what everybody thinks about him wanting to live there, he will certainly have accommodation there.
"But it will be a much more modest flat-above-the-shop situation akin to that of the Prime Minister at Downing Street. His view is that if he's heading to Windsor, he may as well carry on to Highgrove in Gloucestershire."
Apparently, Prince Charles is of the firm opinion that the palaces and stately homes can no longer just exist for the purpose of homing the royals, but should be open to the public, too. However, he does not want to get rid of them altogether, as the younger members of the Royal Family need places to live.
The rest of the Royal Family are said to be concerned about Charles' plans, which also include turning the huge castle at Balmoral, Her Majesty's holiday home in Aberdeenshire, into a museum dedicated to Her Majesty. The plans also involve Charles keeping his private home on the Balmoral estate, Birkhall.
Meanwhile, Princess Anne and her extended family, who also reside in the Cotswolds, have nothing to worry about in terms of the shake up. This is because Gatcombe Park was a wedding present to Princess Anne from Her Majesty.
The source also claimed that that Prince Edward will be able to stay at Bagshot Park, and The Duke of York will carry on living at Park Lodge in Windsor Great Park. However, the future homes of the younger royals may be changed.
Clarence House was initially reserved for Prince Harry, but things have changed since Charles' youngest son moved to the United States. Meanwhile, the Queen Mother's apartments could become the London residence of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, or Prince Louis - Charles' grandchildren - once they are older.
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