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Prince Charles to make major change to royal palaces when he becomes King – report

The Queen is believed to have given her approval

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Diane Shipley
Senior Online Writer
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The Prince of Wales reportedly plans to make a big change to royal residences when he becomes king.

According to The Sunday Times, Charles will not only open the residences to the public for longer but also make more rooms available to view – a move that will no doubt delight royal fans.

MORE: Will Prince Charles ever live at Buckingham Palace?

The changes are believed to be planned for Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Balmoral, Sandringham and Clarence House.

The paper reports that Charles has consulted his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, and his son and daughter-in-law, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

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The Queen has also reportedly been made aware of Charles' aims although there are not yet any official plans in motion.

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According to the paper, the heir to the throne hopes to expand visiting times for Sandringham to all year round, rather than April to October as at present.

prince charles camilla buckingham© Photo: Getty Images

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall viewed flowers the public laid at Buckingham Palace in honour of Prince Philip last month

His official London residence Clarence House, which is only open in the summer, is also expected to be opened year-round.

Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace, which is currently undergoing a £369million renovation, will be fully refurbished by 2027.

Charles is reported to be considering opening up the residence and the gardens year-round in the future.

Rooms the public could see for the first time include the Belgian Suite, where the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh lived during the early days of her reign and where the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex were born.

windsor castle© Photo: Getty Images

The Prince is not expected to use Windsor Castle as a base

As monarch, it is expected that Charles will divide his time between Buckingham Palace, his Gloucestershire estate Highgrove, Sandringham in Norfolk and Birkhall in Scotland.

He will reportedly use Windsor Castle less than the Queen and remain at Birkhall rather than staying at the Queen's Balmoral residence, which currently only opens the gardens and ballroom to the public.

Her Majesty will head to Balmoral earlier than usual this year – at the end of the month rather than her usual August.

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