Skip to main content

Many royal followers could probably guess that Princess Diana and Prince Charles used to live and vacation in luxurious homes. After all, Charles has always been an heir to the throne, so no expenses were spared for him and his family.

However, after Diana and Charles divorced in the 1990s, Diana likely could no longer reside with Charles. As such, where did she live after her divorce?

Princess Diana
Princess Diana | Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

Where did Princess Diana and Prince Charles live during their marriage?

Diana and Charles married in 1981. The couple had two sons together: Prince William (born 1982) and Prince Harry (born 1984).

During their marriage, Diana and Charles’ official residence was Apartments 8 and 9 at Kensington Palace, according to Hello!. Despite its name, an apartment at Kensington Palace is a lot bigger than what most people would imagine. Diana and Charles’ home actually had three stories and many rooms for the family.

A Time article from 1988 even shared that William and Harry had a two-room nursery on the top floor. They also had their own bathroom with toilets and a washbasin fit for children.

During the weekend, Diana, Charles, and their sons spent a lot of time at Highgrove House—a country house about two hours away from Kensington Palace. According to Harper’s Bazaar, the family spent time gardening and growing organic food at Highgrove.

Where did Princess Diana live after her divorce?

Diana and Charles divorced in the mid-1999s. During the divorce proceedings, it was decided that Diana could retain the residence at Apartments 8 and 9. She ended up living there until her death in 1997.

However, Diana had to give up her office at St. James’s Palace. She ended up setting up another one at Kensington Palace.

Diana and Charles co-parented their sons after the divorce. As reported by the New York Times in 1996, at the time, William and Harry were attending boarding school, so they did not live full time with either parent. Instead, they split time with Diana and Charles during the holiday breaks.

Princess Diana also got to keep other royal perks after her divorce

Related

Here’s What Princess Diana’s Hairstyles Said About the Different Stages of Her Life

Diana was not completely shunned from the royal family after her divorce. Aside from her home at Kensington Palace, she got to keep other royal perks as well.

For example, Diana still got an income from the royal family. After the divorce, she got a lump sum of $22.5 million and would receive an income of $600,000 a year. Her sons ended up inheriting much of this money following her death.

Despite no longer being a royal, Diana continued to carry out a lot of humanitarian work. As such, she was allowed to retain the use of the royal family’s private jets if she needed to travel.

Finally, Diana could also keep most of the jewelry she acquired during her marriage.

It seemed that Diana was fortunate in being able to keep a lot of the royal perks she received as a princess. Nevertheless, The New York Times shared that she likely would have had to relinquish some of them—such as her Kensington Palace home—if she got remarried.