One of the Royal Family’s Most Famous Homes Is ‘So Dated’ That Nothing Inside Has Been Changed Since the 1950s
Many people dream of what it would be like to live in a castle or a palace. However, what the insides of those massive residences actually look like may not be anything you would expect.
For members of the royal family, living in those large properties is a reality, but the interiors aren’t as grand as you might think.
Here’s what someone who used to work for the British royals said about one of the family’s most famous homes, plus which palace was falling apart and had a rodent problem.
The royal castle that hasn’t been updated since the ’50s
Grant Harrold was King Charles’ butler for seven years. During his time working for the now-monarch and his wife, Queen Camilla, Harrold’s duties also included those of valet, housekeeper, house manager, and driver. Since leaving the royal household, he’s become one of the U.K.’s leading etiquette experts, an author, and a royal commentator. In 2025, Harrold published his first book, The Royal Butler, which became an Amazon bestseller. He regularly appears on TV offering royal commentary on both current and historic news stories.
He recently talked about how the interior of Balmoral Castle, the royals’ home in Scotland, hasn’t been updated in decades.
“The thing I’d say about Balmoral, in the politest way, is that it’s very dated,” Harrold revealed. “It’s never really changed since the 1950s. It’s always remained the same, and the [late] Queen Elizabeth kept it the same.”
The former royal butler added, “I think what is interesting is the fact that the king has opened it to the public because Balmoral was one of the most fiercely private protected homes of the late queen and Prince Philip. The fact that the king opened it to the public was such a big deal.
“I remember being absolutely shocked when the news came that he was opening it because I always assumed he’d probably give up Birkhall and then use Balmoral full-time when he’s up there. Balmoral Castle and its many bedrooms, receptions, and outbuildings – when the royals aren’t there, which is a lot of the time, it sits empty doing nothing. I think the King noticed that and therefore opened it up to the public.”
Other royal residences reportedly have more ‘mice than men’
But some other royal homes have bigger problems than just being dated. And that includes the family’s most famous residence, Buckingham Palace.
The Palace, located in the heart of London, has 828,000 square feet of living space and boasts a staggering 775 rooms. These include 19 Staterooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 bedrooms for staff, 92 offices, and 78 bathrooms.
However, there have been questions about whether Buckingham Palace was safe for anyone to actually be living or working in, since, at times, masonry would fall from the ceiling. In 2007, a chunk narrowly missed hitting Princess Anne in the head. Moreover, the roof always leaked, which led to staffers strategically placing buckets around certain areas to catch the water.
Moreover, asbestos had to be removed years ago. Prior to that, there was a rodent problem, and pest control had to be called in. When the latter issue was made public, a Palace spokesperson released a statement saying, “The ratio of mice to men is very low.”
Because things had gotten so bad there that the Palace is actually undergoing a renovation project. It began in 2019 and is scheduled to be completed in 2029.
