Historian Harry Howard
Updated: July 8, 2024 07:23, July 8, 2024 07:23
- Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip moved into Clarence House in July 1949.
When they moved into Clarence House in the summer of 1949, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip had everything a promising young couple needed and more.
The 19th-century London mansion near St. James's Palace in Westminster, where King Charles currently lives when in London, has been renovated at a cost of more than £50,000, equivalent to around £1.5 million in today's value.
The kitchen had stainless steel worktops, a £2,000 (worth £60,000 today) refrigerator that could make ice for cocktail parties, and an electric oven.
Elizabeth and Philip each had their own living room, furnished to their liking, and even had a private cinema set up in the wine cellar, but the opening of the cinema was delayed when the Ministry of Public Works delayed issuing permits.
Philip's dressing room had a closet where suits and uniforms would come out at the touch of a button, and an electric trouser press.
The heir to the throne and her husband, who married in November 1947, previously lived in a rented house on Wendlesham Moor in Surrey, where Charles was initially raised after his birth in November 1948.
They stayed there until renovations at Clarence House were completed.
Princess Anne was born at Clarence House in August 1950. The Mail reported on Queen Elizabeth's first glimpse of the princess wearing a mask.
Designed by the architect John Nash, Clarence House was built between 1825 and 1827 for Prince William Henry, Duke of Clarence.
He lived there as William IV from 1830 to 1837.
The Duke of Connaught, Queen Victoria's third son, then occupied the house from 1900 until his death in 1942.
During the Second World War the facility was used by both the Red Cross and St John's Ambulance Brigade but was damaged by German bombs.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are the first royals to actually live at the house since Queen Victoria's second son, Prince Alfred, who died in 1900.
The majority of the funds spent on the renovation went towards installing electric lighting throughout the building and central heating and hot water.
During the renovations, the royal couple's London base was located in Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone's flat in Kensington Palace.
Elizabeth and Philip finally moved to Clarence House in July 1949, but spent most of the year in Malta until 1951.
The Mail reported at the time about Clarence House: “The princess's kitchen has daffodil-coloured polished tiles and quarry tile floors.”
“We use gas for cooking but we also have a small electric oven that we use every now and then.”
In addition to the stainless steel worktops, the cookers, steamers and boilers all had modern glass canopies to allow bubbles and smoke to escape.
“Last but certainly not least,” the Mail added, was “a luxurious £2,000 wedding fridge, with separate bins for vegetables, game, fish, poultry and frozen meals, and the ability to make 20 lbs of ice at a time for the royal cocktail parties, if required.”
The royal grounds were large enough to accommodate the many gifts for Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip's wedding.
As for her furniture choices, the Mail reports that Elizabeth “decorated her husband's living room in a smoke-room style, with cream-coloured leather chairs and a settee, topped with portraits of his family and flanked by a fireplace.”
Clad in white Canadian maple, the room has a calming, homely feel.
The article continued: “Her sitting room is fancier, more feminine. It has a magnificent glass chandelier, a gorgeous Chinese rug, aquamarine blue walls (her favorite color) and matching chintz upholstery.”
The report further states: “Perhaps the most comfortable and homely room in the house is a small room which they call 'the quiet room.'”
“The Princess and the Duke intend to use it as a private retreat where they can retreat when they wish to be alone.”
“It's covered in Australian jarrah wood and comes with chintz-upholstered armchairs that are clearly designed for comfort rather than elegance.”
Designed for “elegant entertaining,” the drawing room had the “atmosphere of an elaborate and decorative French salon of the Louis XIV period.”
In November 1949, the Mail reported that Elizabeth was “still waiting” for a private cinema to be installed in her wine cellar.
The equipment was a donation from the film industry, but installation was delayed when the Ministry of Construction refused to allow necessary structural changes.
Princess Anne was born at Clarence House on 15 August 1950.
The Mail reported: “Princess Elizabeth and her daughter remain in good health, it was announced at Clarence House last night.”
“Our new princess has blue eyes and weighs six pounds.”
The next day, the future Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth, met Anne for the first time.
The Queen was handed the mask by nurse Helen Rowe. The Mail reported, “Nurse Rowe handed the Queen a fine-mesh cotton mask.”
“The Queen placed it on the lower part of her face before bending over the bed.
“She is very beautiful,” the Queen said, before tiptoeing away from the bed and removing her mask.
The Queen then had a 90-minute conversation with Prince Philip over tea.
After the death of King George VI in 1952, the new Queen and her husband, Philip, were very reluctant to move to Buckingham Palace.
However, Her Majesty's Private Secretary, Sir Alan “Tommy” Lascelles, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill insisted.
Prince Philip made the most of his new living arrangements by working with his friend and new chamberlain, Mike Parker, to modernize Buckingham Palace.
Parker later recalled: “Philip and I were friends and I felt I could be a useful ally to him at court. The King was a wonderful man, very friendly and very accommodating, but the traditional courtiers were not always so easy to get along with.”
Valentine Law's book “Courtiers” reveals how Prince Philip and Prince Parker embarked on their exploration of Buckingham Palace's basement.
He quotes Parker as recalling: “We were fascinated by the wine cellars, which stretched for miles.”
“There were definitely one or two very old wines and some very old menus from the Victorian era, which was very interesting.”
After Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip left Clarence House, Queen Mother moved in here and continued to live there until her death in 2002.
