At the end of St. James’s Street stands the impressive 16th century Tudor gatehouse of St. James’s Palace. Built for Henry VIII in 1536, the Palace has been the residence of kings and queens of England for over 300 years. Today, it remains the monarch’s official royal residence in London, although, the monarch has lived at Buckingham Palace since the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. St. James’s Palace has been the setting for some of the most important events in Royal history, including: in 1533, Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife, stayed at the Palace the night after her coronation; the future Charles II and James II were both born and baptised at St. James’s Palace; Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in the Palace’s ‘Chapel Royal’ in 1840; Charles I received the Sacrament of Holy Communion in the Chapel before his execution in Whitehall in 1649; and most recently, in 1997, the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales, was set before the altar in the Chapel Royal so that her family and friends could pay their respects in private before her funeral at Westminster Abbey. Today, St. James’s Palace remains a busy working palace and foreign ambassadors are still accredited to the ‘Court of St. James’s’.
- St. James’s Palace
- www.royalgov.uk
- Underground: Green Park