Why none of the royals will move into Windsor Castle or Buckingham Palace

King Charles III won't be moving house anytime soon. Photo / Getty Images

None of the royal family are reportedly set to move into Windsor Castle.

Buckingham Palace is also set to stay empty for the foreseeable future during its £369 million ($726m) renovation, a source told The Sun on Sunday.

The publication said King Charles will instead opt to keep Clarence House as his permanent residence. He will reportedly not live in Buckingham Palace for up to five years and will instead wait for the completion of Buckingham Palace’s refit, due to be completed in 2027.

It had been thought the Prince and Princess of Wales would move into Windsor Castle, but a source told The Sun there are “no plans for them to leave Adelaide Cottage”. The couple and their George, 9, Charlotte, 7, and Louis, 4, have only recently settled into their four-bed Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor estate.

A source told The Sun: “It was previously said that William and Kate would move into Windsor Castle, but there are no plans for them to leave Adelaide Cottage.”

Her Majesty and family on the Buckingham Palace balcony during her Platinum Jubilee. Photo / Julia McCarthy-Fox

Balmoral Castle, one of the late Queen’s favourite residences, is also said to be staying empty. The King and Queen Consort Camilla are expected to split their time between several other castles, with their primary residence likely to continue to be Clarence House, 365m away from Buckingham Palace, and where they have lived for 19 years.

The couple moved into the five-bed residence in 2003, a year after the death of the Queen Mother. It is understood they will also spend some time at Sandringham in Norfolk. Workers are only halfway through a 10-year refit of Buckingham Palace, including fitting new electrics, plumbing and heating, which will render it uninhabitable until 2027.

Charles is said to be planning to host his family Christmas at Sandringham, which a source previously told The Sun he considers a “sort of retreat when needed” – especially during “the difficult Christmas this year”, as the royals continue to mourn the loss of the Queen, who died on September 8 aged 96 at her home in Balmoral.