King Henry VIII decides to build St James’s Palace between 1531 and 1536 on a site of a hospital. It has been a residence for Kings and Queens of England for over 300 years after the destruction of Whitehall Palace due to a fire in 1698. Queen Victoria is the last monarch who have lived there after choosing Buckingham Palace in the 19th Century. It’s in St James’s Palace where the treaty of surrender of Calais takes place in 1558. Royals Christenings have taken place there and the most recent is the Prince’s Louis one in 2018.
St James’s Palace is the place of meeting of the accession council following the death of a Monarch. This is the place of proclamation of new Monarchs taking place in the throne room. Followed by public proclamation by the garter King of arms in the Friary Court. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the traditional ceremony took place for King Charles III’s proclamation and filmed for the first time in history. The palace is located off the Mall and a short walk from Buckingham Palace.