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Why none of the Queen's homes have living rooms

Her Majesty the Queen has many royal residences

the queen home living rooms sitting rooms
Rachel Avery
Homes Editor
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From Buckingham Palace in the heart of London to the glorious setting of Balmoral in Scotland, the Queen has many royal residences up and down the UK, but interestingly, you won't find a living room in any of them.

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A living room may be a standard feature in most British homes, described by Oxford English Dictionary as "a room in a house where people sit together, watch television, etc", but the Queen and her family don't have living rooms, they only have 'sitting rooms' or 'drawing rooms' in their properties.

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The Queen has shown off her Sitting Room at Windsor Castle in 2015, when she met with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key. This is also the room where UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will meet with the Queen on a weekly basis.

the queen house living room photos z© Photo: Getty Images

The Queen meets Prime Ministers in her sitting room

The Drawing Room at Sandringham House is extremely decadent with a painted ceiling, lavish cornice detailing and a striking patterned carpet.

sandringham drawing room© Photo: Getty Images

Sandringham House has a beautiful drawing room

The White Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace is even more impressive with opulent gold accents via mirrors, artwork and furnishings. Better still, there is a secret entrance the Queen uses to enter that is concealed as a mirror and cabinet.

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the queen white drawing room buckingham palace© Photo: Getty Images

Buckingham Palace's drawing room is impossibly grand

What's the difference between a sitting room and a drawing room? You will not find a television in a drawing room, as it is slightly more formal and therefore it usually features more structured furniture whereas a sitting room will almost certainly have a comfortable-looking sofa.

princess anne living room© Photo: Getty Images

The Princess Royal has a more casual sitting room

Princess Anne surprised fans when she unveiled her very homely sitting room at Gatcombe Park where she watched Scotland play rugby alongside her husband Sir Timothy Laurence. It features a red patterned sofa and matching armchair, pale green walls, wooden furniture and a plasma TV. The royal has decorated the space with lots of ornaments, books and framed pictures on the walls.

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