Could the Royal Family Open Up Buckingham Palace to the Homeless?
The idea is gaining popularity among one group.
In his new documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, the Prince of Wales discusses his ongoing journey to end the homeless crisis once and for all. The U.K.'s skyrocketing cost-of-living situation has many calling for radical action—and in the wake of the documentary, one suggestion is aimed at the Royal Family.
The Big Issue, a magazine created to give jobs to unhoused individuals, recently published an opinion piece about why the Prince of Wales should consider opening up Buckingham Palace, along with other royal residences like Windsor Castle, to the growing homeless population.
"Slap-bang in the centre of London, there’s a huge bit of very fancy housing that barely gets used," the outlet wrote, adding, "The problem is, Buckingham Palace currently belongs to the crown."
The Big Issue cited a 2023 Savanta poll for Yahoo that reported 52 percent of respondents were in favor of the Royal Family opening Buckingham Palace to the homeless. The idea was challenged more in the 55-64 age bracket, per Yahoo, with 44 percent of these older respondents "strongly opposed" to the idea.
Prince William has worked with homelessness charities since he was a young child.
While the media outlet "crunched the numbers," claiming "Buckingham Palace alone could fit 1,974 studio flats into its 77,000 square meters," the idea isn't quite that simple. Flipping a building with this much cultural and historical significance into apartments is an idea that would be incredibly difficult to pull off for many reasons.
The practical and logistical challenges of such an endeavor would be immense, considering security, staffing and the taxpayer costs of retrofitting historic royal residences to accommodate the homeless.
And while the media outlet claims Buckingham Palace is "barely" used, the building serves as the administrative center for the Royal Family, housing office space, meeting rooms, staff apartments and of course, serving as one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country with more than 500,000 ticket-paying visitors last year.
While the palace (along with other residences like Balmoral Castle) does remain closed to the public for months at a time, King Charles has expressed his wish to move to a more open model. He opened Balmoral for public tours for the first time ever this past summer, and reports that Buckingham Palace will welcome tourists year-round have been swirling in recent years.
While Prince William continues "desperately trying to help people who are in need," as he noted in his new documentary, it doesn't sound like this is one idea that will pan out in the prince's quest to end homelessness.
