St James’s Palace

The striking Tudor gatehouse of St James’s Palace, the only surviving part of a building initiated by the palace-mad Henry VIII in 1530, is best approached from St James’s St to the north of the park. This was the official residence of kings and queens for more than three centuries. Foreign ambassadors are still formally accredited to the Court of St James, although the tea and biscuits are actually served at Buckingham Palace. Princess Diana, who hated this place, lived here until her divorce from Charles in 1996, when she moved to Kensington Palace. Prince Charles and his sons stayed on at St James’s until 2004, before decamping next door to Clarence House, leaving St James’s Palace to a brace of minor royals including Charles’s famously tetchy sister, Princess Anne. Don’t get too close in case she sends out a footman to tell you to naff off.