Queen Elizabeth,II isn't just a monarch — she's a real estate mogul

The royal family owns $18 billion worth of real estate in the UK— take a look inside 11 of their lavish properties

The royal family owns property across the UK valued at an estimated $18 billion. The queen receives 25% of the Crown Estate's revenues to spend on maintaining her properties as well as her official work.

From palaces to private homes, here are 11 properties that the royal family calls their own.

• The royal family owns private residential houses as well as castles and palaces across the UK.
• They also own famous landmarks like the Savoy Hotel and the Ascot Racecourse.
• Many of them have been in the royal family for hundreds of years.

Buckingham Palace — London, England

Buckingham Palace.

 Buckingham Palace is the administrative headquarters of the ruling monarch— in other words, the queen's office.

Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms total, including 19 Staterooms, 52 bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, and 78 bathrooms.

Buckingham Palace over Christmas.

 

It opens to the public for tours every summer as well as for a limited time during December, January, and Easter.

Click here to see more of Buckingham Palace's lavish Christmas decorations.

Sandringham House — Norfolk, England

Sandringham House.

 Queen Elizabeth inherited Sandringham House from her father in 1952. It's a private residence on an 8,000 hectare-estate owned by the royal family.

Sandringham House is where the royal family celebrates Christmas together.

Queen Elizabeth sits at a desk at the royal country estate at Sandringham after delivering her Christmas Day telecast in 1957.

 

Meghan Markle attended the festivities while she and Prince Harry were engaged, which was an exception to the royal protocol of only allowing spouses at Christmas.

Windsor Castle — Windsor, England

Windsor Castle.

 Windsor Castle is the queen's weekend getaway residence — though she also holds Easter Court there during March and April every year. It is the largest occupied castle in the world, according to the royal family's official website.

St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle has hosted various royal weddings over the years, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's recent nuptials.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wed in St George's chapel.

 

When it's not being used for an invitation-only event, many parts of the castle are open to the public.

Clarence House — London, England

Clarence House.

 Clarence House was built between 1825 and 1827 for Prince William Henry, Duke of Clarence.

Today, Clarence House is the official residence of Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

Prince Charles meets with Helen Clark, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand at Clarence House.

 

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip also lived there when they first got married in 1947. Tours are available in August every year.

St James's Palace — London, England

St James's Palace. 

The palace was built between 1531 and 1536 by Henry VIII.

St. James's Palace hosts up to 100 charity receptions every year for various organizations that the royal family supports.

Prince Andrew speaks during the London Global African Investment Summit at St James' Palace.

 It can also be used for family occasions like Prince George's christening in 2013.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse — Edinburgh, Scotland

The Palace of Holyroodhouse.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse, also known as Holyrood Palace, began as a monastery in 1128.

Holyroodhouse is now the Queen's official residence in Scotland.

Queen Elizabeth greets Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

It's open to the public year-round and is the center of Holyrood Week, an annual string of royal engagements celebrating Scottish history and culture from the end of June to the beginning of July.

Kensington Palace — London, England

Kensington Palace.

 William III bought Kensington Palace in 1689 from the Earl of Nottingham, who was also his Secretary of State.

Kensington Palace is home to Prince William and Kate Middleton and their three kids, who live in Apartment 1A, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who live in Nottingham Cottage.

Prince William and Kate Middleton greet the Obamas at Apartment 1A.

They've been known to sneak out of the palace in helicopters that land in Hyde Park.

The Duchy of Lancaster — UK

Lancaster Castle in Lancashire.

 The Duchy of Lancaster is a large estate privately owned by the queen and meant to provide a source of independent income, separate from the Crown Estate.

The rural part of the estate consists of 18,433 hectares of land (for scale, one hectare is 107,639 square feet) spread across Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, and Lincolnshire.

Queen Elizabeth visits one of the Duchy of Lancaster Farms in Staffordshire, UK.

It includes historic castles as well as commercial, residential, and agricultural properties.

The Savoy Estate, Duchy of Lancaster — London, England

The Savoy Hotel in London is part of the estate.

 The Duchy of Lancaster estate also includes commercial property in the Savoy precinct in London.

The Duchy of Lancaster includes the Savoy Estate, which is home to the famous Savoy Hotel in London.

The American Bar at the Savoy Hotel.

 The Savoy Hotel contains The American Bar, which was voted the best bar in the world.

Balmoral Castle — Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Balmoral Castle.

 Balmoral Castle is the royal family's vacation home in Scotland. Prince Albert bought it for Queen Victoria in 1852, then decided to demolish it and build a new larger one on the grounds in 1856.

The 50,000-acre estate features 150 buildings in total.

In the documentary "Our Queen At Ninety," Princess Eugenie called Balmoral Castle "the most beautiful place on Earth."

Livestock on the Balmoral Castle grounds. 

"I think granny is happiest there," Princess Eugenie said. The castle grounds are open to the public from the end of March until the end of July.

Ascot Racecourse — Berkshire, England

Ascot Racecourse.

Queen Anne founded the Ascot Racecourse in 1711. Queen Elizabeth oversaw two years of renovations to the course, during which it closed, before reopening it in 2006.

The queen is particularly fond of horses and horseracing — her own steeds have won at the Royal Ascot before.

Queen Elizabeth at the Royal Ascot.

She attends the week-long Royal Ascot races every June along with 300,000 members of the public.

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