where did royalty live before buckingham palace

Before Buckingham Palace became the main royal home, the British monarchs’ official London residence was St. James’s Palace. Buckingham Palace only became the official royal residence in 1837 , when Queen Victoria moved there.

Quick context

• St. James’s Palace was the chief royal residence after Whitehall Palace burned down in 1698.

• Before that, the monarchy used Whitehall Palace and, in earlier periods, several other royal sites in and around London, including Westminster and Windsor Castle.

• Buckingham Palace itself started as Buckingham House and was acquired by George III in the 1760s.

Simple version

If you mean the place royals lived right before Buckingham Palace , the answer is St. James’s Palace.

Longer view

Royal life was not centered in just one building for centuries. The court moved between multiple palaces, but St. James’s Palace was the main London base immediately before Buckingham Palace took over that role.