what is st james palace?
Palace
contradiction
 Under the new crown ownership , the building was originally intended as a private retreat for King George III 's wife , Queen Charlotte , and was accordingly known as The Queen 's House — 14 of their 15 children were born there . St James 's Palace , however , remained the official and ceremonial royal residence . 

contradiction
 Other residences include Clarence House and Kensington Palace . The palaces belong to the Crown ; they are held in trust for future rulers , and cannot be sold by the monarch . Sandringham House in Norfolk and Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire are privately owned by the Queen . 

contradiction
 The original early 19th @-@ century interior designs , many of which survive , include widespread use of brightly coloured scagliola and blue and pink lapis , on the advice of Sir Charles Long . King Edward VII oversaw a partial redecoration in a Belle Époque cream and gold colour scheme . Many smaller reception rooms are furnished in the Chinese regency style with furniture and fittings brought from the Royal Pavilion at Brighton and from Carlton House . The palace has 775 rooms , and the garden is the largest private garden in London . The state rooms , used for official and state entertaining , are open to the public each year for most of August and September , and on selected days in winter and spring . 

contradiction
 At the rear of the palace is the large and park @-@ like garden , which together with its lake is the largest private garden in London . There , the Queen hosts her annual garden parties each summer , and also holds large functions to celebrate royal milestones , such as jubilees . It covers 40 acres ( 16 ha ) , and includes a helicopter landing area , a lake , and a tennis court . 

entailment
 Historically , the Palace of Westminster and the Tower of London were the main residences of the English Sovereign until Henry VIII acquired the Palace of Whitehall . Whitehall was destroyed by fire in 1698 , leading to a shift to St James 's Palace . Although replaced as the monarch 's primary London residence by Buckingham Palace in 1837 , St James 's is still the senior palace and remains the ceremonial Royal residence . For example , foreign ambassadors are accredited to the Court of St James 's , and the Palace is the site of the meeting of the Accession Council . It is also used by other members of the Royal Family . 
