Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the topic of royal homes and who lives where has become a potent one.
In the past few years, UK newspaper reports from sources purporting to be very close to the office of the then Prince of Wales suggested that a whole new approach to royal real estate was being planned by the heir apparent.
The idea was that when he came to the throne, King Charles would open up the private grandeur of historic royal homes to the public, creating people's palaces for all to enjoy for extended periods throughout the year.
The royal family at Buckingham Palace in 2015. King Charles is expected to make the palace his London home. (Reuters: Stefan Wermuth)
It's early days, of course, and those plans are unlikely to be implemented before the coronation in May, but there's certainly a plethora of options to consider with Sandringham House, Windsor Castle and Balmoral Castle — all places the late Queen spent a good deal of private time — ripe for conversion.
While we wait for announcements of a possible democratisation of regal property, here is a glance at the House of Windsor real estate portfolio and the current owners and tenants.
Buckingham Palace, London
Buckingham Palace is the focal point of the British monarchy. (Reuters: Carl Court/Pool)
The 775-room palace with 40 acres of gardens, five floors and an indoor swimming pool has been the British sovereign's official royal residence since 1837 — but King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, have yet to move in.
The palace is currently halfway through a 10-year multimillion-dollar renovation and restoration project, so it makes sense for Charles and Camilla to stay put at nearby Clarence House and hop over to the palace for work engagements and meetings. Certainly, Clarence House is much cosier.
To date, the official word is that the King still plans to make Buckingham Palace his London home, and in the meantime, it is still very much the focal point for the monarchy — for coronation celebrations, for the Trooping the Colour on June 17 and for state visits, important events and banquets.
It's also HQ for all administrative matters and currently a very busy hub of activity.
The palace is actually part of the Crown Estate, a company that belongs to the reigning monarch "in right of the Crown", so essentially the property comes with the job. It is managed by the independent Crown Estate company — as is the case for many of the royal homes.
Clarence House, London
King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla currently occupy Clarence House.(Flickr: The British Monarchy)
A stone's thrown down The Mall from Buckingham Palace, Clarence House sits beside the ancient St James Palace and is where Charles and Camilla reside when in London.
Many royals have lived in this elegant, John Nash-designed townhouse, including Princes William and Harry, the late Queen Mother and before that Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in the early days of their marriage.
Engagements are regularly held in the downstairs drawing rooms and in the walled gardens.
This is another Crown Estate property and there has been talk of Prince George possibly becoming a future resident when his time comes.
Kensington Palace, London
There are up to 50 residents of Kensington Palace at any one time.(ABC News: Kathleen Dyett)
Royals have been living at Kensington Palace in the heart of London's Hyde Park since the 17th century and the current occupants include the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine, and their family (when in London), the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.
Non-royals also live here — including members of the military, courtiers and staff — with residents totalling around 50 at any given time.
The accommodation is also run by the Crown Estate run and divided into "apartments" and cottages, with William and Catherine residing in the most palatial — apartment 1A, previously home to the late Princess Margaret (Elizabeth II's sister) — with four storeys and 20 rooms.
There are also several cottages and small houses in the palace grounds, including Nottingham Cottage. Watchers of the Harry & Meghan Netflix docuseries will recall the couple complaining about the pokiness of the two-bed, two-bathroom house which was their starter home leading up to and after their wedding.
According to a UK newspaper report, Princess Eugenie and her family recently moved into the cottage but this has not been confirmed.
Kensington Palace also has state rooms open to the public and currently houses the administrative staff for the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Sandringham House, Norfolk
The royal family gathers at Sandringham House for Christmas.(Facebook: Sandringham 1870)
The 20,000-acre Sandringham Estate is privately owned by the royal family and has now passed to King Charles III. Sandringham House is where the family famously gathers for Christmas and for shooting parties.
While the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh stayed here from Christmas until mid-February, after hosting the family yuletide gathering, King Charles and Camilla are spending New Year in Scotland.
Anmer Hall, Norfolk
Anmer Hall in Norfolk was a wedding gift to William and Catherine.(Wikipedia: Richard Humphrey)
The 10-bedroom Georgian house on the Sandringham Estate was a wedding gift to William and Catherine and the place they most like to spend time as a family.
While the family has now moved to Windsor, they have retained Anmer for a country holiday bolthole.
Windsor Castle, Windsor
Windsor Castle has been a royal residence for more than 900 years.(AP: Leon Neal)
The late Queen Elizabeth II spent weekends and Easter at Windsor Castle and the Duke of Edinburgh died there on April 9, 2021.
But so far King Charles has shown no intention to move in. It's the largest occupied castle in the world with around 1,000 rooms and has been a royal residence for more than 900 years.
Frogmore Cottage, Windsor
Frogmore Cottage remains Harry and Meghan's UK home. (AP: Steve Parsons)
Prince Harry and Meghan were given Frogmore Cottage by the late Queen and moved there in 2019, following a significant renovation that converted what were previously five separate apartments into one home.
When they moved to California the couple decided to pay for the lease themselves as well as refund the property's renovation costs so they could retain the cottage as their UK home. They stayed here during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Adelaide Cottage, Windsor
The Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children moved into the four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor Estate in 2022 so they could be near the children's new school.
Since the Queen's death, there have been unconfirmed reports that the family may now move to the larger Frogmore House, also on the Windsor Estate.
This 17th-century mansion is where Harry and Meghan held their wedding reception.
Royal Lodge, Windsor
Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson live in the Royal Lodge, a sumptuous 30-room home with an indoor swimming pool on the Windsor Estate — just five miles from Windsor Castle itself.
Andrew paid for the renovations and renewed the 75-year lease on the property with the Crown Estate in 2003. The late Queen's remaining corgis, Muick and Sandy, are the latest residents to join the Duke and Duchess of York at the residence.
Highgrove House, Gloucestershire
The gardens surrounding Highgrove House are often open to the public.(Reuters: Geoff Pugh/Pool)
King Charles and the Duchy of Cornwall purchased Highgrove in 1980 and since Prince William has now inherited the Duchy of Cornwall, in theory, he is now his father's landlord.
The house and stunning organic gardens and farm are very much Charles's pride and joy, created by him as a place for rest and recuperation in the heart of the Gloucestershire countryside, close to his sister's family who live on the Gatcombe Estate.
So far, the King has shown no inclination to move from the family home he has created but he is happy to share the gardens with the public. They are open on selected dates from April to October with tickets booked out months in advance.
Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire
Princess Anne currently lives at Gatcombe House with her second husband.(Wikimedia: Geography.org.uk)
This 700-acre estate, including a grand 18th-century family home and a working farm, was a wedding gift from the late Queen to her only daughter Princess Anne when she married her first husband Captain Mark Phillips. It is where their children, Zara and Peter, were raised.
Princess Anne currently lives here with her second husband, Sir Tim Laurence, while her children's families also live on the estate in separate properties.
Bagshot Park, Surrey
This Crown Estate property, a short drive from Windsor, is the home of Prince Edward, his wife Sophie and their two children, Lady Louise and James Viscount Severn.
The massive 120-room mansion house is set on 51 acres which include stables.
Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Queen Elizabeth died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.(Flickr: neil1877)
The late Queen spent her summers on the private Balmoral Estate, and it was here that she felt most free, away from the glare of public duty. It was also here that she died on September 8.
The castle was purchased by Prince Albert as a private retreat for his wife Queen Victoria and is now owned by King Charles. It is not yet known if the King will move into the castle or remain in Birkhall, his much cosier home on the Balmoral Estate.
Llwynywermod, Camarthenshire, Wales
This modest farmhouse, near Llandovery, was purchased in 2007 by the Duchy of Cornwall to provide a base in Wales for the then Prince of Wales.
The three-bedroom home was refurbished using local materials and the skills of Welsh craftspeople. Charles and Camilla would stay at the house during their annual tour of Wales and when in the area on other official visits.
It is likely the property will now pass to the new Prince of Wales, William.
Barbara Walters, the intrepid interviewer, anchor and program host who led the way as the first woman to become a TV news superstar during a network career remarkable for its duration and variety, has died. She was 93.
Walters' death was announced by ABC in the United States on air Friday night and also by her publicist.
"Barbara Walters passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by loved ones. She lived her life with no regrets. She was a trailblazer not only for female journalists, but for all women," said publicist Cindi Berger in a statement.
Walters' death was announced by ABC in the United States on air Friday night. (AP)
During nearly four decades at ABC, and before that at NBC, Walters' exclusive interviews with rulers, royalty and entertainers brought her celebrity status that ranked with theirs, while placing her at the forefront of the trend in broadcast journalism that made stars of TV reporters and brought news programs into the race for higher ratings.
Walters made headlines in 1976 as the first female network news anchor, with an unprecedented US$1 million annual salary that drew gasps and criticism (while lost in the outcry were her additional duties extending beyond news).
Her drive was legendary as she competed — not just with rival networks, but with colleagues at her own network — for each big "get" in a world jammed with more and more interviewers, including female journalists who had followed on the trail she blazed.
"I never expected this!" Walters said in 2004, taking measure of her success.
"I always thought I'd be a writer for television. I never even thought I'd be in front of a camera."
But she was a natural on camera, especially when plying notables with questions.
"I'm not afraid when I'm interviewing, I have no fear!" Walters told The Associated Press in 2008.
Walters is survived by her only daughter, Jacqueline Danforth.
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Newly appointed Sunrise host Mylee Hogan has come under fire over a comment about Australian cricketer Glenn McGrath.
The awkward moment happened during Wednesday's segment about a viral TikTok prank, where social media users video their parents' reaction when told their favourite celebrity had died suddenly - when in fact they hadn't.
Hogan reported on the viral trend before being cut off by stand-in host Mark Beretta who said the prank "could be the stupidest thing I've ever seen".
"I don't like it at all. We shouldn't be running that. Get it off. Get it off now," he said.
Beretta went on to discuss their next guest appearance - Glenn McGrath who was speaking about the Boxing Day Test - when Hogan jokingly said "Glenn McGrath died".
Beretta and co-host Edwina Bartholomew were quick to react, dismissing Hogan's comment while she continued to laugh it off.
"Don't even...that's not funny," Bartholomew said.
"I don't get that at all. That’s so not funny…its crazy," Beretta added.
Hogan has since copped major backlash on social media about the comment, with one viewer slamming it as "'immature and insensitive".
"We will not be watching Sunrise anymore, if that girl with the black hair is reading the news again," one user wrote on their Facebook page.
Others pointed out it was particularly insensitive as McGrath's wife had died from breast cancer in 2008.
"She made a comment about Glen McGrath dying and laughed. Doesn't she know that Glen's first wife Jane died tragically from breast cancer," the post continued.
"I agree totally, that was awful," another commented.
"You're not wrong...that is sickening. This is what I call offensive. I stopped watching 7 some time ago because I disagreed with their lead host's treatment of a woman," a third added.
Bobby Driessen, who starred with Tina Arena on the 1970s and ‘80s child talent show Young Talent Time, has died aged 56.
His death was confirmed in a post by Young Talent Time on Facebook on December 29.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Tina Arena and Bobby Driessen sing on Young Talent Time
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“All of us here at Young Talent Time are incredibly saddened to hear the news of Bobby Driessen, one of our beloved team members, has passed away in his sleep,” the post read.
“Only 56 years old, way too young to have left us. Bobby you will be sadly missed. Vale Bobby Driessen.”
Driessen, who was born in the Netherlands in 1966, also had a role in Neighbours in 1985.
Bobby Driessen Credit: Facebook/Young Talent Time
But he was widely known for his beautiful singing skills - which he showcased to perfection on Young Talent Time.
The show, which ran from 1971 to 1988, launched the careers of a host of Australian stars including Arena, Dannii Minogue and Debra Byrne.
Minogue took to social media after news of Driessen’s passing broke, calling him “a kind gentle soul, with bucketloads of charisma”.
“We were a family on Young Talent Time. Bobby will be missed by his family, friends and fans,” she added.
Host Johnny Young also took to Facebook to share a tribute to Driessen.
“Bobby was one of the most popular members of the Young Talent Team. He was a gentle, loving young man who still has many fans,” Young wrote.
“Thanks for the many great shows we did together. Bobby, we will never forget you. All my love - Johnny Young and family.”
Driessen with Tina Arena. Credit: NSFA
Performer Beven Addinsall also shared a moving tribute.
“In 1983 I joined Young Talent Time. The team member I replaced was Bobby Driessen,” he wrote.
“A uniquely talented funny and charismatic person.
“I’m so saddened to hear that Bobby has passed away in his sleep.
“He was only 56 and it has come as quite a shock. Vale Bobby Driessen. RIP.”
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London: The Prince of Wales had lived in the shadow of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, so long that her reign was record-breaking.
After Elizabeth’s grandfather, King George V, 90 years ago, began the British tradition of a Christmas broadcast, then on radio, it was the young Queen who revolutionised it, by delivering it to camera and thus beaming the sovereign into the lounge rooms of Britons and across the Commonwealth.
King Charles III delivers his first Christmas message.Credit:Getty
The Queen went on to deliver a total 68 Christmas messages during her 70-year reign, skipping only one year, which prompted such an outcry she had to issue a statement promising to resume regular services the following year.
In 2022, just three months after her passing, the septuagenarian Charles became the first male monarch to give the address on television and the second-only male sovereign to deliver a Christmas message since 1951.
His first words, the first major speech since delivering his thanks to the nation following the passing of his “dear Mama” in September, have set a record of their own, becoming the most-watched monarch’s address in decades.
This is the highest ever number recorded in the two decades that viewing figures have been collected and well above the 8.96 million viewers who tuned in last year for Elizabeth II’s final message.
The broadcast was a boon for the BBC with more than 8 million tuning in for the address on its platform, compared with the 1.58 million who watched it on commercial broadcaster ITV.
The BBC’s chief content officer Charlotte Moore said winning the Christmas Day ratings capped off an “incredibly centenary year of world-class content on the BBC”.
“In a time of so much competition and choice, the BBC continues to be the UK’s entertainment destination on Christmas Day,” Moore said.
Camilla, Queen Consort with King Charles III at Sandringham, Norfolk on Christmas Day, 2022.Credit:Getty
Charles’ speech made headlines in the UK for focusing on the cost-of-living crisis that is besetting Britain, where unions representing nurses, paramedics, postal workers, border force staff and rail workers have all called strikes, demanding their pay keep pace with inflation, now at record highs.
Charles praised those in public service and charitable work and said their contributions were a demonstration of the true meaning of Christmas.
Charles, who has spent decades campaigning on climate change but has had to put his public advocacy aside in order to remain politically neutral as sovereign, also acknowledged the “great anxiety and hardship” for those facing famine, and disaster, and trying to keep their families warm and fed, whether in Britain or abroad.
As king, Charles is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. But he used his speech to address people from all religions as well as atheists, saying the message of Jesus’ birth was true to humanity.
He praised his mother’s long legacy of public service and said he and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, had been deeply touched by all the messages of love and support they had received since the Queen’s death.
Charles filmed his first Christmas message in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, close to where his parents are buried.
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He provided the basslines to Little River Band's most famous songs, including Reminiscing and Help Is On Its Way, but George McArdle gave it all away after being awoken in the middle of the night 44 years ago.
Key points:
George McArdle was LRB's second bassist, playing on the Diamantina Cocktail and Sleeper Catcher albums
As part of its so-called classic line-up, he contributed to seven LRB singles that charted in Australia or the US
His last show with the band was in January 1979 at New Zealand's Nambassa Festival
McArdle was a self-described brawler from Melbourne before he played on two of LRB's best-selling 1970s albums, toured the world for stadium concert performances and was honoured by ARIA in 2004 — inducted into its hall of fame — as part of the band's so-called classic line-up.
But he quit LRB in early 1979 for an anonymous life, earning minimum wage as a painter's labourer on construction sites.
It was because he received what he described as an epiphany to pursue Christian studies at Bible college.
"I wasn't living a good lifestyle at the time and God offered me something bigger than LRB. So, I left to follow Him," McArdle told the ABC as he prepared to celebrate Christmas Day with his family in Brisbane.
"Then I started working for a painter and he had a newspaper clipping of me in the truck.
"There were blokes everywhere on this site and he goes out to the truck and grabs the clipping and he's saying to these guys 'Look who this is.' It was so humiliating."
George McArdle joined Little River Band at the age of 21 after being discovered playing in a Melbourne club.(ABC News: Jason Dasey)
Now 68 years old and semi-retired, McArdle says that while he remains proud of his work with LRB, he has no regrets about walking away from arguably Australia's most successful band of that era.
It has sold more than 30 million records worldwide, with 11 charting singles in the US, including six top-10 hits.
Commercial interest in LRB received a boost in October with the release of two new compilation albums, Ultimate Hits and Masterpieces, after the entire LRB catalogue from 1975 to 1986 was remastered.
Little River Band's classic line-up, including Glenn Shorrock (centre) performed at the 2004 ARIA Awards after being inducted into the Hall of Fame. (AAP/Paul Miller )
But the group's founders, including Glenn Shorrock, Graeham Goble and Beeb Birtles, have been legally blocked from performing under the Little River Band name because they no longer control the trademark after it was sold off in the late 1990s.
A US-band, fronted by another LRB bassist, Wayne Nelson, continues to give concerts across North America, with no original members or Australian connection.
Although McArdle was with LRB for less than three years — from August 1976 to January 1979 — his innovative bass work on the Diamantina Cocktail and Sleeper Catcher albums stands the test of time.
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From Melbourne brawler to pop star
In addition to Reminiscing and Help Is On Its Way, McArdle played on the hit singles, Home on Monday, Happy Anniversary, Witchery, Shut Down Turn Off and Lady: a stunning contribution from a little known bassist, plucked from a Melbourne club at the age of 21.
"I was playing with David Briggs (LRB lead guitarist, 1976-81) at a nightclub in Melbourne called Peter Pointer's Pink Pussycat in a scratch band where good musicians would come and go," he said.
"One night apparently — I don't remember seeing them — the guys from LRB came in and saw myself and 'Briggsy' on stage and we got a call from them to come and audition."
McArdle says it was "daunting" being in a group with household names like Shorrock, Birtles, Goble and British-born drummer Derek Pellicci, but he worked hard to fit in.
He was one of two left-handed players in the band, along with rhythm guitarist, Birtles, who was bassist in a previous band, Zoot.
George McArdle (centre, back) and the rest of LRB celebrate Diamantina Cocktail earning gold record status in 1977. (Facebook: The Original Little River Band)
When McArdle joined the band, along with Briggs, he was recovering from a reconstructed eye socket from fighting on the streets of Brunswick.
"After a brawl in a coffee shop, I had a serious eye injury that left me with no bottom in my eye socket," McArdle said.
"The doctor said, 'You can never get into another fight', so I took his advice seriously and stopped running with the crowd I was in.
"I spent a lot more time at home practising on my bass and turned my life around. I really had been on a pathway to destruction, so it was a good thing.
"I realised, of course, that I had a talent for it, even though some people commented that I was a bit rough around the edges and didn't seem like a good fit for the band."
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Giving 'help' to LRB's biggest hit
McArdle contributed the distinctive introduction to Shorrock's Help Is On Its Way, which turned out to be the band's only Australian number one single, winning record of the year in 1977.
"We were in the green room backstage at Melbourne University and Glenn sat down and started playing on an upright piano there. I plugged my bass into the amp and just started playing along," he said.
"When Glenn played on the piano, I just played that exact riff. And he just looked up at me and said, 'That sounds pretty good'.
"In the chorus, I go into a Motown-y sort of octave thing that half the songs on the radio had at that time. There was nothing really original about it, but things came together at the right time."
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'Very simple but it worked'
Reminiscing, written by Goble and reaching number 3 on the US charts, has been played on US radio more than 5 million times since its release in 1978, with the late Frank Sinatra and John Lennon among its admirers.
In an interview, Sinatra described it as "the best 1970s song in the world".
Again, it is the distinctive bass from McArdle that gives the song its smooth introduction, followed by Shorrock's conversational yet melodic vocals.
"It took me quite a while to come up with what worked best for it because everybody in LRB tried to put their best foot forward with every recording which is why the band was so good," McArdle said.
"But what worked best for that song was a very simple bassline, and that's what I ended up doing.
The late Frank Sinatra described LRB's Reminiscing as "the best 1970s song in the world".(Getty: Art Zelin)
"According to Graeham, he put pen to paper and the whole song was finished in something like 20 minutes. That's often the way with great songs".
LRB's strength was its broad range of songwriters. In addition to Goble, Shorrock and Birtles, Briggs penned another US top-10 hit for LRB in Lonesome Loser, recording a demo in McArdle's home studio.
'Awoken in the middle of the night'
But by the time the song was recorded on LRB's First Under the Wire album, released in July 1979, the softly-spoken bass player had quit the band after he was "awoken in the middle of the night because my bed was shaking like an earthquake".
"It was something that I'd never experienced before but the presence of God filled my bedroom and he spoke to me. He actually opened up the ceiling and showed me a vision of heaven," he said.
"I knew I had to leave the band because I wasn't living a good lifestyle and knew I needed to get serious about Christianity."
Two days after quitting LRB, George McArdle started at Bible college in Katoomba.(Facebook)
McArdle's last concert with LRB was in January 1979 at the Nambassa Festival on New Zealand's North Island. The last song he played on was Help Is On Its Way.
"We had two drummers that night — I had Derek Pellicci on my right and John Hartman from The Doobie Brothers on my left — I was wondering at that moment if I was making the right decision because the band sounded so amazing," he said.
"I walked off the stage, said my goodbyes and two days later I was in the Bible college."
McArdle trained at Commonwealth Bible College in Katoomba, west of Sydney, paying the bills by working on construction sites and trying to avoid talking about his previous career.
"This guy said in front of everyone on the building site, "So, God took you out of the Little River Band and made you a [house] painter? It was embarrassing."
McArdle would earn a minister's credential and served as a pastor at Queensland's Airlie Beach.
Today, he plays in the worship team band at Riverside Church in the Brisbane suburb of Chelmer, and gives inspirational talks about his journey from musician to preacher around Australia, and occasionally overseas, and often with bass in hand.
His former band mate, Shorrock, now 78, is planning to perform later this week with fellow pop legend Brian Cadd — on December 30 and 31— at Twin Towns Services Club at Tweed Heads, on the NSW side of the border with Queensland in a show called the Two Amigos.
But McArdle will be a long way from the glare of the stage lights and the buzz of amps and microphones. He's planning a quiet festive period with his family, including a Christmas service at Riverside Church.
He insists he wouldn't change a thing about cutting his pop music career short.
"I'm happy with the choice I made," he said.
"But, at the same time, I'm thrilled to have played on so many great songs by the Little River Band. It was a great time in my life."
