The original building was constructed as a countryhouse in 1705 by the duke of Buckingham, John Sheffield. King George III bought the house in 1761 for his wife and had it altered by William Chambers.In 1826, King George IV asked famed architect John Nash to expand the house - then known as Buckingham House - into a palace. Meanwhile St. James's Palace was still the principal palace used by the royals for ceremonies and receptions. King George IV as well as his younger brother and successor King William IV both died before the palace was completed. Queen Victoria was the first to reside in the palace. In July 1837, three weeks after her accession to the throne, she moved from Kensington Palace, where she grew up, to the new Buckingham Palace.