The construction of the current palace lasted for more than three decades, so the first monarchs arriving from France had to live in the second royal residence located in the city, known as the Buen Retiro Palace, of which only its wonderful gardens remain today as it was demolished during the War of Independence. The first monarch to inhabit these walls was Charles III, and the last of them all was Alfonso XIII until the year 1921. Since then, the Royal Palace has been used for official events and tourist visits, as the current Royal Family resides outside Madrid in a 17th-century small palace known as "La Zarzuela."