‘Forever home’: Inside Kate and William’s grand new residence
More details have emerged about the Prince and Princess of Wales’ upcoming move to what is being described as their “forever home”.
Source: Prince and Princess of Wales
Kensington Palace confirmed last weekend that Prince William and wife Kate – and children George, Charlotte and Louis – are on the move again, after nearly three years in their current home.
The Waleses will leave four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage for the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge in the 2000-hectare Windsor Great Park – and hope to be in by Christmas.
Kate has already reportedly begun shopping for furniture for their new home – including a 24-seat dining table from a storehouse on the Windsor Estate that sells surplus royal furniture and antiques.
But before the family can move in, some neighbours have been told they must move out.
“Two separate families who lived in cottages next to the country mansion were asked to vacate their properties,” The Mail on Sunday reports.
It said the tenants, who live in cottages on the grounds of Forest Lodge that have been rented out by the Crown Estate, were “surprised” to learn of their evictions.
“They were told to move out. I guess they were given somewhere else, but they were told they had to move,” a source told the paper.
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“They were not expecting it. Those houses are very close to the lodge, so they’re not going to want any Tom, Dick, or Harry living in those houses if there are going to be royals there.”
Forest Lodge during its extensive renovations in 2001. Photo: AAP
Forest Lodge is being reported as a “considerable upgrade” from Adelaide Cottage, which is just 6.5 kilometres away. The Wales moved there from Kensington Palace in London in September 2022, in time for their three children to start at the nearby Lambrook School.
Queen Elizabeth II died just days later, followed by the news in early 2024 of the King’s cancer and then Kate’s own emergency surgery and battle with the disease. Late last year, Prince William said 2024 had been “brutal”.
“It’s been dreadful. It’s probably been the hardest year in my life,” he said.
The move, therefore, is also being seen as a way for the family to cement their life in Windsor, while leaving behind some of those unhappy associations.
“Windsor has become their home. However, over the last few years while they have lived at Adelaide Cottage, there have been some really difficult times,” a source told The Sun, which broke the news of the move.
“This is a move for the long-term. They see it as their forever home.”
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Among its many features, Forest Lodge has a “chandelier-lit ballroom, tennis court, Venetian windows, and extensive grounds”.
Work has reportedly started on what is being described as “minor renovations” before William and Kate move their family in. The Sun said the couple were paying for the property and renovations themselves, avoiding any extra cost to the taxpayer.
As Prince of Wales, Prince William receives the income from the 700-year-old Duchy of Cornwall, an extensive portfolio of land, property and investments valued at more than £1 billion. It generated profits of £22.9 million ($A47.7 billion) in the past financial year.
Forest Lodge, which is also part of the Crown Estate, is estimated to have a value of about £16 million on the open market.
The historic home has vaulted ceilings and Venetian windows. Photos AAP/X
It was renovated extensively in 2001, including £1.5 million in restoration works, and then rented out for £15,000 a month.
Images inside the home taken at the time showed the property had original stonework, elaborate plaster cornices and ceiling decoration, and a half-barrel vaulted hallway ceiling.
William and Kate will reportedly continue to have no live-in staff when they move to the house. But the soon-to-be-vacated cottages nearby perhaps offer options for some staff accommodation.
The house also requires its own security staff as it falls outside Windsor Home Park’s tightly guarded “ring of steel”.
“The lodge is on a private road, close to a little village with a shop, a post office and a tea shop, which is mainly used by staff,” one local said.
“It’s about as isolated as you can get there, so you can see the attraction for them. It’s situated in a huge private chunk of Windsor Great Park, and the children can go out cycling for miles and not come anywhere near any of the local residents.”
A rare glimpse inside Kate and William’s Kensington Palace apartment as then US president Barack Obama met Prince George in 2016. Photo: AAP
The Wales family also has a country home, Anmer Hall, on the King’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. It was gifted to Kate and William by the late queen.
They also still have their London base, Apartment 1a at Kensington Palace.
