Kate and William's 'fresh start' will mean two families must move
Families will need to vacate their properties so that Kate and William can move into their 'forever home', according to reports.
The Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children are set to move into 300-year-old Forest Lodge later this year. The mansion, in a corner of Winsdor Great Park, is understood to be where William would continue to live when he becomes King.
Earlier in the summer, two families who lived in cottages nearby were asked to leave. The cottages were converted from the Forest Lodge's stables are believed to have been rented out by the Crown Estate.
The tenants were said to have been "surprised" at having been asked to leave, reports the Mail On Sunday. It was understood that no eviction noticed had been served and the tenants moved to similar housing in the massive 4,800-acre Great Park.
"They were told to move out," one unnamed source told the outlet. "I guess they were given somewhere else, but they were told they had to move.
"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."
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The mansion features a ballroom, complete with chandeliers, a tennis court, extensive grounds as well as Venetian windows. It is a large upgrade compared to the four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage where the young family lived for the past three years.
The property is about four miles from their old home, which the family lived in during one of the more challenging periods for them. Royal Family matriarch and beloved Queen Elizabeth II died just weeks after they moved in.
(Image: John Stillwell/PA Wire)
Last year, both King Charles and Kate bravely announced they were undergoing treatment for cancer. Royal insiders told the outlet the family want a "fresh start" at Forest Lodge and view it as a way to leave behind some of their more painful memories.
One source told the Mail on Sunday: "This house is much larger than Adelaide Cottage. There is a dining room and drawing room which require substantial pieces of furniture."
There are some royal insiders who have been more sceptical to call the mansion the family's "forever home." Another unnamed source said: "How can this be their forever home? It's not grand enough for a king."
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Daily Record
16 hours ago
- Daily Record
William and Kate 'make huge decision' that could change Buckingham Palace forever
The Prince and Princess of Wales are set to move into Forest Lodge later this year and are reportedly planning to make the stunning eight-bedroom property their 'forever home' The Prince and Princess of Wales are reportedly planning a significant relocation from their modest Adelaide Cottage residence to Forest Lodge in Windsor - prompting speculation about Buckingham Palace's future. Sources suggest Prince William and Kate will personally fund the extensive refurbishments which are required for the magnificent eight-bedroom Windsor property, with plans to complete the move before the end of the year. As insiders describe Forest Lodge as the family's potential "forever home", questions are now being asked among royal circles regarding the fate of the historic palace, as the iconic building may face an unprecedented future without a reigning monarch in residence. The Waleses are reportedly eager to depart Adelaide Cottage, where they have been based for the past three years, seeking a fresh beginning in new surroundings after enduring Kate's recent cancer battle and the late Queen Elizabeth's death, reports the Mirror. Should William and Kate proceed with their reported intention to remain at Forest Lodge throughout William's eventual reign, it would mark the first occasion since medieval times that a British sovereign has chosen not to reside in a traditional castle or palace. However, one royal insider told the Daily Mail: "The late Queen said she had to be seen to be believed. I just hope that the Prince of Wales can find the right balance between raising his family away from the public glare at Windsor with the presence required of him as a future, and eventual, head of state." Buckingham Palace, the monarch's official London residence, is presently experiencing extensive renovations from top to bottom, including a comprehensive redecorating of the late Queen's private quarters, costing a staggering £369 million in taxpayers' money. Because of the massive restoration works, no members of the Royal Family are currently living at the Palace, as the overdue and essential repairs are addressing longstanding problems that existed before World War Two. Nevertheless, a palace source informed the Mail that William will adopt an even more "pragmatic" stance towards Buckingham Palace going forward, emphasising that Forest Lodge will remain his family's sole "long-term" residence. Mirroring King Charles' strategy, it's understood William will maintain Buckingham Palace's accessibility to increased numbers of visitors annually compared to current levels, creating revenue for its ongoing maintenance whilst reducing the burden on taxpayers. The Prince of Wales is also said to be keen on expanding the amount of official entertaining that takes place at the Palace, potentially even utilising it for government and charitable events. Under William's reign, Sandringham and Balmoral could also see an increase in visitor numbers, despite being private royal residences with no public funding. Meanwhile, King Charles has kicked off the official start of his summer residency in Scotland. The monarch greeted tourists who were waiting at the gates of Balmoral today, Monday, August 18, as a military ceremony involving a Shetland pony marked his arrival. Charles arrived at the Aberdeenshire estate in his state Bentley on Monday morning to inspect his Royal Guard, as well as regimental mascot Corporal Cruachan IV, a Shetland pony, as it stood with handler Corporal Rory Stewart. A Guard of Honour was held by Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (SCOTS) to officially welcome the King to Balmoral, though he was in attendance at a church service there on Sunday in a private capacity. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Times
a day ago
- Times
Kate is downsizing — and living life on her own terms now
Call it a fresh start. Call it a Forever House (if you must). Whatever you want to call it, William and Kate are moving from Adelaide Cottage to the bigger Forest Lodge on the Windsor Great Park estate. We're very interested in this development because (have to trust us on this) look closer and the move tells us an awful lot about the Prince and Princess of Wales, where they are in their lives, and where they are not. What they're doing here is smart downsizing — something only the rich can do but that also puts them right in step with the mood of the sustainability conscious middle-class population. They'll still have their 20-room flat 1A at Kensington Palace, of course, and Anmer Hall in Norfolk, and Forest Lodge is an eight-bedroom house, so yes, it is a step up from their four-bedroom cottage but, still. Their new home as of 'later this year' is like a gate lodge compared with the houses of many of their friends (the Duke of Westminster's house has 60 rooms, for example). • If Kate and William upsize, will an old pile with a tennis court be a curse? Whatever way you look at it, it's downsizing: they've chosen to make their permanent family residence — where they plan to stay even after William ascends to the throne — a relatively modest house rather than a royal palace. To put things in perspective, the nearby Royal Lodge, Prince Andrew's current residence, has 31 bedrooms and an owner who is up in arms about the speed bumps on his 'drive'. (And by the way if they could get Andrew out of Royal Lodge it is the last place on earth Kate would want to end up — not just, but mainly, for reasons of scale and style.) I say Kate. Neither of them want the grandeur-behind-closed-doors associated with royalty any more but you suspect that the shift is driven by Kate. There's something similar going on with the present King and Queen. They have made their main residence Clarence House while Buckingham Palace is undergoing major refurbishment, though what's the betting that come 2027, when it's completed, they'll stay put and open soulless Buck House to the public? Camilla likes a manageable garden, an Aga in which to cook her own fish pie and a dog-friendly fireside. She's naturally informal and has relaxed the King too (if he ever did travel with his own loo seat and Monarch of the Glen painting that's not happening now). And Kate — while evidently the most obliging of royal wives — has entered a new phase of her life, post cancer treatment. Naturally she wants to live as normally as possible behind closed doors and in her case staying in the countryside, being able to walk in nature every day, is paramount. It's pretty clear that, having done precisely what has been required of her for 15 years and with the confidence and clarity that, oddly enough, her serious illness will have given her, she's no longer prepared to fake the role of Princess and this house move is part of a bigger shift towards 'normality' away from the stuffy world her husband's mother inhabited. You remember back when Barack and Michelle Obama visited William and Kate and George in his dressing gown in Kensington Palace, the room where they entertained them looked like something in an Eighties diplomatic residence. Kate will have moved on from the tastes she thought she should have back then and developed her own and, on top of that, she'll be 99 per cent less interested in other people's opinions. She's 43 now and at that age where you start to see clearly the difference between duty and loyalty and pointless bollocks foisted on you in the name of good form, etiquette, and keeping other people happy. She will care less and care more about having a balanced life. Guaranteed she's making the big decisions about their family life now and you know she's said: 'I want a house in the country, not a pile, no extras (please God no gym, no wine room, we don't need a pool and we definitely don't need any more bathrooms). I'll source the furniture from the Windsor Estate royal furniture repository (she's already been seen there picking a dining table). 'I'm not spending millions on principle, and the bigger the distance we can create between the kind of people who need sprung yoga room floors installed in their Windsor Great Park grace and favour house (talking about the Sussexes, of course), the better.' • Prince William or Harry, who would you choose as the godfather? The move is right for 2025. It's the equivalent of swapping your monogrammed velvet slippers for Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 trainers (William's favourite brand); your rolltop baths for eco showers; a fat yacht holiday off the SOF for a week on the Isle of Mull. It's part of the same process that started with Kate letting it be known that she would no longer be releasing details of her outfits when out and about on appointments, the better to get the public to focus on the causes she supports, and Kensington Palace letting it be known that the Waleses have no live-in staff and want to be the kind of royals who are both seen on the school run. It's the opposite of Bezos, the opposite of Montecito, the opposite of Andrew and it's smart. She's Kate, he's William. If they don't send George to Eton we'll be looking at the full grandeur detox package.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Inside Kate and William's 'forever home': Prince and Princess of Wales' new eight-bed Windsor mansion boasts a chandelier-lit ballroom, tennis court and spectacular views
Old pictures of the 'forever home' that the Prince and Princess of Wales are set to move into has given royal fans an opportunity to see into the home of the future King. Prince William and Princess Catherine are looking to move their family from Adelaide Cottage by the end of the year, an insider has revealed, and are said to relocate to the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge property in Windsor Great Park. Forest Lodge underwent a £1.5million renovation in 2001 and was then put on the rental market for £15,000 a month. Photos taken at the time revealed elaborate stonework as well as ornate plaster cornices and ceiling decorations. Other images showed rooms in more states of distress as floors were ripped up and wires exposed while the 328-year-old building was being renovated. Marble fireplaces were also spotted alongside gorgeous Venetian windows. A grand half-barrel vaulted hallway ceiling was also shown. The couple, along with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, is hoping for a 'fresh start' after a difficult time at Adelaide Cottage, during which Queen Elizabeth died and Kate and Charles received cancer diagnoses, per The Sun. With its chandelier-lit ballroom, tennis court and extensive grounds, Forest Lodge is a considerable upgrade from the cosy four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage where the prince and princess and their young family have lived for the last three years. Renovations are reportedly underway again at the property they are planning to stay in long-term to enable it to be ready for the family to move in before the end of the year. The newspaper reported that planning applications show how minor work has already begun at the Grade-II listed lodge, with renovations reportedly set to be funded by the couple themselves. The BBC reported of redacted planning applications for minor internal and external alterations lodged with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead earlier this month. This includes the removal of a window and work done to a fireplace. Will and Kate are also said to be paying market rent for the property. A source close to the family reportedly told the tabloid: '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. 'Moving gives them an opportunity for a fresh start and a new chapter; an opportunity to leave some of the more unhappy memories behind.' The Waleses' move will be a short one from their current main home at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, and the children attend nearby Lambrook School. The home offers spectacular views, and football fan William will be able to see the Wembley Arch from his bedroom window. And Kate has already been spotted picking new furniture to kit out the new abode, including a 24-seater table. Forest Lodge was last week a hive of activity, with new shrubs being planted in its grounds and builders in white vans visiting. A metal fence with black mesh privacy screens has been erected around the front of the house. The family first moved to Windsor in 2022, where they settled at the humble Adelaide Cottage a short walk away. The grade-II listed property is within easy distance of Lambrook School, where Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are all pupils. However, The Mail on Sunday revealed today that two families who lived in cottages next to the country mansion have been asked to leave their homes in order for the family-of-five to move in. The cottages, converted from Forest Lodge's stables, are understood to have been rented out by the Crown Estate, and the tenants, are said to have been 'surprised' at being asked to leave. It is understood that no eviction notices were served and the tenants have moved to similar or better housing elsewhere in the 4,800-acre Great Park. One well-connected source said: 'They were told to move out. I guess they were given somewhere else, but they were told they had to move. '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.' The MoS revealed in July that the prince and princess were considering upsizing to a much grander residence. The scoop, however, was met with a degree of obfuscation by the Palace. Aides initially attempted to steer this newspaper away from the story before clarifying that a move from Adelaide Cottage was not imminent. It is understood that after publication, rival reporters were dismissively told that it was a so-called 'silly season' story. In fact, plans for a move were by then well advanced. The couple are now also weighing up which senior school to choose for Prince George, with Eton, where fees are more than £63,000 a year, believed to be the front-runner. The family has no live-in staff at their current home and this is also reportedly set to be the case once they move into this bigger abode. It is believed the move out of London was to allow the family to be closer to the late Queen and to give the children a more ordinary way of life with more privacy. Their move coincided with a challenging period for the Royal Family, with Queen Elizabeth dying at Balmoral Castle only weeks later. Adelaide Cottage also provided a private and tranquil setting for Kate's recovery from chemotherapy after she was diagnosed with cancer last year. The move comes after the Princess of Wales released the second of her quarterly films highlighting the beauty of 'Mother Nature', inspired by the solace she took from the countryside during her cancer journey. 'Summer' was filmed in the UK over the last few months and includes: Sheffield, Bradford, North Wales and Anglesey and the south coast of England. And while it doesn't feature the princess visually, Catherine does provide the voice over for the film, which was released on Kensington Palace social media channels. A written message, also by the royal, said: 'Our lives flourish when we cherish the bonds of love and friendship. It has never been more important to appreciate the value of one another, and of Mother Nature. Here's to Summer. C'. The series launched in Spring to huge public interest as a celebration of the changing seasons across the UK, and a 'reminder and reflection of the beauty and complexity of the human experience'. A Kensington Palace spokesperson told the Daily Mail: 'The Wales family will move house later this year.'
