William and Kate's 'forever home' fallout: Two families vacate cottages next to eight-bed Windsor mansion with tennis court and ballroom to make way for the Waleses

Daily Mail​

12 hours ago

Two families have been asked to leave their homes so the Prince and Princess of Wales can live in an eight-bedroom mansion, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
William, Kate and their three children are set to move to 300-year-old Forest Lodge later this year.
Nestled in a beautiful corner of Windsor Great Park, the Grade II-listed property has been described as their 'forever home', where William will remain even after he becomes King.
The MoS has learnt that earlier this summer two separate families who lived in cottages next to the country mansion were asked to vacate their properties.
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.'
With its chandelier-lit ballroom, tennis court, Venetian windows 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.
Their stay at that property, around four miles from their new home, coincided with a challenging period for the Royal Family.
Queen Elizabeth died at Balmoral Castle weeks after they moved in. In 2024, both King Charles and Kate announced they had been diagnosed with cancer.
Royal insiders say William and Kate are hoping for a 'fresh start' at Forest Lodge and an opportunity to leave some of their more unhappy memories behind them.
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 MoS revealed in July that the prince and princess were considering upsizing to a much grander residence.
Our 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.
It is understood that one of the options considered by the couple was Fort Belvedere, a magnificent gothic-revival mansion in Windsor Great Park which was the favourite home of Edward VIII.
The Grade II-listed property has been leased to the family of late Canadian retail billionaire Galen Weston since the early 1980s.
The MoS understands the family decided to renew their contract on the property earlier this year, which meant it was no longer available for the prince and princess.
Forest Lodge was last renovated in 2001 and is only a few miles from Lambrook School, which is attended by the three children.
It is understood William and Kate are paying for the move and rent at no extra cost to taxpayers.
Early in the summer Kate was repeatedly seen at a storehouse on the Windsor Estate which houses surplus royal furniture and antiques, according to sources.
The Sun yesterday claimed she had been spotted picking out a 24-seater dining table.
'This house is much larger than Adelaide Cottage. There is a dining room and drawing room which require substantial pieces of furniture,' one source said.
The claim that Forest Lodge is the family's 'forever home' has been met with scepticism by some royal insiders.
'How can this be their forever home?' asked one source. 'It is not grand enough for a king.'
In 2013 aides suggested Kensington Palace would be William and Kate's 'forever home' after they moved into the 20-room Apartment 1A, refurbished at the cost of £4.5million to the taxpayer.
The work included a new roof, electrics and a second kitchen in addition to the existing 350 sq ft kitchen.
A royal spokesman said at the time: 'This is the duke and duchess's only official residence. It is here that they plan to stay for many, many years to come.'
The couple, however, moved to Adelaide Cottage in August 2022, along with George, 12, Charlotte, ten, and Louis, seven.
The couple were said to be 'acutely conscious' of the public money that had been spent and wanted to ensure it was still a 'hub' of activity.
Indeed, aides this weekend insisted that Kensington Palace will remain their 'official London residence' and their office staff will remain there.
It is understood, the Waleses will also keep Anmer Hall, a ten-bedroom property in Norfolk gifted as a wedding present by Queen Elizabeth.
The choice of Forest Lodge as their long-term family home raises questions about the future of Buckingham Palace after William becomes King.
The 775-room Palace, which has been home to monarchs since 1837, is undergoing a ten-year £369 million renovation.
It appears unlikely, however, that William will ever live there, raising the possibility of it being opened up to the public and used for only major royal functions.
It means William will become the first monarch not to live in a palace or castle when he succeeds Charles as King.
Built in the 1770s as a grace-and-favour property, Forest Lodge was home to Sir John Aird, Edward VIII's equerry.
In the 1990s it was used by Lord Napier, Princess Margaret's private secretary.
In 1998, two years after her divorce from Prince Andrew, it was reported that Sarah Ferguson wanted to move into Forest Lodge.
But the proposal is said to have been vetoed by Prince Philip.
The most recent tenants were Alex Fitzgibbons, the head of a luxury event-planning firm, and his wife, Swedish-American investor Cristina Stenbeck, who until recently was on the board of Spotify. They are understood to have moved out in the last year.
Mr Fitzgibbons, chairman of Fait Accompli, arranged the Buckingham Palace wedding after-party for William and Kate in 2011.
His firm also reportedly masterminded a reception for 200 guests at Frogmore House following Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding in 2018, and Pippa Middleton's wedding reception in 2017, which featured a Spitfire flypast.
Tragic early death of socialite who once lived in mansion
A high-profile former tenant of William and Kate's 'forever home' was an ex-Tory donor dubbed 'London's most connected woman'.
Philanthropist Alisa Swidler was friends with former US President Bill Clinton and actress Charlize Theron, but died suddenly in 2019 aged 47.
The New York-born socialite lived with her husband Josh, a hedge-fund manager, and their five children at Forest Lodge for about a decade before they returned to the US.
Like Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte, the Swidler children all attended nearby Lambrook School.
Ms Swidler was known for throwing up to five parties a year, asking guests to donate to their chosen charities.
Photos seen by The Mail on Sunday show lavish banquets thrown at the Georgian manor house.
A source, who attended Ms Swidler's parties, described the property as 'absolutely stunning', adding: 'It felt very grand, it's a very beautiful house.'
Ms Swidler was pictured with David and Samantha Cameron at the Conservative Summer Ball in 2016, and her online blog mentioned encounters with Boris Johnson and Theresa May at Tory events.
The blog also included selfies with Bill and Hillary Clinton, Paul McCartney and Stephen Fry.
Ms Swidler organised the Clinton Foundation's 'party of the year' in 2013 – a fundraising event in the Old Vic Tunnels beneath London's Waterloo Station.
As well as helping Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Unite charity, Ms Swidler was on the development board of the Royal Albert Hall and English National Ballet.