Prince William and Kate, the Princess of Wales, have moved into their new “forever home” at Forest Lodge, just when the Royal Family needed a “softer story” in the wake of Andrew’s latest scandal
The Prince and Princess of Wales have used “the oldest trick in the crisis comms playbook” after moving their family into a new home, it’s been claimed.
Prince William, Kate, and their three kids have officially moved into Forest Lodge; a Grade II-listed eight-bedroom mansion in Windsor Great Park. They planned the move over George, Charlotte and Louis’ half-term breaks, and set themselves a deadline of moving in before Bonfire Night on November 5.
But after construction work on their new home finished earlier than expected, they slowly moved their belongings in over the course of the week. An exclusion zone was put in place around Forest Lodge in September ahead of the family’s relocation.
But, the move means they’re temporarily closer to William’s uncle, Andrew, who is in the process of leaving Royal Lodge. Royal Lodge is about one-and-a-half miles away from the Cambridges’ new family home.
READ MORE: Andrew will be in US jail in 5 years after ‘humiliation’, BBC guest claimsREAD MORE: Sarah Ferguson’s pals ‘don’t want anything to do with her’ after Andrew scandal
Andrew was stripped of his royal titles earlier this week – and was made to leave his home – over his relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Buckingham Palace’s firmly-worded statement confirmed Andrew would no longer be the Duke of York, and would simply be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
William and Kate’s move into their new home was perfectly timed to try and draw attention away from Andrew’s ongoing scandal, a PR expert has claimed. As the “perfect poster royals”, the duo tried to move the conversation onto something softer, in a bid to regain the public’s love and trust, they said.
PR expert Dermot McNamara told the Mirror: “Whenever there’s a royal scandal, you can almost guarantee a new house, a new charity initiative, or a glossy family photo to follow soon after. It’s one of the oldest tricks in the crisis comms playbook. When the headlines turn messy, always shift the focus to something wholesome.
“The public loves to see William and Kate doing the everyday things, like moving home, supporting causes, walking the kids to school.
“Those images quietly remind people why they still love the royals and they help drown out the noise around whatever’s gone wrong elsewhere.”
William and Kate are the dependable modern couple the Palace often relies on in terms of crisis, added Dermot. The family is generally loved by the masses, he claimed, and are a steady hand to regain the spotlight when it’s somewhere they’d rather it wasn’t.
“While the Waleses were always planning this move, the timing of when it’s shared with the public is entirely at the Palace’s discretion. We only know the details when they want us to.
“Every announcement is carefully managed, from the photographs that are released to the tone of the statement and the day it lands in the media cycle. They control the timing, the tone and the optics. This one just so happens to land neatly at a moment when the Firm could do with a softer story.”
King Charles stripped his younger brother of his prince and Duke of York titles on Thursday night, and a statement from Buckingham Palace stressed both his and Queen Camilla’s thoughts were with victims of abuse.
Andrew was accused by the late Virginia Giuffre of sexually assaulting her as a teenager, after she was trafficked by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, which the former prince denies.
A newly released grim email saw Andrew ask Jeffrey Epstein to “catch up” just months after the paedophile was released from prison for prostituting children.
The bombshell email was released in unsealed court documents from a 2023 legal battle between the US Virgin Islands, where Epstein owned a private island, and JP Morgan over its alleged dealings with the financier – which the bank settled.
In the exchange, Epstein, who had been released from prison in July 2009, suggested Andrew should meet former JP Morgan executive Jes Staley in London on April 22, 2010.
Andrew replied: “I would love to but sadly heading into the stans today and back via Kiev next Fri/Sat, so will miss him. But I will make sure I meet him soon on another trip.
“Also I have no immediate plans to drop by New York but I think I should at some stage soon. I’ll look and see if I can make a couple of days before the summer. It would be good to catch up in person.”
