Prince William and Princess Kate are moving their family to a new £16 million home in Windsor Great Park, which they hope will be their ‘forever home’
William and Kate moving to new home in Windsor
After spending three years living in a modest – at least by royal standards – home in Windsor, the Prince and Princess of Wales are set to upgrade, with a Kensington Palace spokesperson telling the Mirror, “The Wales family will move house later this year.”
Prince William, Princess Kate, and their three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven, to a palatial mansion nearby that is said to be worth about £16 million.
Their new home, Forest Lodge, dates back 328 years, and the couple are said to have already made planning applications to renovate the Grade II listed building, which was previously rented out for £15,000 a month back in 2001.
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The eight-bedroom property sits nestled in Windsor Great Park, and is near their existing home of Adelaide Cottage, which they moved into back in 2022, to be close to the late Queen Elizabeth.
The four-bedroom cottage was where the family settled into life in Windsor after stepping away from using their palatial apartment in Kensington Palace as their main residence.
Despite the fact that the couple are also said to have wanted to provide their children with some much-needed privacy and a more normal upbringing by moving out of London, Adelaide Cottage has ended up being the setting of some of the Wales family’s most difficult moments – and the family hopes to make some happier memories in their new home of Forest Lodge.
“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.
“Moving gives them an opportunity for a fresh start and a new chapter; an opportunity to leave some of the more unhappy memories behind. This is a move for the long-term. They see it as their forever home.”
Forest Lodge, once known as Holly Grove, is 10 minutes closer to Lambrook School, where all three of the Wales children currently attend, than their current home, making it even easier for the future King and Queen to do the school run, something they are known to take care of themselves where possible, as deeply hands-on parents.
Listed in 1972, the property is rich with history, and stunning original features – and it has been reported that Kate and William will be footing the bill entirely for the renovations they do plan to make for their new home – which means their move won’t come at any cost to the taxpayer.
A Kensington Palace source has told the Mirror that whilst William and Kate “love” their current home of Adelaide Cottage in many ways, over time it was becoming something of a tight squeeze.
The family doesn’t have any live-in staff, and it is said that they hope to keep it this way even after their move to their new mansion, but nonetheless, their current home was just “too small” to play host to meetings, overnight guests, or the children having pals over.
“William and Kate love the cottage but it’s just too small for them. There are four bedrooms which just about fit them all in but there are other things that need to be considered. Staff and other elements need to be factored in.
“It is also meant to be a working residence and there isn’t room to facilitate an office or hold more than a few guests at a time.”
The source added that for some time the couple has “desperately” wanted “a larger property for their family in the Windsor area” – so they are likely to be excited at the prospect of moving to their new home.
Forest Lodge Estate reportedly has three stables and two semi-detached guest houses that were converted out of old garages, as well as other cottages, new garages, a large pond and extensive gardens, and a tennis court – which is perfect for the sport-loving family.
Built from red Flemish bond brick and featuring the original slate roof in some parts, the lavish property has cellars, nine stunning bay windows, and intricate original cornicing, as well as stucco details.
The grand entrance is marked on either side by Venetian windows in arched recesses, which leads into an entrance hall with a barrel-vaulted ceiling and an arched opening into the drawing room.
The couple and their three children will also be joined at the new home by their beloved black cocker spaniel, Orla, who Prince William has admitted sometimes makes sleeping arrangements a little bit cosy in his home.
Whilst some people might prefer that their dog stays out of the bedroom, Orla is very much part of the family, and William admitted last year that the gorgeous pup often finds her way into the couple’s bed.
William was visiting Duchy College when he met Louise Harland, and was very much taken with her dog and it’s “soft ears” when he made the admission, she revealed, “[William] said that his little dog sleeps on the bed with them at night, with him and Kate.”
Kate and William still retain Apartment 1A in Kensington Palace – which unusually saw the couple sleep on the ground floor, rather than upstairs where bedrooms are normally found – as well as their Norfolk residence Anmer Hall – where they often spend school holidays.
