British Royals: “Forever Home” – What is behind William and Kate’s move

New house, new luck? The British heir to the throne Prince William and his wife Princess Kate (both 43) move. This was said by a spokesman for the Kensington Palace of the British news agency PA. Accordingly, the couple with his three children, Prince George (12), Princess Charlotte (10) and Prince Louis (7), will remain within the extensive park around Windsor Castle.

So far, the heir to the throne has lived in the elegant but comparatively modest estate Adelaide Cottage, which was built in 1831 for the wife of King William IV, Queen Adelaide. In the future, they should live in the more generous Forest Lodge. It is a significantly more representative building with eight bedrooms. One could also speak of a small castle.

Wish to open a new chapter

According to a report by the BBC, the background for the move is the desire to open a new chapter last year after the painful experiences with Princess Kate’s cancer.

In mid -January 2024, the Princess of Wales was operated on in the abdomen. She then spent almost two weeks in the hospital. While she recovered from the intervention, she received a cancer diagnosis. Soon afterwards she started chemotherapy that she ended almost a year ago. The palace did not announce what kind of cancer it was.

William had described the time as “brutal” and spoke of the probably hardest year of his life.

“The move gives you the opportunity for a new beginning and a new chapter,” the BBC quoted the palace insider. It was an opportunity to leave the unfortunate memories behind.

Forest Lodge is said to be the “Forever Home”

The heir to the throne is also planning in the long term: Forest Lodge should therefore become the “Forever Home” of the two, where they want to live once they will be king and queen. As in Adelaide Cottage, there should be no staff in the new home, the BBC report continued. The couple wanted to create a private atmosphere in their home as much as possible.

The spokesman did not say exactly when the move should take place. However, he should take place this year. According to the “The Sun” boulevard newspaper, William and Kate pay out of his own pocket for the renovation work that has already started on the listed building, which is said to be worth around £ 16 million (around 18.5 million euros).

This should not be difficult for the Wales family. With the role of the heir to the throne from his father, William also took over the approximately one billion pound (around 1.16 billion euros) heavy real estate, property and investment portfolio Duchy of Cornwall.

The property in Windsor is not your only home, but the most important thing since the three children visited the nearby Lambrook School. William and Kate also have the luxurious apartment 1a in the Kensington Palace in London and the Landhaus Anmer Hall in the eastern English county of Norfolk.