The Prince of Wales will become the first monarch not to live in a palace or a castle when he succeeds his father as king, because he is ready to move his family in a new “house forever” in Windsor.
Prince William and his wife, the Princess of Wales, will move this year from Adelaide Cottage to the neighboring Forest Lodge on the Domaine de Windsor Great Park with their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
The 328 -year -old lodge, which is in a calm part of the 4,800 acres park, offers a view of Berkshire and London. The renovations of the house listed by Grade II began and will be funded by the couple. As with Adelaide Cottage, Wales will not have residence staff Forest Lodge. The transition to the property of eight rooms is intended to be long term, lasts even after William goes up on the throne.
The prince and the princess of Wales should continue to live on the property after William became king
Times photographer Richard Pohle
Sunday’s mail reported that two families living in nearby chalets were invited this summer to leave their homes. He suggested that they had been offered alternative accommodation to Windsor Great Park, although this cannot be confirmed.
Royal sources say that this decision will give Wales a “new start” after three difficult years in which Queen Elizabeth died and Kate and the king were diagnosed with cancer.
The family first moved to Windsor of the Kensington Palace in September 2022 and initially settled in the four -bedroom chalet, four kilometers from their new house, to try the location.
Kate began her recovery at Adelaide Cottage and spoke of the advantages of being in the countryside. The initiates say that the move to Windsor allowed William and Kate to be “as practical as possible” with their children, while balancing their royal commitments and their commitments.
• Kate says that “nature has been my sanctuary” in new video series
It also gave children more privacy and brought the family closer to the end of the queen, although she died a few weeks later.
George, 12, Charlotte, ten, and Louis, seven, are happy at the independent school in Lambrook near the Berkshire campaign.
Louis, William, Kate, Charlotte and George in Norfolk last year
Will Warr / Kensington Palace / AFP / Getty Images
This decision, which was reported for the first time by the sun, reflects how the future king was shaped by 18 difficult months and how he wishes the royal family to evolve during his reign.
William, who was 43 years old in June, said that he had found the previous year “brutal” and “the most difficult of my life” when he sailed on his father and his wife both diagnosed with cancer. His Annus Horriberis last year ceased his approach, in which the family came first and the school race was prioritized.
• How Prince William will change the monarchy, by those who are close to him
Friends say he has used time to think and plan how he will reshape the institution he will one day lead, in particular how to make sure that it remains relevant and “fit for the objective of the modern era”.
William particularly wants to look at the structure of the royal house of Buckingham Palace, which should remain the effective seat of the monarchy even if it is now supposed that William will never live there. Since he became king, Charles, 76, has chosen to keep his residence in London in Clarence House.
The royal family looked at a flypast from the balcony of the Buckingham Palace to mark the king’s birthday in June
Times photographer Richard Pohle
A palace source told Times last year that William and Kate wanted to direct the type of monarchy where the king could be seen on school race. “He will ask:” If (children) are still young when I take the big job, how can I maintain this privacy? “” Said the source. “I’m almost sure they will not move in (Buckingham Palace). You can’t imagine saying it:” Super, let’s go back to the center of London “.
The Buckingham Palace, which has housed monarchs since 1837, has been renovating 369 million pounds sterling, which means that all state visits will take place at the Château de Windsor until 2027.
William and Kate will display the invoice for their move and the renovations of Forest Lodge, allowing them to avoid the type of criticism which were addressed to the Duke and the Duchess of Sussex, which initially spent 2.5 million pounds sterling of taxpayers money replacing Frogmore Cottage. Harry and Meghan then reimbursed the money before they were expelled by Charles when they stopped working in the royal family.
The work planning request was filed with the Council in June. The documents show that the property requires new doors and windows, the deletion of certain internal walls, renovated ceilings and new floor coverings.
The entrance hall and the outside, below, of Forest Lodge during previous catering work in 2001
John Stilwell / PA
William receives an income through the Duchy of Cornwall, a portfolio of land, goods and assets that has provided an income for the heir to the throne for centuries and is estimated at more than 1 billion pounds.
Last year, an investigation by the Sunday Times and the Channel 4 Dispatches noted that William’s private domain was making millions of public organizations, including NHS, schools and armed forces.
Forest Lodge was renovated for the last time 24 years ago at the cost of 1.5 million pounds sterling. The property was estimated at 5.5 million pounds sterling at the time, but is now estimated at around 16 million pounds sterling.
Although much larger than Adelaide Cottage, it is still only half the size of the Royal Lodge of 31 rooms by Prince Andrew, which is near.
