Two weekends ago, there was a curious story in the Mail about the Prince and Princess of Wales. Apparently, after three years in the four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage, the Wales family has decided that the cottage is much too small for their needs, and they need something bigger. William and Kate have gone back to their original plot to somehow install themselves in Fort Belvedere, which is what they wanted back in 2021-2022. The big reason why they didn’t get the Fort back then was because the property had long been leased by the billionaire Weston family. The patriarch of the Westons, Galen Weston, passed away in 2021, but the family still maintained their lease on the Fort. Except Galen’s widow Hilary Weston just passed away a few days ago. I wonder if the Weston heirs want to maintain the lease? In any case, King Charles is reportedly discouraging the move, so who knows if it will really happen. Still, royal commentators have some thoughts:
The Prince and Princess of Wales appear to have set up a relaxed home life with their children at their cosy Windsor cottage. But with their three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – getting older and William in particular being handed more royal responsibilities, could a house move be on the cards? It has been suggested that in time, the Wales family might want to upsize from Adelaide Cottage to something a bit bigger – with the historic Fort Belvedere being one of the mooted properties.
According to royal expert Jennie Bond, if a move in the future is on the cards for the family it will all come down to one thing – what is best for their children.
The former BBC royal correspondent told the Mirror: “Well, the first thing that has to be said is that this is just a rumour. William and Catherine have been so set on giving their children a more ‘normal’ upbringing than royal youngsters before them that it’s hard to imagine them wanting to move to what is, in effect, a castle — albeit it a relatively small one. However, it may well be that they feel they are outgrowing Adelaide Cottage – four bedrooms for a family of five doesn’t leave much room for visiting relatives or friends, or for kids’ sleepovers.”
“Whatever they decide, William and Catherine will have their children’s happiness at heart. For them, preserving a relaxed, cosy family life – as close to some sort of normality as possible given their status – is a top priority.”
Jennie added: “Fort Belvedere — where Edward VIII signed his abdication papers — would certainly be a step up in terms of grandeur. With up to eight bedrooms, acres of garden, a lake, a swimming pool, tennis courts and a polo stud its appeal is obvious. Charlotte and Catherine love playing tennis, and the whole family would enjoy the outdoor pool. Although it’s still pretty Gothic looking, the Fort was elegantly renovated by its private tenants — the late Galen Weston, a Canadian billionaire, and his wife Hilary. They were great friends of the royal family. There are also about three cottages in the grounds, which could be useful for staff or protection officers.”
The more we hear about Fort Belvedere, the weirder it becomes that we’re supposed to believe that William and Kate have been based in Adelaide for the past three years. A relatively “small” four-bedroom is supposed to be fit for the future king and queen? Really? With no space for the kids to have friends over? I always said that it had the feel of Kate’s separation cottage, and the Windsors didn’t want Kate to have anything too big or too grand in case there was a divorce. So why the shift now? Two theories. One, this is simply an upgraded separation house for Kate, where she can just raise the kids and not do any work. Two, this is part of the larger deal worked out last year, a deal which included the Middletons coming in from the cold and a more impressive official residence for the Wales family.
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