The Prince and Princess of Wales seemingly decided to make Forest Lodge into their latest “forever home” months ago, probably at the start of the summer. The announcement of their planned move came in August, and since then, there’s been a steady hum of gossip about the incipient move. William and Kate had people evicted from the cottages close to Forest Lodge, and they also somehow “needed” to grab 150 acres of Windsor Great Park land for their own “private estate.” One of the park’s entrances is now shut down, and park-goers (who pay for access) are really pissed off at the land-grab. We heard that the Wales fam wanted to move into Forest Lodge by Christmas, but now it’s looking like it will be ready in about three weeks. From Becky English’s latest Mail exclusive:
The Prince and Princess of Wales are hoping their fresh start will begin with a bang – moving into their new Windsor home by Bonfire Night [Nov.5]. The couple had initially planned to quit Adelaide Cottage on the royal Windsor estate and be in neighbouring Forest Lodge by Christmas. But builders have been working around the clock to bring their moving date forward, the Daily Mail can reveal. With the work now complete the couple are hopeful their move is ‘imminent’ and they will be in by November 5. A new 150-acre, Home Office-agreed security cordon is in place around the eight-bedroom Georgian mansion, with staff now transferring the family’s belongings into the newly renovated property.
‘It is hoped they will be in the new home in time for Bonfire Night,’ a source told the Daily Mail yesterday. ‘That will make a fun start for the children.’ William and Kate, both 43, have been keen to provide a ‘fresh start’ for their three children: Prince George, 12, who will start senior school next autumn, Princess Charlotte, ten, and seven-year-old Prince Louis. Although the family had planned to live in cosy four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage for many more years, their time there has been beset by unhappy memories.
The couple moved their children from Kensington Palace to Berkshire in August 2022 to provide them with a more protected, rural upbringing and be close to William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. However she died within weeks of them moving in, the first in a series of family challenges which included the release of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s vitriolic Netflix series in December that year, followed by Prince Harry’s scathing memoir, Spare, the following January which signalled another series of attacks on the Royal Family, but particularly on William and Kate. Then last year both the princess and King Charles were diagnosed with cancer. Kate underwent a gruelling course of preventative chemotherapy, with William describing the experience of supporting his wife and protecting their children as ‘brutal’.
The princess is now happily in remission but there is no doubt that her experience has left her more determined than ever to put family first as she and William juggle parental duties with their growing royal roles as the future king and queen.
‘Adelaide Cottage really does have some difficult memories associated with it, sadly,’ a source said. ‘They have experienced some of their most challenging times there… The family are really happy about this [move] and excited for a fresh start.’
Another source added: ‘The builders have been working flat out, week-in, week-out, so that the family could move in as soon as possible. Christmas was always the deadline but it’s great that it’s going to happen much earlier.’ Apparently the princess has been thoroughly enjoying renovating Forest Lodge, sourcing much of the furniture and furnishings from UK companies including Marina Mill in Kent, which she recently visited, trying her hand at textile printing.
‘I think it’s been quite a fun process for her,’ the source added. ‘She loves interior design and is a big champion of the British textiles industry. After all, this will be their forever home. They are ready as a family to move forwards.’
Indeed, Kensington Palace has made clear that the prince and princess intend to remain in Forest Lodge even after they accede to the throne, in a break with recent tradition. It is also understood that there will be no live-in staff in Berkshire in order to maintain the privacy they crave. Employees have moved into nearby homes on the Windsor Great Park estate, the Daily Mail can confirm.
The Waleses have funded the move and refurbishment themselves and will be paying market rent to the Crown Estate. The 328-year-old Grade-II property has undergone modest internal and external renovations including new doors and windows, the stripping out of walls, renovated ceilings and new floors. It was last renovated in 2001 at a cost of £1.5million.
It’s pretty wild (to me) that high on William and Kate’s list of grievances about Adelaide Cottage is “that’s where they were living when the Sussexes’ Netflix series came out and when Spare came out!” Like… you need a fifth forever home because your brother wrote a memoir and produced a Netflix series? And why are the whole-ass Prince and Princess of Wales being portrayed – by their own people and the sycophantic press – as these pitiful creatures who need to endlessly complain and explain to justify their scandalous Forest Lodge move? And why the hell do they need to carve out this makeshift, 150-acre country estate when they literally could have just moved into an existing castle or palace, or bought an actual estate?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
