Two families were reportedly asked to leave their homes in order to make way for the Prince and Princess of Wales’s move to a new mansion.
William and Kate are preparing to make eight-bedroom Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park their ‘forever home’ later this year.
The couple and their three children are said to be planning to remain in the Grade-II listed property even after William becomes King.
Two separate families who lived in cottages next to the 300-year-old mansion in Berkshire were asked to vacate their properties earlier this summer, according to the Mail on Sunday.
The homes, converted from Forest Lodge’s stables, are understood to have been rented out by the monarch’s Crown Estate and the tenants are said to have been ‘surprised’ at the request.
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It’s understood that there have been no eviction notices and that some tenants have moved to similar or better housing within the Great Park.
All of the residents remain in Crown Estate properties.
One well-connected source said: ‘They were told to move out. I guess they were given somewhere else, but they were told they had to move.
‘They were not expecting it. Those houses are very close to the lodge, so they’re not going to want any Tom, Dick or Harry living in those houses if there are going to be royals there.’
The couple and their children, George, 12, Charlotte, 10, and Louis, seven, currently live in Windsor at four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage, around four miles away from their new home.
The residence, nestled in the heart of the 4,800-acre park, is a considerable upgrade on their current home, with a chandelier-lit ballroom, tennis court, Venetian windows and extensive grounds.
William and Kate, both 43, have been with their children at the cottage near Windsor Castle for the past three years, which has coincided with a difficult time for the royal family.
Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle weeks after they moved in.
In 2024, both King Charles and Kate announced they had been diagnosed with cancer. And there has been the continued split with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle since their move to the US.
William and Kate are hoping for a ‘fresh start’ at Forest Lodge and an opportunity to leave some of their more unhappy memories behind them, according to royal insiders.
It is understood they are paying for the move to the property, believed to be worth £16 million, at no extra cost to taxpayers.
The royal couple also has homes at Anmer Hall in Norfolk and Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace.
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