There’s certainly an odd vibe around the Prince and Princess of Wales this summer. There was the mess with their vacation on a superyacht, which was clearly covered up by Kensington Palace. There was Prince William’s incandescent rage and furious briefing spree about his father’s communications guru meeting with the Sussexes’ reps in London. Then on Friday, William and Kate skipped the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, citing their ongoing summer vacation, but they sent a tweet which royal reporters eyerollingly called “a moving tribute.” And then, just hours after they skipped VJ Day, the Sun had the big exclusive about the Wales family’s move into Forest Lodge, an eight-bedroom home on the Windsor estate. I can tell that the British press is mad, but what I can’t figure out is what’s happening behind the scenes? Was it really just William and Kate being too f–king lazy to go to VJ Day? Or was this backlash brewing for much longer? In any case, the Daily Mail ran an exclusive about the Forest Lodge move and there’s some damaging info in here. Some highlights:
William & Kate kicked two families out of their homes: Two families have been asked to leave their homes so the Prince and Princess of Wales can live in an eight-bedroom mansion, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. The MoS has learnt that earlier this summer two separate families who lived in cottages next to the country mansion were asked to vacate their properties. The cottages, converted from Forest Lodge’s stables, are understood to have been rented out by the Crown Estate, and the tenants, are said to have been ‘surprised’ at being asked to leave. It is understood that no eviction notices were served and the tenants have moved to similar or better housing elsewhere in the 4,800-acre Great Park.
The Crown Estates forced the families out: 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.’
Forest Lodge is an upgrade: With its chandelier-lit ballroom, tennis court, Venetian windows and extensive grounds, Forest Lodge is a considerable upgrade from the cosy four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage where the prince and princess and their young family have lived for the last three years. Royal insiders say 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. Forest Lodge was last week a hive of activity, with new shrubs being planted in its grounds and builders in white vans visiting. A metal fence with black mesh privacy screens has been erected around the front of the house.
The palace obfuscated the Mail’s reporting on the Waleses’ move out of Adelaide: The MoS revealed in July that the prince and princess were considering upsizing to a much grander residence. Our scoop, however, was met with a degree of obfuscation by the Palace. Aides initially attempted to steer this newspaper away from the story before clarifying that a move from Adelaide Cottage was not imminent. It is understood that after publication, rival reporters were dismissively told that it was a so-called ‘silly season’ story. In fact, plans for a move were by then well advanced.
What happened to W&K’s desire for Fort Belvedere: It is understood that one of the options considered by the couple was Fort Belvedere, a magnificent gothic-revival mansion in Windsor Great Park which was the favourite home of Edward VIII. The Grade II-listed property has been leased to the family of late Canadian retail billionaire Galen Weston since the early 1980s. The MoS understands the family decided to renew their contract on the property earlier this year, which meant it was no longer available for the prince and princess.
Kate was shopping at the royal storehouses: Early in the summer Kate was repeatedly seen at a storehouse on the Windsor Estate which houses surplus royal furniture and antiques, according to sources. The Sun yesterday claimed she had been spotted picking out a 24-seater dining table. ‘This house is much larger than Adelaide Cottage. There is a dining room and drawing room which require substantial pieces of furniture,’ one source said.
The “forever home” claim: The claim that Forest Lodge is the family’s ‘forever home’ has been met with scepticism by some royal insiders. ‘How can this be their forever home?’ asked one source. ‘It is not grand enough for a king.’ In 2013 aides suggested Kensington Palace would be William and Kate’s ‘forever home’ after they moved into the 20-room Apartment 1A, refurbished at the cost of £4.5million to the taxpayer. The work included a new roof, electrics and a second kitchen in addition to the existing 350 sq ft kitchen. A royal spokesman said at the time: ‘This is the duke and duchess’s only official residence. It is here that they plan to stay for many, many years to come.’ Indeed, aides this weekend insisted that Kensington Palace will remain their ‘official London residence’ and their office staff will remain there.
They’re keeping Anmer Hall as well: It is understood, the Waleses will also keep Anmer Hall, a ten-bedroom property in Norfolk gifted as a wedding present by Queen Elizabeth. The choice of Forest Lodge as their long-term family home raises questions about the future of Buckingham Palace after William becomes King.
Fergie wanted Forest Lodge as well: In 1998, two years after her divorce from Prince Andrew, it was reported that Sarah Ferguson wanted to move into Forest Lodge. But the proposal is said to have been vetoed by Prince Philip.
While it’s technically true that the Waleses moved from KP 1A to Adelaide Cottage (while retaining KP), everyone is skipping over the years Will and Kate were permanently based in Norfolk. As soon as QEII gave them Anmer Hall, they gut-renovated it and moved in swiftly, telling everyone that they wanted to raise their family in the country. They only really moved “back” to KP in 2017, when they made a big deal about how NOW they were finally “working royals.” They also demanded another renovation of KP when they moved back there! Just FYI.
As for the rest of this… I’m glad the Mail is pointing out that Kensington Palace lied to them about the “moving out of Adelaide” story, and it’s fascinating that the Mail has pointed out that the big homeless savior evicted two families from their homes so that the family’s staffers would have some place to live, I guess. Since we were told that William and Kate would definitely not have “live-in staff,” remember? The maids, nannies, butlers, secretaries and videographers need to live somewhere close by!
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- The Princess of Wales during a visit to the RHS’s Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital in Essex. The visit coincides with the donation of 50 Catherine’s Rose plants, named after the princess by the RHS with funds from sales going to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. Picture date: Wednesday July 2, 2025.,Image: 1017655843, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Stefan Rousseau/Avalon
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- The Princess of Wales during a visit to the RHS’s Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital in Essex. The visit coincides with the donation of 50 Catherine’s Rose plants, named after the princess by the RHS with funds from sales going to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. Picture date: Wednesday July 2, 2025. PA Photo.,Image: 1017656825, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Stefan Rousseau/Avalon
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- Catherine Princess of Wales and Prince William sit in the Ascot Landau carriage during the Carriage Procession in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle French President Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron Ceremonial Welcome and Inspection of the Guard of Honour, Windsor Castle, UK – 08 Jul 2025,Image: 1019675283, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Victoria Jones/Shutterstock/Avalon
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- London, UK. 87th July, 2025. Catherine, the Princess of Wales and William, the Prince Of Wales. The King and, Queen, Prince and Princess of Wales and the French President and his wife, Mr and Mrs Macron, as well as the French Ambassador and others, take a carriage procession through Windsor and along part of the Long Walk leading to Windsor Castle as part of the French State Visit.,Image: 1019688100, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Imageplotter/Avalon
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- Princess Catherine – The Princess of Wales and Prince William – The Prince of Wales at the Ceremonial Welcome for the State Visit of The President of France Emmanuel Macron at Windsor in Windsor, England, UK on Tuesday 8 July, 2025.,Image: 1019688189, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng/Avalon
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- WINDSOR, ENGLAND – JULY 08: Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales attend the State Banquet at Windsor Castle on July 08, 2025 in Windsor, England. President Emmanuel Macron and Mrs Brigitte Macron visit the UK in the first visit State Visit made by France in 17 years. They are staying at Windsor Castle, hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and a banquet will be held there in their honour. The Macrons will visit Imperial College, and the President will address Parliament during his stay.,Image: 1019895989, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson/Avalon
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- WINDSOR, ENGLAND – JULY 08: Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales attend the State Banquet at Windsor Castle on July 08, 2025 in Windsor, England. President Emmanuel Macron and Mrs Brigitte Macron visit the UK in the first visit State Visit made by France in 17 years. They are staying at Windsor Castle, hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and a banquet will be held there in their honour. The Macrons will visit Imperial College, and the President will address Parliament during his stay.,Image: 1019898222, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson/Avalon
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- HRH The Princess of Wales, Patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, with Sally Bolton OBE, AELTC Chief Executive, at the prizegiving ceremony after the match between Jannik Sinner (ITA) and Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) in the final of the Gentlemen’s Singles on Centre Court at The Championships 2025. Held at The All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon. Day 14 Sunday 13/07/2025.,Image: 1021812782, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NB: Fees charged by Avalon are for Avalon’s services only, and do not, nor are they intended to, convey to the user any ownership of Copyright or License in the material., Model Release: no, Credit line: AELTC/Joel Marklund/Avalon
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- HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH Prince George of Wales in the Royal Box during the match between Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) and Jannik Sinner (ITA) in the final of the Gentlemen’s Singles on Centre Court at The Championships 2025. Held at The All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon. Day 14 Sunday 13/07/2025.,Image: 1021812802, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NB: Fees charged by Avalon are for Avalon’s services only, and do not, nor are they intended to, convey to the user any ownership of Copyright or License in the material., Model Release: no, Credit line: AELTC/Ryan Jenkinson/Avalon
I thought HRH Egg was supposed to be SOLVING homelessness, not contributing to it….all this on top on their endless summer vacay(s) and skipping VJ Day. I don’t think they are as clueless as it seems. Their bad behavior is continually rewarded, so why would they stop?
Just how long have they been on holiday? Surely they are not apending 2 months on some billionaires yacht?
They can do the Caribbean and Scandinavia within that time. Anyone still tracking Opera?
So much to hate about this. Did they push the tenants into roughly comparable “grace and favor” apartments? That would be cheaper to Willy than having to buy out their leases, so you can see why he’d go for it.
And were the “comparable” homes these tenants moved to already empty? Or were a second string of tenants kicked out, or was this second string of tenants moved to Billy slumlord specials?
And why did the Crown Estate allow the Westons to renew their lease earlier this year, if William and Kate have been itching to “refresh” their lives (everything is because of Kate’s cancer, y’all) for some time now? Did the Weston’s contract give them the option to renew?
Last week Forest Lodge didn’t have any out buildings. Did these cottages magically appear?
I found that bit about Fort Belvedere odd. If they knew the lease had been renewed earlier in the year–and I don’t recall them ever saying it was nearing the end of the lease, just the Mr. Weston had dad & then Mrs. Weston had died–why all the speculation about W&K wanting that place? Was it the recent death of Mrs. Weston? And what kind of ghouls are they??
The original reporting was that the Westons had the lease for another 20 years. If so they weren’t renegotiating anything. It was likely KP knowing Hilary Weston was ill tried to see if Galen Jr and family would want to end the lease early.
The tenant at forest lodge did not have the same power to hold off KP.
There are old stables right next to the main house that were converted into cottages. That’s who is being kicked out.
I wish they’d stop with this “cottage” and “normal house” nonsense. Adelaide cottage = massive house. Forest Lodge = effing chateau. There is nothing “grounded” about their lifestyle, regardless of their preaching.
I find it interesting that they ‘found’ two other comparable homes for these families–so there’s a bunch of empty houses on Crown Estate property? And we can think of nothing to do about homelessness? I mean, I know, housing a dozen or so families on Crown Estate properties doesn’t solve the overall issue, but it would for those dozen or so families, right? Wouldn’t it be a start?
I think she has had a relapse and it’s bad. This is all reading final days to me. The last time DM was spiraling like this and wasn’t getting info from KP about them, was right before she did her cancer video.
Related: last week a french newspaper asked James’ father in law how Kate was doing and he smiled and got teary eyed and walked away.
Also stories about how Maria is transitioning to work with the Grosvenors at the end of the year. That could just be a Louis aging out thing too.
So her “final days” will be in this new property which will result in unhappy memories requiring a “fresh start” for the now family of four in another property?
I wouldn’t use that last point as “evidence” (not that I believe the rest either) because surely a soon to be single dad like you’re claiming is going to need the extra help? So why have Maria transition out?
Isn’t James’ father in trouble with the law over his penchant for under aged females? (father in law would be Mike?) Or is this marshmallow James and not Pippa’s James?
Regardless, why would he be teary over Lazy? Missed out on the yacht freebie did he?
As for Nanny Maria being the Grosvenor’s new nanny, thought they’d have chosen an Italian speaker instead.
I imagine it’s James Middleton’s father-in-law given that it was reported in a French newspaper.
How did you come to the conclusion that she was entering her final days? I feel like if that were true, they probably wouldn’t go through the trouble of moving into a brand new house. Also, I remember last year there were stories of Nanny Maria having already quit working for the Waleses and she was how that Spanish journalist was getting her information, that doesn’t appear to be true if she’s still working for them.
Has she also been in a hospital in Texas, lol? Iykyk 😉
😹
I don’t buy this “final days” story. If that were true, there would be rumblings from KP, as in “don’t you all feel guilty about denying a sick woman her last chance at joyous vacations with family”.
Her final days married to Workshy Willie, more like.
This theory is one I’m more likely to believe than she’s at death’s door.
James doesn’t have a FIL, Alizee’s dad is no longer living.
Oh, my, then who did that French paper interview? 🤷♀️
Guessing the commenter got that confused with Pippa’s FIL.
If she’s had a bad relapse she wouldn’t be fannying around on a megayacht in the sun. Why you may ask? 1. Her immune system would be shot. 2. She wouldn’t be able to tolerate the sun (says someone who is currently undergoing her 21st chemo treatment. The sun is painful.) 3. She’d have to be close to home if she’s undergoing chemo again.
If she pulls the “Waahhhh I have had a relapse” excuse that will be proof positive that she’s simply milking the same old cancer falsehoods and shirking duty and responsibility.
I think any “relapse” would be more along the lines of a nervous breakdown.
Certainly not the fictional cancer that was conjured up to make the public forget about her racism.
Oh, piffle. Girl was strong enough to peruse a giant warehouse full of antiques for several days on end & managed that between Wimbledon sitting & Greek yacht sunbathing. I think she’s absolutely fine.
I am still not understanding why they moved into andelaide cottage in the first place
Yes, it was bizarre as it was a downgrade from KP but the rumours were that AC was her divorce home.
That assumption was started here lol. But still, why pull your kids out of their school in London and move to a humble cottage in windsor to then later move out because it’s too small? They knew how large the home was before they moved in.
The move would have made more sense if they had waited till George went to Eton.
She took 5 vacations one involving strenuous skiing. She also pree n ed at Wimbledon being cheered .she is well enough to vacation
In the Sun article, the narrative, presumably from KP, was floated that AC was a trial run home to see if the family fit in at Windsor before committing to a bigger house. Which is just ridiculous. Especially after the nauseating pr about the Wales being so humble and down to earth for living in such a “small home.” The move to AC happened fairly soon after the family returned to London after covid. Something about KP was not working for them as a family and there could be many guesses as to why that was.
They wanted to move to Windsor before school started and moved into AC because they were expecting Charles to quickly evict Andrew from the Royal Lodge and that would their “forever home.”
I can think of a few possible reasons.
1) They discovered one or more of the help were moles for Camilla and decided they didn’t want them around while they were asleep.
2) William was contemplating divorce and wanted to get Kate into budget accomodations.
3) They were keen to show up the Sussex’s by living in a modest home far below their means or needs.
4) One of the York girls wanted it and they couldn’t have that.
5) Something was seriously wrong with their old place and they were told if they moved they wouldn’t receive a bigger housing budget, so they downgraded and pocketed the difference.
Here’s one thing I will say in defense of the Wales. I can believe the 3 kids prefer being at Windsor than KP. Simply for outdoor space that is private. I can get that. It would have been better if they’d had the foresight to realize that before upgrading KP at the cost of tax-payers. That said, it doesn’t negate that any of those 5 reasons above could also be true. It’s a lot of musical houses. I’d add the fact that the sussexes moved to Windsor first and made then see that oh wouldn’t it be lovely to also live amongst all the greenery and so close to the queen. Dull people have to get their ideas from somewhere. It’s a lot of musical houses. Who’s going to live in AC now? Surely it won’t just sit empty like FC does now.
When you’re a kid, you don’t care about outdoor privacy. You run & play & do all kinds of things without thinking about being watched. That’s certainly my recollection of childhood, we played in the street in front of the house. We played in the school yard behind the house (different house, different state). Kids can play anywhere. It’s their parents who want their privacy. KP is basically an apartment complex, albeit a luxury one, and W&K don’t want to live in an apartment, they want a house. They want a lot of houses. Big ones. Bigger than Harry’s!
Yeah but these kids are what 10 and 12 now and most of the parks are public around KP right? Wouldn’t people be taking out their cell phones and staring? I’m just saying I do get that to an extent. But I don’t disagree that the adults want lots of big houses and the kids are very privileged. The royal life is a fishbowl and not one that I envy.
“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.”
Wow. Just wow. Firstly, the Wales’ are the ones that wanted to move. What does that have to do with the other people that are already happily in their homes? I guess their “bad” memories immediately trumps anyone else’s good memories. And isn’t this already in the general Windsor encampment, are they really any Tom, Dick, and Harry that’s living there?
It amazes me that anyone buys into their nonsense facade about any of their supposed causes. You really think that these people care about mental health, homelessness, children’s early development with the way that they behave?
And, I’ll believe it when I see it that the media is really going to come down on them. They’re just doing what they normally do smack their hand one time and as soon as they get access again it’s the same sycophantic nonsense.
WanK have subjected those families to bad memories.
And the family they kicked out for their “forever home” 😂😂😂😂 at Anmer Hall.
Honestly, I hope the evictees truly did get better houses in Windsor park as they’re saying but that could be a lie too.
“I guess they were given somewhere else”
Just like Kate is going to send her recipe for plum jam? And William will send that fridge?
I hope it happened but I doubt it.
“Royal insiders say 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.”
So move back to KP. Simples. Hope many kitchens for Lazy renovate at KP? A new house won’t solve your unhappiness. Just makes you look uber entitled in this day and age. It all looks like a lot of moving for nothing on taxpayer fund.
Also what were the names of the two families they kicked out? Must not have been as wealthy as the Canadians.
The snark is very very light compared to H&M’s average article but you can tell the Fail isn’t happy – especially when they snark at the other reporters for not believing them.
Makes me wonder why if Forrest Lodge had been available, why they didn’t move into it back in 2022? Especially since their complaints have been how small Adelaide is despite knowing the size of the house and their family not growing in the last 3 years. I doubt sharing bedrooms was an issue since the kids probably had separate bedrooms since birth.
You can tell that the fail is upset that w&k’s press office hasn’t been a 100% open with them and i guess that has been pissing them off for a while now.
Let’s not forget that before Meghan came unto the scene william was paranoid about privacy for him and his family. And coverage wasn’t exactly favourable. Then meghan came and all of a sudden contact between their press office and fleet street became a lot more open. The fail wants to keep the relationship so, while i suspect that William wants to put a lid on it now that his brother and sister in law aren’t there to serve as a buffer.
Years ago, Prince Andrew told a member of the press that the palace had been lying to the media for years. He was later forced to retract it but he was telling the truth. Information emanating from the royal family or their flunkies is generally geared to protecting the monarch and the heirs, it is about selling a narrative. They’re not interested in telling the truth, as we have seen more recently with Harry. Propaganda is the name of the game.
I am still of the mind that AC was meant to be her divorce house, but then whatever happened last year effectively ended that. Even Peg knows the bad optics of divorcing a woman with “cancer.” He got played.
William still can divorce her if he so chooses.imo. It is weird that Kate can do strenuous skiing sessions but forget about doing work. So if she were sick she would be too weak to ski
@M: Could it maybe be then that kate will remain at AC while william moves into the forest lodge?
If the MoS really wanted to stick the knife in they would have not included that the tenents go better houses to move into. The MoS is upset but they are still desperate to maintain their access to KP.
Well, as kids get older, and do more things (sports, clubs, friends), they do “collect” more crap (equipment, clothes, electronics), so yeah, I could see the house getting “tight”. My sister’s 3 bdrm home was great when their two boys were little, but as they grew older, especially as teens, they each acquired SO MUCH stuff from their sports activities, musical proclivities, and the CLOTHES alone!!! lol. A growing kids’ sweaters and jackets are *so* much larger than a baby/toddler/tween’s. AND don’t forget, kids *do* want to have friends over (and have enough space to tell their siblings (especially younger ones) to buzz off and “leave us alone!) lol
So yeah, I could see them “outgrowing” a home. Still, I do agree that it was supposed to be more of a Dowager House for Kronically Lazy Kitty, but then Dec 28th happened, and she was in the drivers’ seat to renegotiate. As I am a nosey reader here lol, I do hope we eventually find out the real reason for that.
They’ve only lived there for what? 3 years? I am aware that the kids are transitioning to teenagers which has a lot of changes but it’s also not like they’ve lived there for the last decade so the lack of space has truly become an issue. They knew the kids were only going to get older and would want more and more space. This isn’t new information.
And these kids will be leaving for boarding school most likely. So how much more room will they really need?
“…..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.’”
How relatable! They do not want to live next to normal people. What a pair of snobs pretending to be so normal just as anybody else but do not want to have normal people as neighbours. I thought Willi and Kate want their children to live a normal life, having neighbours is part of this.
I understand security issues but these people have been renting homes on Windsor grounds for probably year and I assume therefore there have been enhanced police checks and these converted properties are not cheap to rent. These properties were these families homes. Everything with the Windsors is just facade.
Also – “the kids can bike without seeing locals for miles” that sounds extremely sad, and not something to brag about? Those kids have no chance of being mentally healthy and normal human beings . But i guess none of these other billionaire kids do either.
That is weird. And I can’t see a kid actually desiring that. Seems more like the perspective of an adult who lives in a crowded city would write.
They totally ignore how Amner is right there and they are a helicopter away from it every weekend. The kids are outside there.
“Forest Lodge is an upgrade: With its chandelier-lit ballroom, tennis court, Venetian windows and extensive grounds, Forest Lodge is a considerable upgrade from the cosy four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage where the prince and princess and their young family have lived for the last three years.”
Will is determined to copy Harry & Meg’s 11 bedroom home as much as the King will left him huh? The 8 bedrooms will not satisfy his envy. Why don’t they just live at Amner Hall? It has 10 bedrooms and doesn’t it have a pool. KKKate can even do her nature videos on the property no?
How many fresh starts does this couple need?
What are Willy and Kate going to do with a ballroom? We’ve only ever seen him dad dancing. Are they planning to move in rows of chairs and hold Earthsh!t and Ahrly Yaars summits there? Convene the rota weekly to brief about what Willy will do to the Sussexes and their kids when he’s king>?
Rollerskate? That’s what I’d do anyways.
Honestly,@Meathome. I could see them making a case for needing a grander home that can host events like Earthshot or events. Ah yes, it’s not that they’re lazy, but how could they possibly step up and do the work of senior royals if they don’t have a grand ballroom? The only problem is that TOB seems determined that Earthshot is his chance to jet around the world.
Wasn’t Earthshot supposed to end after 5 years? Which would be next year? A ballroom? A dining table for 24 people? Do they know 24 people?
Maybe? But couldn’t they host those kinds of things easily at WC? This feels like more of a separate the house from the work kind of deal.
Um, they could have done that at KP at any time, and yet they didn’t. These two aren’t going to host anything in their own homes, even those homes that are palaces & castles with rooms specifically created for such things.
Let’s not forget, Kate doesn’t travel anymore for royal work. Willy won’t take her with him, so I guess a larger venue for entertaining VIPs from afar makes more sense. Now if only she’d take some professional elocution courses and drop that painfully false aristo accent, or at the very least study up on issues that would help her stop being such a boring, mumbling airhead at events where she actually has to engage with people. This move is prep work for the both of them to take on more resonsibilities as Charles fades out of the picture. If they do end up divorcing I suppose she could go back to AC and Willy Wonka could have Forest Lodge…for the time being. God what a pair of useless twats.
Mr end homelessness at work. No way was peg living at Adelaide cottage.
I have two questions that are truly minor details but are bugging me. One, if the Westins signed a new lease at the beginning of the year why did we get those articles about FB just 2 weeks ago? And two, is that black privacy fence just up while they’re doing construction and moving in or is it going to stay on forever. Wouldn’t it be ugly to stare at a privacy fence from your house all the time? So how private is this house really that they need this fence?
Maybe the bit about planting new shrubbery is to hide the ugly privacy fence with tall plantings. Wonder if that comes under the rubric of “security paid for by the public” too.
If you’re creative you could claim most of the upgrades are for security reasons.
They don’t want anyone to see who is not sleeping at home. I don’t believe William was living at Adelaide cottage. They live separately and think they can hide it.
Hmmm. So shrubbery could mean planting full growth trees to hide the fence. Sounds expensive.
I think that Fort Belvedere might have been aspirational – that’s probably the kind of palatial home that they might like to have. Leases can be terminated, even with the crown (as the two families that lived next to Forest lodge found out, unfortunately)… but the decision to end it would have to be decision by the monarch and my guess is that Charles was not going to give notice to the recently bereaved Weston descendants just so Willy can have another new home. But more importantly, shifting the talk from the very grand FB to the comparatively more modest Forest lodge is strategic – it’s “only” 8 bedrooms compared to the Fort.
That’s a good point. The Wales could have been pressuring Charles to break the FB lease and Charles refused. FL was the consolation prize. Iirc, the Sun article suggested that Charles was the head of the Crown Estates and would have to approve this move. Is he the de facto head? Suppose he was when he evicted the Sussexes too.
I wonder if FL has a helicopter pad…
If it doesn’t, it will soon. Plenty of space for it.
Well, this’ll teach me to read through all the comments before adding my own! Re: FB, exactly my question. What was all that nonsense about FB being on the table if the lease got renewed earlier in the year??? And chain link with black mesh is something that’s put up prior to construction to contain the dust. It’s not a privacy fence, it’s a utilitarian, temporary fence. The grade school down the road from me currently has the same thing up.
Ah thank you. I thought maybe the fence was for privacy but its just construction which makes sense. I was thinking of those fences that Tyler Perry put up for the sussexes when the drones kept flying near.
I’m afraid that what isn’t pointed enough is the high cost of security expenses that this property would need…a metal fence is already mentioned that I doubt it’s paid by the Wales (as if!). And this cost comes in addition to the other costs. Where is the outrage? I can understand the indifference of the public but we are talking about large amounts of money in a very difficult period…do they not care for it?
Since the media isn’t pointing it out most of the public has no idea
Can’t wanted a better deal and got one. As for shopping the warehouses for furniture why weren’t Harry and Meg given that option. Didn’t they buy their own furniture for Frogmore? Maybe this house will be the last for Can’t and the kids because I don’t believe that Peg will live there he is to busy choppering in and out of KP.
I think we all know why Harry and Meghan weren’t given the option to choose furniture from the Royal warehouse.
Well yay. Willy the environmentalist is adding another huge mansion to his property portfolio. And it’s all because of “bad memories” at Adelaide related to Kate’s cancer (and I read somewhere else they’re also blaming Charles’ cancer and QEII’s death, as if we should all change be changing houses when a grandparent dies). When, for the love of God, are we going to stop hearing about Kate’s precancerous or cancer-had-been-present as an excuse for every unpopular thing they do?
Love that (a) palace staff are leaking about Kate shopping in the antiques storerooms, and (b) the tabloids are publishing that. Also, the pushback in the Fail’s comments section is glorious.
Is she even in the country? Are we sure it’s her or is it her decorator?
My guess is that this move is underway even as upgrades are being made, and that’s why they’ve been on such an extended vacation.
The most interesting thing about this article is the person pointing out that this can’t possibly be their ‘forever home’ because William is going to be king and it’s simply not big enough or grand enough for a king’s requirements.
I don’t get what they’re doing here or what the move to Adelaide Cottage was about. It was never a suitable residence for the Prince of Wales either.
I assume William didn’t live at AC and isn’t going to live here either.
I think the move to Windsor was all about competition with Harry and Meghan who had moved to Frogmore Cottage and thus were nearer to the Queen. I think Wiliam and Kate wanted the same thing.
So bizarre of them.
They’ve got so much money that they could buy something amazing anywhere they want but instead they’re scraping round the family residences and competing with Harry like a couple of broke teenagers.
I think it’s pretty clear why the British press is mad about this – they don’t like being played. Aides to the Wales tried to lie and say that a move from Adelaide wasn’t happening when it clearly was, then fed lies to other reporters in the rota. Sycophantic suck-ups they may be, but those who try to make their living commenting on the royals expect to be the ones lying to the public, not to be lied to! Their livelihoods depend on being seen as “insiders”, so if William and Kate keep shutting them out and attempting to do their own in-house staged videos/ brand building, there may be a reckoning to come.
Just more confirmation that the RF deliberately plants lies to the press as needed. Just as they planted the Meghan made Kate cry lie. And many others pertaining to the Sussexes. They lie and plant stories to the press regularly and this is a confirmation of that from the actual press.
What’s not being said is that the British press sat on this story for months and decided to make up stories about Harry and Meghan instead. It’s also interesting that Charlotte Griffiths is not on this story’s byline. The MoS maybe pissed but they want to protect their access to KP. As I said yesterday I think KP decided to to confirm the move because the press was upset that William and Kate didn’t go to the VJ memorial service.
It’s truly wild to me that someone with access to so many residences fancies himself a champion of the unhoused.
They keep moving yet their problems keep following them. They’re too dumb to realise this.
That would require self-awareness which neither have 😏
I think they are happy with the kids’ school and are committed to keeping them there. If they need to do any “official” entertaining, Adelaide is too “small”.
They can officially “entertain” at KP. Or Anmer.
Again, this extra home is superfluous to needs.
And as I’ve said above, these issues (lack of space for the kids/entertaining/whatever) was known when they moved in 3 years ago.
It’s not like they’ve been at Adelaide for a decade or something so the lack of space is noticeable *now*.
Since the Obamas visit, WandK have not “entertained” any visiting dignitaries, and that’s been what almost 10 years ago. Given that, there isn’t a pressing need to for them to have the space to do that going forward.
The kids’ school is the equivalent of American K-8 – they have to go somewhere else for high school
Entertaining? That’s what Windsor Castle and Kensington Palace are for. This is an another private home. It’s curious why Kate moved into Adelaide Cottage in the first place.
That’s where I’m at. They can officially entertain at WC if need be. It’s so close with no traffic. And sure, let’s hear all about the joint entertaining that Will and Kate will do together at FL with so many guests. Nah, FL is supposed to be private private private.
I just can’t with these people anymore.
If families were actually requested to vacate these homes then the Wales moving in to this new home to spread their * ‘future king’ stink is to give the future, future king higher rents when George becomes the future king. Willy is always thinking of others.
*future king’ stink: one use, to spread on to properties to charge higher rents to future tenets.
“The claim that Forest Lodge is the family’s ‘forever home’ has been met with scepticism by some royal insiders. ‘How can this be their forever home?’ asked one source. ‘It is not grand enough for a king.’ ”
How can a house that has a freaking ballroom not be grand enough for a king? The standards of living set for the royals are gross — and these “royal insiders” just accept them as the royals’ due.
How can two people who don’t work and live off the tax payers be so f—-ng greedy. It really pisses me off how these two get away with everything. They seem to be untouchable because the British media would rather keep their racist hate towards the black woman going than call out these two lazy greedy ass——s.
@OverIt, same, it’s infuriating how there’s never any backlash to all of their disgusting behavior. Unfortunately I think that going forward, whenever they sense that the media might be getting fed up, they’ll use the cancer as an excuse for anything and everything. Kate will probably have some conveniently timed “relapses.” I wouldn’t put it past those two.
so, does that mean that they’ll be giving up the cottage? or will they still keep that?
Derangers are blaming harry and megham.its never the keens fault.according to them.
how???
Derangers are in denial and they feel keens are perfect in every way . So they try to blame the Sussexes no matter how illogical and ridiculous the accusations.
Just wondering if or how Natasha’s departure squares with this move? It may not mean anything, but we did wonder why she would quit when K would be QC so soon? Hmmmm.
Huh. Their source’s quoted statement says the families were told to leave yet the DM (MoS, same thing) wrote it up as being asked to leave. Still covering for the royals no matter what.
Oh, and I’d like to point out–that chain link fence with the black mesh? That’s not a privacy fence, that’s what you put up when there’s construction going on. Helps contain the dust & etc.
Well, Carole Middleton *did* bankrupt and possibly ruin the lives of many small business owners that she took credit from. Shoving innocent bystanders to the side would seem to be a family trait, then.
Time will tell how much Middleton has rubbed off on the three Wales children. I hope they surprise me.
Who was recently leasing Forest Lodge?
I haven’t found that info anywhere.
I am hung up on on the comment that they want a fresh start and to leave unhappy memories behind. That is a loaded comment. Typically your house is your safe haven where you go to be in your happy place. My tinfoil hat tells me the unhappiness is not her alleged cancer, KC3 being ill (he still is) or QEII dying (she’s still dead too) so moving out is not going to assuage any of that. Sounds more like wanting to escape a lot of tension/fighting/harm/betrayal/neglect… Those are the sorts of trauma events that make a person feel bad mojo from a house. As usual with the royals, their constant lying makes everything worse.
The fresh start relates to whatever made Kate hide her face for half a year until Trooping.
Also if they truly wanted to test out how Windsor works they would have said so right at the beginning and move elsewhere within a year. This new and bigger place is because Kate renegotiated something.
Chloe, I will answer your question: They have been on vacation forever. They will be on vacation for the rest of their lives, including the time when William is “technically” king. All vacation all the time. That’s how long.