Duchess Kate special- ordered a ‘super king size’ mattress for her 4-poster bed

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I kind of wanted to write this story for personal reasons, because I recently bought a new, fancy mattress and box spring and I’m having some issues with my purchase. Before I get into that, let’s get to the gossip. Life & Style must have gotten a tip from a UK mattress manufacturer, because I see no other reason why they would have this information. Apparently, Duchess Kate and Prince William had to special-order a “super king size” mattress for their Kensington Palace apartment. We already knew that Kate did not want separate bedrooms (separate bedrooms are traditional among the English aristocracy and royalty), but it’s new information that they needed a super-duper giant bed:

Kate Middleton, 31, will wake up looking bright-eyed and well-rested thanks to her new Healthbeds brand mattress which she will now share with hubby Prince William in their Kensington Palace digs.

The mattress “has 4,500 pocket springs which alter to your shape,” owner David Smeaton exclusively tells Life & Style. Kate reportedly fell in love with the bed while she rented in Anglesey and didn’t want to part with it.

“It’s a super king size. We took a bit longer on it than we do most beds, because it has to fit in a four poster setting,” the owner enthuses. “It has been delivered to them, and we’re all delighted.”

Prince William and Kate Middleton Set Christening Date for Prince George

And with all that room, they’ll be able to snuggle with their 2-month-old baby boy, Prince George!

[From Life & Style]

I mean… if you’re royalty, sure. If you’re a duchess and you just gave birth to the future king (not to mention you’re spending your time boning a future king), I guess it’s perfectly acceptable to special order a special super-size, extra long (*cue p0rn music*) mattress. Gotta make those heirs, girl. You need a mattress with some longevity. And personally I love the idea that William sleeps in a very special, very large bed with a four-poster bed frame. He’s such a princess.

As for my mattress drama… when I went shopping for my mattress, my only two concerns were cost and firmness. I hate mattresses that are like sponges. I don’t want to sink into my bed. I want it to be firm, bordering on hard. So that’s how I ended up with my new mattress, and while it’s super-firm and I love that part of it, there’s something weird going on. My mattress, like, absorbs, concentrates and generates heat. Every morning, I wake up drowning in sweat because my mattress is like a warm-blooded organism at this point. Is this weird? Does your mattress do this? Was I dumb to not ask the mattress salesperson if the mattress does weird things to body temperature?

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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75 Responses to “Duchess Kate special- ordered a ‘super king size’ mattress for her 4-poster bed”

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  1. Snazzy says:

    I have the same problem – I chose a futon because I like to sleep on a hard mattress as well, and now every morning I wake up in a sweat (which I wouldn’t mind if it was for a good reason …). I just got the bloody thing a year ago and paid a fortune for it but am thinking of switching because it’s such a pain …

    • gg says:

      When that started happening to me on a new mattress I had to own up to the realization that I was in perimenopause (hormone change).

      • BW says:

        Yeah, me too. Night sweats were driving me nuts. Then I bought new sheets. Nice smooth good quality cotton sheets. They are so much cooler than the rougher sheets that were on my bed. And I iron them smooth. The smoother, the cooler. I’m going to buy sateen sheets next. Also, I cranked up the air conditioning.

  2. Lindy says:

    Wow. I love celebrity gossip, but this is definitely TMI. Next stop, her plumbing features?

    • ncboudicca says:

      Right, I don’t want to hear about the amazing features of her bidet, LOL

      • Sabrine says:

        Really? Who cares about her bed for heaven’s sake. This is just ridiculous.

      • M says:

        I’m guessing this was put out there to debunk those “they sleep in separate rooms” stories. And watch that brand’s sales go through the roof now. People are such sheep.

      • Florc says:

        M
        Yes. It is to debunk those rumors, but if history has taught us anything with these 2 Kate will sleep at her parents or in that enormous bed while William is elsewhere.
        And there really is no need for these info leaks and articles except to counter bad press. They’re not seen as hard working so articles are flooded out about how hard working they are. They aren’t seen as in love so stories like this must be leaked out. God forbid we go a few weeks without hearing about them… The people might start to wonder what it is they actually do!

        And Bed sales with this brand will sky rocket for sure.

    • bettyrose says:

      That was my first thougt too, by I sort of find that I enjoy learning about the custom bed I would own if money were no object. I trust Kate’s taste in posh, lavish specialty items.

  3. Alicia says:

    Is it a pillow top mattress? They are really hot to sleep on. If not it must be made out of something weird.

    • Kaiser says:

      It’s not a pillow-top, it’s just a good, expensive mattress and the heat thing is killing me!

      • Alicia says:

        That sucks. We bought a really expensive pillow top mattress a few months ago and no one told us about the heat thing. Not looking forward to our hot Aussie summer this year!

      • teehee says:

        Mattresses here are 1,000-Euro pieces of foam.
        But, the foam is “designed” to have “passage ways” that allow air to circulate and heat to escape, so the mattress always keeps you cool. And its supposed to have “7 zones” of different consistency for the different needs of the body….. so no squeaky springs, and no sweating at night.
        I’m just glad I didnt have to buy it, it was given to me 😛

      • Jacqueline says:

        There are some cooling sheet-sets called Sheex. They’re expensive but a friend swears by them.

      • L says:

        Is it memory foam? Memory foam is notorious for running hot. We used to have a icomfort with the fancy cooling beads in the memory foam and that helped alot-but that thing was still a beast in the summer.

      • Scarlet Vixen says:

        Is it memory foam? We tried a memory foam mattress pad several months ago and it cranked up the heat factor like crazy. I loved it (I’m always cold) but we had to get rid of it because the hubs couldn’t stand sweating all night.

        We are nowhere near rich, but we did invest in a California King sleep number mattress. My husband’s is 6’4″ and moves around alot, so we needed a big bed (I can’t tell you how many times I got smacked in the head when we had a queen!). He’s also a back/stomach sleeper who likes the bed to be rock hard, and I’m a side sleeper who prefers a pillowtop style. The sleep number was really pricey, but it was the only way we could both get what we needed. I sleep SO much better!! I won’t shame anyone for investing in a good mattress–it’s a third of your life!. 🙂

      • Lucrezia says:

        Alicia, if you have an electric blanket, you can just leave that on the bed during summer … without switching it on. That fabric is designed to disperse heat, so it works.

        (So I’m not confusing the US peeps: Aussie [Commonwealth?] electric blankets are mattress pads that go under the bottom sheet. Not sheets that go over you, like you’re probably thinking of. If you’re American you’d probably have to buy a mattress protector/pad.)

      • Florc says:

        Kaiser
        Had this issue before with spring mattresses. Bought a Bob-o-pedic (bob’s brand thermopedic) and never had an issue again. Foam is cooling-ish and very firm, but gives way enough to be comfy. After sleeping on foam I think spring mattresses are so over rated.

      • emmie_a says:

        It might be your mattress pad. My mattress came with a free mattress pad (which was made out of a synthetic fiber blend and I was having heat issues as well. I switched to a natural fiber mattress pad and the temperature issues went away.

      • Mrsjennyk says:

        Do you have a mattress pad on it? Check the backing on it if you do. Mine is some weird rubber material that keeps all the heat in 🙁 I should really go buy a different one

    • LadyMTL says:

      That’s exactly what I was going to ask, because I got a pillow-top mattress a few months ago and I’ve noticed it makes me really warm (not that I’m complaining, because I’m usually cold).

      The only thing I can think of is maybe the fabric of the mattress / the “stuffing” in it doesn’t let air circulate properly?

  4. Carolin says:

    Weell, I love huge beds, and as a family of 4 we really do need a big mattress to snuggle up. Kate, Will and George are probaly co-sleeping, which is cool, because most babies sleep best close to their parents.
    As to your mattress problem: Can’t you give it back? Isn’t there some sort of warranty?

    • Nicole says:

      If they were co-sleeping (sleeping with the baby in the bed) that would be news. I hope they’re not. That’s dangerous.

      • Jacqueline says:

        Puh-lease. I co-slept with my son and it is the ONLY reason I was able to get any sleep during that first six weeks. Do you think everyone had a nursery and cribs 100 years ago? No, kids slept in the bed with their parents and here we are; the human race is still making it, last time I checked.

      • TG says:

        I co-slept also until my baby was two. She slept in the middle of us and we never had a problem. I always slept facing her and was alert to any of her needs. I also don’t drink or do drugs, I wouldn’t even take a Tylenol PM if I was sick when she was with us so that my mind would be sharp and alert.

      • Carolin says:

        Thank you.
        Same here.It’s not dangerous, it’s cosy.

      • Delta Juliet says:

        Add me to the co-sleeping list. I did it with both of my boys and list a previous poster stated, I never drank alcohol or took any medication, kept my blankets at my waist, and always had the munchkin in the crook of my arm. Also, my husband doesn’t sleep in the same bed so that helped too.
        As long as you are responsible and not a super deep sleeper, it’s fine, especially if you nurse every couple of hours.

      • Miss Jupitero says:

        It’s perfectly safe, but you have to be careful about bedding, e.g., get rid of the puffy pillows, etc. Pediatricians are cautious about recommending co-sleeping mainly because so many people are careless about details.

      • LAK says:

        Jacqueline: 100yrs ago, ONLY poor people and especially peasants slept together. And not only did people not sleep together, they slept in separate bedrooms. The rich had entire wings in the house for the children who they barely saw. The middle class emulated the rich if they could. THAT was the norm.

        The idea that we must sleep together or even co-sleep with newborns is a recent one to western society primarily brought about by the poverty visited on everyone by the world wars and the movement across the world bringing new methods from other cultures.

        These days, only wealthy people and or old school aristos sleep separately. It’s always been the norm.

        BTW, separate sleeping arrangements aren’t a comment on any relationship unless it *is* a comment on the relationship.

      • Bodhi says:

        Uh, no. Co-sleeping is not dangerous when do properly. It is, in fact, the only way many nursing moms can get any sleep

      • Stef Leppard says:

        It’s not dangerous, it’s very natural. Moms have a special intuition that prevents them from rolling over onto the baby. As long as you take precautions with the bedding, your clothing, and any cracks, it’s totally safe and is good for you and the baby, I think! Babies like to be close to Mom 😊

      • Jacqueline says:

        @LAK – excuse me for a second, my eyes rolled out of my head and down the street.

    • aang says:

      Fun Fact: In the 1500’s municiple authorities in Italy would give out “sleep cages”, wicker basket type things that were to be put over the sleeping babies to stop the babies from being overlayed by a sleeping parent because it had become an epidemic. Now all those infant deaths from overlaying are thought to disguised infanticides. We co-slept with both our daughters. The youngest slept with us off and on for 12 years.

    • tc says:

      If that baby is co-sleeping with anyone it’s the nanny.

  5. Seattlemomma says:

    I’m pretty sure they make toppers that have a special “stay cool” gel in them. The mattress store lady was telling me it’s a substance designed for NASA astronauts. Can’t remember if that was only mattresses or if they had toppers. Worth looking at. 🙂

    And I would totally invest in a fancy mattress if I had the means. Good on them.

    • Kaiser says:

      I will look into it! Maybe there’s something I can put on top of it.

      • k miss says:

        Yeah, we just got a memory foam mattress with a gel-filled top layer. I realize you don’t have memory foam, but the air-pockets act as an insulator holding heat next to the body. The gel-filled layer conducts heat away from the body, so just putting a gel-filled memory foam topper on your bed should help. If my husband is comfortable on one, then you know it works.

  6. GiGi says:

    About 10 years ago we went all in and bought a very expensive matress set… which we hated and became unsleepable within about 5 years. I sweated every night on that bed – I think it was something in the cover? Like synthetics maybe?

    Anyhow – 3 years ago we went to Ikea & bought a mattress (King – bowchickawowow) and have loved it. It was $400 and I vow to never spend a bunch of money on a mattress again!

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      My husband and I stayed at a Ritz Carlton, and the bed was fabulous. We needed a new mattress, so we splurged on the “Carlton experience” mattress and topper. Totally not worth it and nothing like the hotel bed. Of course, we’re still using it and will be for some time. Expensive mistake.

    • inthekitchen says:

      Same here. We splashed out for a really expensive mattress years ago and I hated it from the get go. We immediately got two dips where we sleep so we had them come look at it and declare it defective and they replaced it…replacement mattress, same problem.

      My mother recently bought an Ikea mattress and it is sooooo comfortable. AND, it’s not 20 inches tall (or whatever) like my current mattress so the sheets actually stay on! I hate the (dis)comfort of my mattress and I HATE the height of it because every sheet – even the deep ones – pop off immediately. So annoying.

    • TheEntrepreneursWife says:

      Mattresses are a huge scam that few people know about. The manufacturers make the same model mattress, but call it different names for different stores so you can’t price compare. The only way to do it is to put different stores of the same chain against each other in a price war. My husband and I spent a whole day driving to and from different Sleepys, telling Store 1 that Store 2 would give us mattress X for $100 cheaper and could they beat that. We got a great price for our mattress, but it took a whole freaking day!

      • RobN says:

        We did the same thing. Most people don’t realize that you can haggle at mattress stores; the price as marked is not necessarily what you’ll pay if you’re willing to spend some time and effort. We saved hundreds.

  7. blue marie says:

    Ha, wow I read that wrong. for a minute there I thought I read:

    “Prince William and Kate Middleton set about Christening the bed” .. too exciting for them though I think and far too early for me.

  8. Tara says:

    The mattress isnt for her bed its for their bed. I know the headline sounds snarkier the other way and very Kate-hatey but after sleeping on so many shitty mattresses in my 20s I can’t shade this story.

    And “boning a prince”? Ugh. This is not a Paris Hilton story. These two are married and have a child.

    But yes, a four poster bed is a bit medieval princess bride-y lol.

    • Erinn says:

      This. There’s so much snark on such a normal story – If I had the means that they had I’d have a super extravagant bed. My sleep is something I don’t eff around with. To shade them for this is just stupid.

    • gg says:

      As soon as we could afford it I bought the biggest reproduction California King four-poster bed I could find (off Craig’s list) and we call it the helicopter pad. Love it with every fiber of my being, and it’s so tall I have to use a prissy upholstered stool to get in it and I’m a tall person. I can’t sleep without a memory foam mattress and if the heat gets to me I just turn up the overhead fan.

      I guess they don’t call them California Kings in the UK?

    • Tara says:

      GG
      Ok I will rescind my four poster snark for you…your bed sounds really awesome lol! We have a huge, heavy sleigh bed in espresso and it is our haven. We love it so much 🙂 it is more important than our living room sectional.

  9. mkyarwood says:

    No shade. King sized mattress was NUMBER ONE on my essentials after baby is born list. They have a baby and some dogs, their bed will have lots of bodies in it at some point, even if they’re ‘royal’.

  10. ncboudicca says:

    When we bought our Tempur-Pedic mattress the saleswoman warned us that it would retain heat a little more than an innerspring mattress, and I think that’s definitely true, but not excessively so. I live in the South and I’m not bothered in the summer, for example.

    I have noticed that sleeping with a buckwheat pillow keeps my head/neck cooler, though.

  11. Stephlou106 says:

    Does the mattress have latex in it? When i bought my new mattress someone i knew had just dumped a new and expensive latex based mattress because it was sooo hot, so i stayed clear of those options

  12. Nellie says:

    Sleep Number makes a topper that can cool or heat depending on your preference. It can be used on any mattress. And each person can have it set to their preference.

  13. smee says:

    If your mattress has any of that “memory foam” stuff in it, then you’ll be sweating every time you sleep in it. I despise those types of mattresses – I’m SO glad I slept on one in a hotel before foolishly buying one.

    We bought a Cali King and honestly, it’s the best thing that ever happened in our marriage. It’s so big that when you move you don’t disturb the other person (intimacy isn’t an issue – rest is!)

    I don’t blame her – I’d buy an even bigger one if it would fit in the bedroom.

  14. Cazzee says:

    Linen sheets are amazing to sleep in, and they breathe really well. (I bought them because I started having hot flashes and waking up at 5am drenched in sweat, and a menopause website recommended trying linen sheets – these sheets definitely helped.)

    About a year ago I splurged and bought these in white:

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ILQ9MQ/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    They are fantastic! The sheets themselves are really comfortable and it’s a pleasure to sleep in them. Also I’m not waking up soaked in sweat anymore, which is nice.

  15. Nashville Girl says:

    I wonder if the bed itself is an antique that had to have a specially sized mattress? I feel certain Henry VIII needed an extra large bed.

  16. Patricia says:

    A king size bed was the best purchase for my marriage. I am in a happy and fun and joyful marriage and I swear being able to have so much space while sleeping keeps it that way, lol. Plus it’s so big that when my husband snores I just roll him to one end of the mattress and then I sleep at the other end and it all works out. Get one if you can and you are married!

    • Cel says:

      So agree Patricia!

      I love our king size mattress and hate sleeping in anything smaller – so much so that I now ask hotels about bed size. My partner sometimes moves around a lot in his sleep which would wake me, but since the upgrade to a king I barely notice.

    • Ktx says:

      I just got a king mattresses too, and I’ve been sleeping SO much better. There’s much more room now for my 6’3″ husband and me. Now, the dog is another story. She moves all around the bed, sleeping on my feet, snuggling up between my husband and me, and curling up near my face. No bed is big enough with a dog like mine!

  17. KinChicago says:

    Snoring, kicking, tossing and turning- and that is my guy. He calls it “sprawling”
    I NEED a king size bed so he can throw himself around his side and I can snooze without taking a violent knee or elbow slam.

    • kiyoshigirl says:

      Your guy and my guy must be related. Honestly, between the snoring and constant movements, some nights I get up and move to another room just to get some sleep. I often wonder if humans were meant to share sleeping beds.

      • Lee says:

        Yeah, I doubt we were “meant” to sleep together. I can’t believe how many years I went without decent sleep, next to my leg-twitching, arm-throwing, loud-snoring husband. Now (for the last five years), we happily go off to our separate bedrooms, and I am no longer consumed with night-time sleep-deprivation rage/frustration, which in turn makes everything better:). I highly recommend it!

  18. kiyoshigirl says:

    My husband hounded me for months to buy an expensive TempurPedic mattress set. I hated the thing from day one (too hard) and now he complains about sweating every night. I bought a topper to resolve the problem. The salesman’s pitch was that they’re specially designed to regulate body heat and specifically told us not to put a topper on the bed, but that was the only thing that turned down the heat.

  19. Jinnie DeSiata says:

    this really is a non-story. I lived in England, and a Super King there is just a regular king here…. Their king and queen sizes are smaller.

  20. Salster says:

    Go to Ikea and get one of their mattress toppers. I had the same “heat problem” with my new mattress and didn’t want to break the bank again on a mistake…so ikea it was and I am sleeping SO well!!

  21. irishserra says:

    My mattress sucks and I can’t afford to get a really nice one right now.

    However, I started rubbing a little progesterone cream into my thighs at night before I go to bed and not only am I sleeping much better, but my night sweats of stopped. And for the moment, it’s a cheaper alternative to the nice bed until I can afford it, and quite a life saver for me. 🙂

  22. Natti says:

    KAISER I had the same problem and we just put a matress protector over our matress and it stopped the heat

  23. maggie says:

    I bought good quality bamboo sheets plus a sheep skin matress cover. Lets your skinn breath and keeps you cool in summer warm in winter.

  24. nicegirl says:

    Our tempurpedic mattress is like that, we roast in it – I am pretty sure you can get a cooling mattress pad which is supposed to help.

  25. JLM says:

    UK bed sizes are different than U.S., and their “super king” size is 72″ x 78″, vs. our king, which is 76″ x 80″. So I sleep in a bigger bed than the Duchess!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bed_size

    With our last move, we upgraded to a king, and it’s great for those mornings when we have two little ones climbing in with us. It’s also great for those nights when I want to be left alone and don’t want my “prince” touching me! 😉

    • Denise says:

      I was just about to say the same thing about the UK sizing! My daughter has a queen size bed which is the size of a US double, and ours is a king which is like a queen. What a weird story to begin with, L&S trying to make a big deal of the royals sleeping in a supposedly gigantic bed. Kate looks tired, hope the new mattress helps. (I cannot imagine being photographed almost daily, it would be like a nightmare you never wake up from.)

    • Devon says:

      I came to say this too. We had a queen sized bed back in Canada and our first flat in Scotland had a king, which is almost the same as a queen back home. A super king in the UK is about the equivalent of a king back home so it’s really not that big of a deal.

      When are people going to learn that North America and the UK are very different in A LOT of aspects?!?

  26. Irin says:

    William is tall, I can see how he would need an extra long bed. I do wonder (like the author) if their sex life is dull or kinky? Or is it normal, as Prince Charles once famously said “whatever that means.”

    • Deeana says:

      Always, always check on the overall dimensions of the mattress you are purchasing.

      I had the experience of purchasing a high-end Queen size mattress from J.C. Penney Co. It was their own in-house brand. When delivered and set up it looked small and then the Queen sized sheets were too big.

      After numerous phone calls back and forth, the salesman admitted that he had learned these particular mattresses were being manufactured 2″ smaller all around!

      I sent it back and bought a name brand mattress elsewhere. And I bought a King size. I’ve never been sorry.

  27. dread pirate cuervo says:

    Is their bed a different size from a California King? If so, expect to hear about how they have their sheets tailored for them next. I bought a pretty pricey queen sized sleep number bed just before I started dating my husband. I’d have waited & gotten a CK if I’d have know a few months later I’d be moving into a room in which it could fit.

  28. Pandy says:

    We had a king size in our old apartment but when we moved to our house, it covered the air vent in the bedroom so we had to downsize to a queen. I HATE it – husband is 6’2 and hogs most of it. And now the cat likes to sleep by me horizontally. I spend all night flipping from side to side between man and cat. We were all very comfy in our zones on the king.

    On a sidenote – perhaps the four poster is a north american so they needed a custom mattress to fit it?

  29. Meadow says:

    Forget about Kate’s bed what about they babies?

    Apparently the babies nursery is haunted by up to three ghosts.

    ‘Royal biographer Andrew Morton said the room the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had chosen for their son at their new home in London’s Kensington Palace is a “notorious spot” for ghost sightings.

    Mr Morton, 60, best known for his book about the late Diana, Princess of Wales, told The Sun: “Prince George’s nursery is in Apartment 1A of Kensington Palace, which has been a notorious spot for ghost sightings.

    Bygone royals George II, Caroline of Brunswick and Princess Sophia have all been seen.

    Mr Morton added: “Princess Margaret’s housekeeper told her she saw a woman in Regency dress suddenly appear in front of her then vanish through a wall.

    “So let’s hope little Prince George can sleep peacefully in his cot at night.”