There’s some suggestion that Prince William and Kate were eager to distract from their non-attendance at the VJ Day 80th anniversary events, and that’s why we spent the weekend hearing about their move to Forest Lodge in Windsor. If that was a conscious PR move by Kensington Palace, they’re an even bigger clownshow than any of us ever dreamed. “Oh, you’re mad that the heir to the throne didn’t go to a big WWII commemoration? Well, he’s also moving into his fifth forever home, how do you like that??” The way the stories have unfolded in the past 48 hours has been interesting though, and by Sunday afternoon, the Mail’s Becky English was called upon to do some clean-up, some damage control and some refocusing of the narrative. Enjoy some highlights:

Forever Home Forest Lodge: The Daily Mail has been told that it is William’s ‘intention’ to remain in their new Grade II-listed property even after he accedes to the throne. ‘This is for the long term and it’s their intention to stay in Forest Lodge once he becomes king,’ a source said. Understandably this has prompted serious questions in royal circles about the long-term viability of both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, as well as other private royal estates such as Sandringham in Norfolk and Balmoral in the Scottish Highlands, which the prince is eventually set to inherit.

Forest Lodge is not grand: Although well beyond the means of most families, Forest Lodge is certainly not grand – particularly when it comes to an heir to the throne. William’s decision to live there shows his determination to adopt a more ‘relatable’ way of living, in comparison with Prince Andrew’s vast 30-room Royal Lodge just a short drive away in the Great Park, or Prince Edward’s Bagshot Park, which is said to boast between 50 and 120 rooms.

All of Forest Lodge’s staff cottages: There will be no live-in staff, butlers or valets for the Waleses at Forest Lodge – an illustration of just how fiercely they guard their privacy. The same applies currently at Adelaide Cottage. However, there are ‘five or six’ two- and three-bedroom cottages – currently occupied by estate staff – just a few hundred yards away from the Waleses’ new home. Locals understand these will be occupied by the family’s security detail, housekeeper and nanny after they move in. Extra security will also be needed as Forest Lodge is outside Windsor Castle’s ‘ring of steel’. One local tells me: ‘The lodge is on a private road, close to a little village with a shop, a post office and a tea shop, which is mainly used by staff. It’s about as isolated as you can get there, so you can see the attraction for them. It’s situated in a huge private chunk of Windsor Great Park and the children can go out cycling for miles and not come anywhere near any of the local residents.’

The Waleses’ London base: Interestingly, it seems the couple will continue to work out of Kensington Palace where their Royal Foundation and Catherine’s Centre for Early Childhood are based, along with their household staff and press office. They will also retain their existing 20-room residence, Apartment 1A, at Kensington Palace, and Anmer Hall, their Norfolk retreat. However there are likely to be growing questions over the viability of their London base – not least because the Kensington apartment was refurbished in 2014 at a cost of £4.5 million to the public purse and is now used barely a handful of times a year. Might the Waleses be persuaded to use a suite of rooms in Buckingham Palace instead, allowing the Kensington apartment to be rented out commercially? It might make sense, say some.

What happens to Windsor Castle & Buckingham Palace once William is king? As for Windsor Castle, which was once earmarked for William and Catherine by the late Queen, the prospect of a full or even part-time royal resident after Charles also looks unlikely. But that is less concerning to many than the future of Buckingham Palace, the sovereign’s official London residence, not least because £369 million of public funds is currently being invested in a top-to-toe refurbishment – including a complete redecoration of the late Queen’s suite of rooms.

What happens if no one else lives in BP? One of the biggest attractions of Buckingham Palace, whether you are visiting it as a head of state, one of the 50,000 guests who attend garden parties, receptions and functions held there each year or even just as a paying punter in the summer months, is that it is the living, breathing heart of the institution. Will it have the same attraction as the nation’s most-gilded museum when there is no monarch in residence? Palace aides have always carefully insisted that Charles ‘intends’ to take up residence in ‘Monarchy HQ’, as Buckingham Palace is dubbed. A well-placed source tells me that William will be taking an even more ‘pragmatic’ approach to Buckingham Palace in the future, stressing that Forest Lodge will be his family’s only ‘long-term’ home.

William wants to open everything up for tourists: Like his father, William is keen to open Buckingham Palace to a greater number of tourists each year than at present. This would generate funds for its future upkeep while lessening pressure on the public purse. The Prince of Wales also wants to see the amount of official entertaining that goes on at the Palace expanded, possibly even using it for government and charitable events. While Sandringham and Balmoral are very much private royal estates with no public funding, it seems that they, too, could undergo a subtle change of status, and be opened to visitors on more days than in the past. All of these are clearly sensible ideas. And yet concerns remain – particularly when it comes to Buckingham Palace.

King Charles is reminding William that he can’t be a work-from-home king: Those I have spoken to are choosing their words carefully, knowing how important it has been to William to ensure that family – rightly – comes first. As one insider says: ‘The late Queen said she had to be seen to be believed. I just hope that the Prince of Wales can find the right balance between raising his family away from the public glare at Windsor with the presence required of him as a future, and eventual, head of state.’

[From The Daily Mail]

As I said in other posts about this Forest Lodge move, these feel like placeholder excuses, and it will be easy enough for “King William” to suddenly say, I’ve had a change of heart, I’m going to live in Windsor Castle now and keep an apartment in Buckingham Palace. Clearly, William and his people have the royalist press coming and going – William can say whatever he wants and the press will fall over themselves to justify it. William clearly doesn’t have a problem with telling everyone that of course he’ll live in Forest Lodge forever, because he knows that whenever he becomes king, he can live wherever he wants and, clearly, no one will point out that he and Kate don’t live together. It’s also hysterical to see William consistently bashing his relatives for living in grander homes – even Prince Edward’s Bagshot Park got a callout, damn.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.