Over the weekend, the British papers got the confirmation that Prince William and Kate have officially moved into Forest Lodge. Originally, the plan was to move into their “manor house” on the Windsor estate around Christmas, because they were getting a lot of renovations done to the place, and grabbing 150 acres of public park takes some time. But the renovations went faster than expected, so the Wales fam “moved in” over their kids’ school holiday. William and Kate have not done one public event in over two weeks, mind you. But we’re supposed to be happy for them for this latest insane real estate move because, don’t you know, Adelaide Cottage was cursed! We’re also supposed to believe that Will & Kate hosted a party for the “builders and staff” who helped with the renovation and move.

The Prince and Princess of Wales laid on a ‘thank you’ party for the builders and staff who worked ‘tirelessly’ to get them into their new house early, the Daily Mail can reveal. William and Kate served drinks and nibbles at The York Club, a private pub near Forest Lodge, their ‘forever’ home in Windsor Great Park, on Friday. The venue is a members-only club for residents and employees of the Crown Estate which manages much of the property on the estate, including the Waleses’ own.

They had initially planned to be in Forest Lodge by Christmas, but builders have been working round the clock to complete the move by Bonfire Night.

‘The couple very sweetly just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has worked tirelessly to help,’ a local source said. The family have spent the recent half-term holiday completing the move, giving Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, ten, and seven-year-old Prince Louis time to settle in before returning to school on Monday. A 150-acre, Home Office-agreed security cordon has been set up at the eight-bedroom Georgian mansion.

William and Kate, both 43, made the decision earlier this year to provide a ‘fresh start’ for their children. Although they had planned to live in Adelaide Cottage for several more years, their time there has been beset by unhappy memories. Indeed, it can be revealed that William refers to their experience as being ‘cursed’.

The couple initially moved their children to the property from Kensington Palace in August 2022 to provide them with a more protected, rural upbringing and to be close to the late Queen. But she died within weeks of them moving in, the first in a series of major family challenges which included the release of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix series in December that year, followed by Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, the following January. Then last year both Kate and King Charles were diagnosed with cancer. The princess underwent a course of preventative chemotherapy, with William describing the experience as ‘brutal’.

She is now in remission but the experience has been mentally ‘scarring’ for the family, sources say, and made them more determined to make decisions based on what is best for themselves.

‘Every part of Adelaide Cottage, sadly, had an unpleasant memory associated with it,’ an insider said. ‘It’s a lovely house and they started with such high hopes, but in the end they have experienced some of their most challenging times there as a family… Little wonder that William feels like it was cursed.’

[From The Daily Mail]

It never fails to amuse me that in the litany of reasons why Will and Kate were due another emotional-support mansion, they always mention Prince Harry’s Spare AND the Netflix docuseries. Those projects were as devastating and life-altering as… QEII’s death and cancer? It’s so bizarre. Anyway, I definitely wonder if and when Will and Kate are going to walk back all of these statements about how Forest Lodge is their forever home and they plan to live there for the rest of their lives, etc. Especially now that Royal Lodge is suddenly available, and that’s the place they always wanted in the first place. I strongly suspect that as soon as Andrew Windsor does haul his sh-t out of RL, suddenly there will be a flurry of work on the property, preparations for its new lease-holder. And I really do wonder if Charles is going to set it aside for Camilla.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.