Over the years, we’ve gotten glimpses of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ many forever homes. Especially during the pandemic, it felt like we got a look inside Anmer Hall, and there have been a handful of photos of their entertaining space in Kensington Palace too. None of it seems like it’s particularly notable design-wise. I strongly suspect that Kate doesn’t have much of an eye for interior design, and that her homes lack cohesion in general. Well, Kate has a new home and a new project: decorating her latest forever home, Forest Lodge. That’s probably the real reason no one has seen her for weeks. She’s too busy picking out rage-cushions and thunder-stealing curtains.
As Kate and William settle into their ‘forever home’ at Forest Lodge with their three children, there will be much for them to admire in their new surroundings, including Venetian windows, marble fireplaces and a barrel-vaulted hall ceiling. No wonder that Kate, a keen interior designer, is said to have ‘thoroughly enjoyed’ renovating the property, picking up much of the furnishings from high-end British brands.
The eight-bedroom home is twice the size of Adelaide Cottage, where the family lived most recently, giving the royal plenty of space to put her personal touch on. And if their previous residences are anything to go by, the home will likely be kitted out in Kate’s signature ‘contemporary classic’ look – which has previously been described as ‘lovely’ and yet ‘completely inoffensive’.
It is understood that the Princess of Wales has dressed up her new home with opulent décor from Marina Mill, a company that specialises in hand designing and screen printing fabrics, costing upwards of £100 a metre. The mill, which Kate visited in September, has supplied dozens of royal homes, including Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Highgrove and is world-renowned for the quality of its fabrics, as well as the fact that they still do everything by hand.
Kate has also been seen picking out a 24-seater dining table from a warehouse that specialises in antiques, indicating that the future Queen is hoping to host dinner parties at the property.
It is also thought that Kate and William may also make structural changes to the property. They previously moved the kitchen to the centre of the property in Anmer Hall, their country residence on the Sandringham Estate.
The 328-year-old Forest Lodge – which has six bathrooms – has undergone modest internal and external renovations, including new doors and windows, the stripping out of walls, renovated ceilings and new floors. It was last renovated in 2001 at a cost of £1.5million.
The Waleses have funded their move and refurbishment themselves and will be paying market rent to the Crown Estate.
“Kate has also been seen picking out a 24-seater dining table from a warehouse that specialises in antiques…” The “warehouse” is some kind of Royal Collection depot, and only royals can use the furniture and artwork found in the warehouse. What an odd way to describe it, right? And the mention of the six bathrooms!! Take that, Harry and Meghan! The Waleses have SIX bathrooms! Still fewer than the number of bathrooms at Casa de Sussex, but sure. As for Kate’s questionable decorating skills… yeah, “completely inoffensive” is a pretty strange way to describe a style. That’s Kate’s aim in all things though, to be completely inoffensive. What is completely inoffensive interior design? White walls and nice woodwork?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and Kensington Palace.
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- Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, holds a social media Q&A on her work with The Early Years,Image: 572158356, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales gestures during a visit to Marina Mill in Cuxton, south east England on September 11, 2025. Marina Mill was established in 1967, and is based in an old Victorian mill on the banks of the River Medway, where a small team produces fabrics using the traditional silk-screen method.,Image: 1036151706, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: CHRIS J RATCLIFFE/Avalon
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- Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales creates a screen print during a visit to Marina Mill in Cuxton, south east England on September 11, 2025. Marina Mill was established in 1967, and is based in an old Victorian mill on the banks of the River Medway, where a small team produces fabrics using the traditional silk-screen method.,Image: 1036151868, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: CHRIS J RATCLIFFE/Avalon
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- Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales laughs as she creates a screen print during a visit to Marina Mill in Cuxton, south east England on September 11, 2025. Marina Mill was established in 1967, and is based in an old Victorian mill on the banks of the River Medway, where a small team produces fabrics using the traditional silk-screen method.,Image: 1036151952, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: CHRIS J RATCLIFFE/Avalon
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- Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales smiles during a visit to Marina Mill in Cuxton, south east England on September 11, 2025. Marina Mill was established in 1967, and is based in an old Victorian mill on the banks of the River Medway, where a small team produces fabrics using the traditional silk-screen method.,Image: 1036152057, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: CHRIS J RATCLIFFE/Avalon
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- Esme Bianco at the 2015 Society Of Camera Operators Lifetime Achievement Awards, Paramount Theater, Los Angeles, CA 02-08-15,Image: 506228308, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Martin Sloan / Avalon
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- Miami, FL – Ivanka Trump meets with students at the SLAM Academy before holding a campaign event for her father in Miami. Pictured: Ivanka Trump BACKGRID USA 28 OCTOBER 2020 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
Lazy keen had that one brief part time job and a degree in art history she never used. Now super keen designs homes. She probably hired someone but takes all the credit. She has no real skills. I thought she was involved with n a y cha now
She doesn’t even know how to design the top of her desk! She’s a righty who answers the phone with her right hand, pulling the cord across her notepad, forcing her to write notes with her left! I know, I know, it’s all for the photos. Who even uses landlines any more?
Also, those writers need to expunge ‘it is understood’ and ‘it is thought’ from their articles. Either you know what you’re talking about or you don’t publish it. And that warehouse? Yes, it was a royal warehouse, so who saw Kate there picking out a 24-seater table? A royal employee of some sort? Did they make a little extra money for that tidbit?
Re landlines: presumably it’s a secure line.
The books on the desk in the photo of her on the phone were literally purchased on Etsy from someone who sells books that are color-coordinated…I’d be willing to bet that neither William nor Kate has picked up a book since college.
And “completely inoffensive” is such a perfect description of the image Kate tries to project of herself 😭
Re the books: no, not as bad as random color coordinated. They’re Penguin Classics, which are lovely. Even better if anyone reads them.
No, she really has been researching and sending notes to her REAL interior designer: Remember, LAZY has purposely taken events about fabrics lately this year. She was gonna be there anyways to select the fabrics for her home, so she made sure to have some of that time public, so that her personal time inoffensively designing would also count as work. That’s how lazy she is.
P.S. she probably spent time in Frogmore just to copy keen Meg and Harry’s place.
Yeah, I clocked that too. Technically, textiles have been Anne’s thing. And in the past year, there’s def been an overlap of both Anne and Kate championing textiles. Iirc one of her events that she did last minute, some of were really asking if she had taken over an event scheduled for Anne. Which you know good for the textile industry, I guess, sure, why not.
At a visit to a textile shop, her fawning press stated that it’s fitting Kate would visit here because some of her ancestors had a textile business. Such bs
I would read “completely inoffensive” as shade – they mean bland or dull.
Anyway, so nice to hear about Kate spending huge amounts of money on their enormous new 3rd (or is it 4th?) home. I’m sure your average UK resident can relate.
I took it to mean that they wouldn’t have any racist art work on the walls, like when the Obama’s visited them at KP and a flower pot had to be quickly dispatched to hide an offensive painting nameplate.
It’s funny how the RF scrubbed almost all mentions of Margaret’s blackamoors since the sale of her stuff at Christie’s in 2006. Supposedly the KP trust bought them for something like £68,000 at the auction to display in public rooms. Yeah, not such a smart decision. Wonder where they are now?
Luckily I am good at finding things online. Here they are!
https://img1.bonhams.com/image?src=Images/live/2010-04/07/94424396-1-1.jpg
This was my first thought. Whether they intended it that way or not, it wasn’t much of a stretch to recall that incident. Maybe subtle shade? Or maybe the nicest thing they can say about her efforts. Who knows?
Beige, loads of expensive freshly-cut flowers (maybe from the Windsor estate, who knows)…the infamous “Kate the Great” Tatler article sneered in aristo that Anmer looked more like a 5-star luxury hotel on the inside than a proper country pile. And this is the first I’ve read that Kate ripping out the (already designer made) kitchen at Anmer was to MOVE it elsewhere in the house? That’s no minor renovation. Neither are the “privately paid” (sure Jan) renovations for Forest Lodge. Kate didn’t work this hard to become the Princess of Wales to shop at IKEA, folks!
And if Kate and William suddenly start giving dinner parties for 24 when it’s been reported many times that they are reclusive and don’t host for anyone other than the Middletons and perhaps a Turnip Toff or two, I’ll eat my hat.
See, I expect to see some Cali Montecito style touches just saying. Meghan likes her neutrals too and she makes it work. But Kate is a copy keener at heart so if it’s not Meghan, she’ll be getting inspo from aristos like Rose or something.
Yes! I clocked that, too! They MOVED the kitchen at Anmer!! The recently renovated kitchen! Wowzers! That plus the tennis court!
Harry also wrote in Spare that William and Kate’s Kensington Palace residence was lavishly decorated and looked…. like a MUSEUM. The absolute SHADE, even though he was comparing it to the sofa that Meghan had purchased for Nott Cott with her credit card.
The aristos, if I recall, said that Anmer looked “like a hotel” (shades of the museum comment above), not like a “5-star luxury hotel”. If you have travelled around the UK and stayed in traditionally “English” hotels, especially the ones which are supposed to be the heights of luxury, you’ll know that this too, is shade. British hotels, even many of the expensive ones, tend to be huge letdowns after all the hype. Always too much of one thing (the things no-one really wants) and too little of the other (things that you really need). But you are supposed to feel really proud that you managed to secure a room in one of them and be pleased to be paying through the nose for the privilege. A bit like the UK royals, I guess.
Will decorating her new home be put on her calendar as “work”?
I doubt she is lifting a finger. Ordering workers around is tiring
Vacation time.
Probably.
Don’t give them any ideas.
Oh, the exhaustion of it all. Poor thing, time to lie down…on the beach.
Her latest forever home it says so there are more to come.
It’ll be done in 50 Shades of Beige, no doubt
Now she’s a “keen interior designer,” is she? Keen to be completely inoffensive – too funny.
The should return the plundered artifacts the stole from countries during colonialism instead of storing them in Royal Collections Trust warehouses they control.
Living high off the blood and sweat of my ancestors. Most offensive display of indifference to the death and destruction incurred for their accumulation of wealth – another forever home furnished with plundered wealth.
“The 328-year-old Forest Lodge – which has six bathrooms – has undergone MODEST internal and external renovations, including new doors and windows, the STRIPPING out of walls, renovated ceilings and new floors.”
So basically a new house..stripped down to the frame as my contractor friend says it’s basically a new house. LOL. We did this with a former home and it’s basically like a new build. Ugh I’m reminded how air tight it was. We’d wake up in middle of night gasping for air
That last photo of William on phone is totally staged with the Target cabinet and printer on top LMAO
in Kate’s: no one has ever read these books and never will.
Yeah, when I read that, it does not sound like mere modest renovations.
It doesn’t and the media is just straight out lying about it.
Right? Let’s be real. The crew wasn’t working round the clock for some modest renovations.
They took it ‘down to the studs’ is how I’ve always heard it. So yes, basically a new build inside an old frame. How nice for them. 🙄. Only six bathrooms? Poor dears.
The word modest stuck out to me as well. It sounds like very extensive, very expensive work. Somehow, I doubt they paid for it and I’ll be shocked if they last more than 5 years there.
“Modest” my ass. Modest renovations might entail some new paint and fixtures, maybe some area rugs, and letting the kids decorate their rooms. It sounds like they practically gutted FL.
The file cabinet is *backwards.* Wouldn’t you orient the drawers towards the desk chair side?
I’m sure the people who can no longer use the parkland, and the families kicked out their homes, are thrilled for her.
Not to mention the kids who have lost their nature centre.
Anyone with a house big or small knows that you’re never really done decorating your space and that can be the fun of it all. But I doubt Katie Keen has an interest in home decor, or in anything at all. The only thing she’s ever wanted was to bag a Prince and she got the ugly one who hates himself and her.
Keen never really had any sort of “career” or real interest. She pretends she does “design work” where is the Designer Barbie outfit? She already played “expert” on early childhood with absolutely no credentials, and the real experts actually write serious research studies.
It’s funny bc Anne is known for a lot of textile patronages but recently Kate has been championing uk textiles and doing visits around that textiles. It’s probably all bc of the move that she has this new interest and has hired in on Anne’s thing.
Light work my ass . Five bucks says they completely gutted that house and relocated rooms from where they originally were like the kitchen and all the bathrooms and dining room and everything else . I bet Kate knocked out a wall to make room for two agas because why get one when you can get 2z it’s not like you are paying for any of these appliances that you don’t know how to use because you can’t cook.
Yep, they stripped out or replaced floors, ceilings, doors, walls and windows. That doesn’t sound light work at all. They must think we’re stupid.
And considering that this is supposed to be a listed mansion (Grade II?), you know that if any member of the public did such extensive renovations the council would demand that they put everything back the way it was. As to “may move the kitchen?” Has anyone ever received permission to do that in a listed house? Especially one as old as that?
Perhaps the workmen were in Frogmore Cottage removing things to be installed in Forest Lodge? 😀
It is grade 2. https://www.jamesclague.co.uk/news/can-you-alter-the-internal-layout-of-a-grade-ii-listed-building#:~:text=In%20theory%2C%20yes.,status%20features%20isn’t%20possible.
You can do more than I expected, but you have to get permission.
Must be nice to pick out one (or many) stately homes that you don’t have to pay for! You don’t have to move yourself, and you don’t have to pay for the interior design at all! Nice to be tax payer funded in ALL things! While you do 3 days of work per year. Nice gig if you can get it!
(I would be so OFFENDED if I lived in the UK by this….like while people are starving and freezing to death in winter…their tax dollars are going to fund Keen’s 5th forever home. I would be P-O’ed)
The Monarchy and the burden they put on the people of the UK needs to end.
🎯
And to top it off, we ALL KNOW that they’re going to ditch FL for RL as soon as they possibly can, and we’ll be hearing about their sixth (?) “forever home”
Nah. Share the lease with the public bc I don’t believe they’re paying market tent. Lies.
I with you on that, I doubt they pay any rent whatsoever.
Same. Prove it. Prove who paid for the reno. I don’t understand the lack of transparency. They represent the government–Charles is the Head of State, William the official heir–seems to me that should mean that everything should be public.
Yup. Show the lease or I’m going to assume its nothing, just like Andrew’s. These two arent paying for anything they can get for free.
Even if they do pay, it’s still taxpayer money, not their own money that they earned. They’re just shuffling things around from one account to another. It’s such a scam
Meanwhile elected officials who don’t have a lifetime position face all sorts of scrutiny.
Interesting, because yesterday I read an article citing Vicky Charles as the hired decorator. Granted, it was a DM piece. That bit of information has been scrubbed, it seems. I’m sure of this citation because Vicky Charles is known for her work with Soho House, George & Amal, and … Harry & Meghan. VC was hired to help them when H&M had leased a place in the Cotswolds.
The name rang a bell, so I researched.
STAHP.
I totally believe they hired someone to design the place. Shoot, if I had the means & were moving into such a big place I’d be overwhelmed and would want professional expertise.
I would hire someone if I could afford it. I don’t fault that at all if she did. But I do fault it if she hired someone while saying she’s so busy redecorating that she cant work, and that she hires someone and her house still looks boring and inoffensive lmao.
Oh, I’d totally hire someone. And if Kate did, then she can give that person props in the press, even if that person did once work with Meghan, lol. I’m currently trying to choose a paint color for my bedroom and I am struggling and being an indecisive baby about it. Gah.
‘lovely’ and yet ‘completely inoffensive’.
The bar really is in hell for Kate.
Lovely = Basic
Completely inoffensive = Devoid of personality
I will admit I want to see that warehouse of goods now, I would buy a ticket to see what they have in there. Can’t imagine being able to decorate from a treasure filled warehouse.
Right??? Imagine going into a massive room full of antiques and being able to choose whatever you wanted!
And how much of it has been stolen from other countries like most of the British museum objects.
Have you watched National Treasure? I imagine it’s like the end of that. All looted and ill-gotten.
You are so right about this!
What a nice little quid pro quo. The Mill gets a visit from “the most glamorous” Royal and Kate undoubtedly got a huge discount.
Ha! ‘…described as ‘lovely’ and yet ‘completely inoffensive’.’ Otherwise known as ‘bland’. Are we supposed to be happy for her??? She’s moving into her fifth home–retaining the others–and has the royal collection to choose from for her furnishings & little extras. 🙄 Read the room, Katiekins! Times are tough right now.
Decorating a home is a privilege and a joy to afford. It’s not work.
That picture of her with the black and white blouse and the poppy on the collar, looks decidedly odd, it’s not normal to wear a poppy at home, most of us have them pinned to our coats.
I’m sorry,
“including new doors and windows, the stripping out of walls, renovated ceilings and new floors”
is not ‘modest’ renovations. They’ve gutted the place and started over. It’s also insanely fast to get all that done based on when we were told about the move so they spent extra £££ to make it happen so quickly. Charles must be thrilled at the ‘value for money’ here.
If they pay…
Wasn’t there something that Edward didn’t pay and some firms go bust? Seems to be you don’t go against the royals to pay up in court.
HAHAHAHAHA!!!
A style icon whose aesthetic is “completely inoffensive”!!!!
Now THAT’S aspirational!
I’d bet anything that her decor choices are bland, boring and somehow in bad taste. I can totally picture it.
Don’t forget “probably racist” — I’m sure the Obamas haven’t
All I got from the piece is the DM doesn’t know anything about the decoration of the house. But it’s interesting the difference in DM’s tone in reporting about William and Kate new house compared with their reporting about Frogmore Cottage.
I’m pretty sure that all the changes they made to FL would be somehow under the label “for security measures ” and, therefore, they would be paid by the taxpayer (doors and windows, for sure).
The way she dresses and accessorizes herself tells us everything we need to know about her interior design skills.
Either God awful then, or lifted straight from the pages of a California interior design style bible.
Curtain fabric at £100 A METRE!!!!???
Thousands of pounds then, just for ONE window?
Hey Waity, there’s food banks here in the uk, you disgraceful wastrel.
The only things she enjoys is spending money, taking lavish vacations, treating people horribly, attention, lots of attention and..that’s about it, really.
You forgot the unwitnessed school runs!
I was so hoping you’d opine on this. As soon as I read the headline I thought “So that’s where she’s been.” And they tried to make us believe that she’s been too fragile to work! I’m disgusted that her little visit to benefit fabric mills was actually her shopping for her home and showing the peasants the $100 per meter fabric she was upholstering her home in. Disgusting.
What i would really like to say about Kate Middleton is unpublishable . Karma waiting to land like a ton of bricks on this foul family. No values , no ethics , what a legacy to leave their children who already seem smug and entitled ..they haven’t known any better. They are the ones who will ultimately pay the price in a world that wont countenance a monarchy thats past its sell by date. Hope they teach them a trade and some survival skills .