For months, Prince William and Kate Middleton have been rumored to be planning to move out of the Kensington Palace palace apartment they inherited from Princess Margaret. Though various countryside locations have reportedly been considered, Vanity Fair can confirm that a move to Windsor is on the table and the idea has already been floated by Queen Elizabeth.
“William and Kate are very seriously considering a move to Windsor, and it has been discussed with the Queen,” said a royal source. “There are options at Windsor Castle, which is vast, and being close to the Queen, who is 95, makes sense to the family.”
The royal insider adds that the couple will also keep their apartment in Kensington Palace, which was renovated in 2013 at a cost of £12 million. “William and Kate have been talking to their close friends about leaving Kensington Palace where they feel very overlooked,” the source said. “It will remain their official London base, but they prefer being in the countryside and the commute to London would be very easy.”
While the couple’s well-documented love for the outdoors might be motivating the move, plenty of people in the royal orbit are beginning to think about what things might look like once Prince Charles takes the throne. “Since Prince Philip’s death, the future of the monarchy is a topic of conversation. Plans are being drawn up for the next reign and the Cambridges making a move to Windsor is one of those plans,” the royal source said. Windsor Castle, which is about one hour from London, was the queen’s weekend home for years, but became her primary residence at the beginning of the pandemic, and Philip was buried there after his April funeral.
For the last six years, Kate and William have kept a country home, Anmer Hall, on the Sandringham Estate, where they spent the U.K.’s early coronavirus lockdowns, but the estate is a three-hour drive from London. On Saturday, the Mail on Sunday reported that the couple was looking for another home closer to London in part because the commute to Anmer was too far for weekends, and a few different properties in Windsor are being considered. The tabloid added that the queen is planning a series of high-profile engagements with her family members for October, after her return from Balmoral.
The royal source said that the Cambridges are looking at the positives of the move outside of their royal duties, though they acknowledge the impact the move might have on Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. “It would mean the children changing schools, which is an upheaval, but it has many advantages too,” they said. “Kate will be closer to her parents in Berkshire, and they can easily commute to London whilst enjoying the countryside for most of the time.”
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