Last week, it was reported that the Prince and Princess of Wales could be on the move, leaving their home at Adelaide Cottage behind and heading for Fort Belvedere on the Home Park Estate in Windsor.
While HELLO!‘s Royal Editor Emily Nash is sceptical about a Fort Belvedere move, as she writes in her The Royal Club newsletter this week, it wouldn’t be a total surprise if the future King and Queen were considering future property plans.
“I’m told they’ve been very happy there,” Emily writes of the family’s current four-bedroomed home, Adelaide Cottage.
“Enjoying precious time together as a family of five, with no live-in staff and with easy access to Lambrook, the Berkshire school attended by Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.”
However, Emily adds that that doesn’t mean they will stay forever, and there are a number of options available to the Prince and Princess of Wales.
William and Kate’s potential property plans
One thing the royal duo may be considering is purchasing a property privately, rather than moving into another Crown Estate property such as Fort Belvedere.
© Getty“As Prince of Wales, William now controls the Duchy of Cornwall, which provided him with an income of £23 million in the year to April, more than enough to buy a place of his own, just as his father did with Highgrove in 1980,” writes Emily in her royal club dispatch.
© GettySo he wouldn’t be the first royal to do this.
© Getty“There’s precedent”, Emily continues. “The late Queen made private home purchases for her children — gifting Princess Anne Gatcombe Park, where she still lives, and Prince Andrew Sunninghill Park, before he moved to Royal Lodge. Prince Edward was handed Bagshot Park, a former royal residence.”
Will William and Kate purchase homes for Charlotte and Louis?
So it could well be that William and Catherine are not only considering where they should live as a family of five, but perhaps, like the late Queen, thinking of their children’s futures. “They may even be thinking further ahead, laying the groundwork for a future home not only for themselves, but maybe one day for Charlotte, or Louis,” Emily adds.
© Shutterstock“As future King, George will have more options. Of course, the same applies to William when he becomes King. He will have access to a number of major royal residences. But most of them are at least partly open to the public, with plans to open some of them up further. Some, such as Balmoral and Sandringham House may eventually become museums, rather than homes.
So I can see why William and Catherine might instead gravitate more towards a private property they can fully make their own,” she concludes.
© Getty ImagesTo read Emily’s full thoughts, including why William and Kate might be looking for more space in the future, and how Prince William is already spending money on housing for others through his Homewards initiative, sign up to HELLO!’s Royal Club.
Read the full article here
