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Old photographs of the ‘forever home’ that the Prince and Princess of Wales are preparing to move into have given royal enthusiasts a glimpse into the future residence of the forthcoming King.
It’s been revealed that Prince William and Kate are planning to relocate their family from Adelaide Cottage by year’s end, moving to the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge property in Windsor Great Park.
Forest Lodge underwent a £1.5million renovation in 2001 and was then put on the rental market for £15,000 a month.
Photos taken at the time revealed elaborate stonework as well as ornate plaster cornices and ceiling decorations.
Other images showed rooms in more states of distress as floors were ripped up and wires exposed while the 328-year-old building was being renovated.
Marble fireplaces were also spotted alongside gorgeous Venetian windows. A grand half-barrel vaulted hallway ceiling was also shown.
The couple, together with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, are seeking a ‘fresh start’ following a challenging period at Adelaide Cottage, during which Queen Elizabeth passed away and both Kate and Charles faced cancer diagnoses.
With its chandelier-lit ballroom, tennis court and extensive grounds, Forest Lodge is a considerable upgrade from the cosy four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage where the prince and princess and their young family have lived for the last three years.
Prince William and Princess Kate are set to move their family from Adelaide Cottage to their ‘forever home’ by the end of the year, an insider has said
The couple, along with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis , reportedly plan to relocate to the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge property in Windsor Great Park (pictured)
Renovations are reportedly underway again at the property they are planning to stay in long-term to enable it to be ready for the family to move in before the end of the year.
Planning applications show how minor work has already begun at the Grade-II listed lodge, with renovations reportedly set to be funded by the couple themselves.
The BBC reported of redacted planning applications for minor internal and external alterations lodged with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead earlier this month.
This includes the removal of a window and work done to a fireplace. Will and Kate are also said to be paying market rent for the property.
A source close to the family reportedly said: ‘Windsor has become their home. However, over the last few years while they have lived at Adelaide Cottage there have been some really difficult times.
‘Moving gives them an opportunity for a fresh start and a new chapter; an opportunity to leave some of the more unhappy memories behind.’
The Waleses’ move will be a short one from their current main home at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, and the children attend nearby Lambrook School.
The home offers spectacular views, and football fan William will be able to see the Wembley Arch from his bedroom window.
Photos of the 2001 renovation of Forest Lodge revealed a grand half-barrel vaulted hallway ceiling was also shown as well as ornate ceiling decorations
Ripped up floorboards and exposed brickwork can be seen in the front reception room of the Grade-II building once admired by both King George IV and King Edward VIII
Another reception room showed all of the floorboards taken up as well as another grand fireplace
Scaffolding was set up around the house during the restoration work in 2001 but more is set to be done ahead of the royal family moving in
Forest Lodge was last week a hive of activity, with new shrubs being planted in its grounds and builders in white vans visiting.
A metal fence with black mesh privacy screens has been erected around the front of the house.
The family first moved to Windsor in 2022, where they settled at the humble Adelaide Cottage a short walk away.
The grade-II listed property is within easy distance of Lambrook School, where Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are all pupils.
However, The Mail on Sunday revealed today that two families who lived in cottages next to the country mansion have been asked to leave their homes in order for the family-of-five to move in.
The cottages, converted from Forest Lodge’s stables, are understood to have been rented out by the Crown Estate, and the tenants, are said to have been ‘surprised’ at being asked to leave.
It is understood that no eviction notices were served and the tenants have moved to similar or better housing elsewhere in the 4,800-acre Great Park.
One well-connected source said: ‘They were told to move out. I guess they were given somewhere else, but they were told they had to move.
Anmer Hall, a ten-bedroom Georgian house on the Sandringham Estate, was a wedding gift to the couple from Queen Elizabeth. It is their country residence
‘They were not expecting it. Those houses are very close to the lodge, so they’re not going to want any Tom, Dick or Harry living in those houses if there are going to be royals there.’
The couple are now also weighing up which senior school to choose for Prince George, with Eton, where fees are more than £63,000 a year, believed to be the front-runner.
The family has no live-in staff at their current home and this is also reportedly set to be the case once they move into this bigger abode.
It is believed the move out of London was to allow the family to be closer to the late Queen and to give the children a more ordinary way of life with more privacy.
Their move coincided with a challenging period for the Royal Family, with Queen Elizabeth dying at Balmoral Castle only weeks later.
Adelaide Cottage also provided a private and tranquil setting for Kate’s recovery from chemotherapy after she was diagnosed with cancer last year.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘The Wales family will move house later this year.’
