The Cambridges now want a grace-and-favour gift of Adelaide Cottage
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been telegraphing and discussing their move to Windsor for nearly a full year. The Daily Mail and the Sun have gotten almost all of the major stories about the move, with sources close to the Cambridges throwing out various theories about which palace, mansion, fort or castle would suit the family best. I have a theory that these stories are basically William and Kate publicly appealing to Prince Charles and the Queen to “give” them some palatial space as a gift. What’s fascinating is that… Charles and the Queen haven’t given in. I think William and Kate have been told “no” on kicking the Westons out of Fort Belvedere and kicking Prince Andrew out of Royal Lodge. I also think Will and Kate were told “hell no” on moving into Frogmore House too. So now the theory is that the Cambridges are asking for a smaller property:
William and Kate are favouring a move to a cottage ten minutes’ walk from the Queen in their bid to find a family home in Windsor. Royal insiders say that the Cambridges wants be in a new home by the summer. It is understood Adelaide Cottage, which has recently been refurbished and has been used as a “grace and favour” residence for royal friends for 60 years, is their first choice.
The Duke and Duchess are considering moving to Windsor so that they can send their children — George, eight, Charlotte, seven, and Louis, four — to school there together. They recently spent a Sunday afternoon looking around Frogmore House, which is used for royal functions. But it is thought the Grade I listed mansion would take too much money to turn into a family home. Instead, Adelaide Cottage, built in 1831, is favourite.
An insider said: “Finding a way to make Adelaide Cottage work seems to be the best and only option. There are issues with all the other houses, so Adelaide will be the favourite.”
It is owned by the Queen but been a “grace and favour” property since 1941 and was home to Princess Margaret’s lover, Group Captain Peter Townsend, from 1944 to 1952.
It is thought Prince Andrew is unwilling to leave 31-room Royal Lodge, which he shares with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, for William and Kate.
The Sun also understands they have been looking to purchase a private property in the Home Counties, possibly nearer to Kate’s parents Carole and Michael Middleton, who live at Bucklebury, Berks. A spokesman for Kate and William did not want to comment.
Adelaide Cottage was briefly rumored to be the place where Harry and Meghan would land after they moved out of London, circa 2018-19. Instead, they were given that dilapidated servant’s quarters, Frogmore Cottage. From what I can tell, Adelaide Cottage is more “family home” than palace – there are likely some grand entrance rooms but the rest of the house is probably pretty average.
There’s another theory going around – which I find very interesting – that this Windsor “move” is mostly just for Kate. As in, Kate and the kids will move into whatever home in Windsor, and that will be William and Kate’s separate living situation. William will stay at Kensington Palace and maybe even keep Anmer Hall for turnip assignations (although the Cambridges are reportedly considering giving up Anmer Hall, I don’t actually believe they will). I also think that “the home is for Kate to live with the kids, away from William” likely explains why Charles and the Queen refuse to give the Cambridges some of the grander properties in Windsor. They don’t want Kate refusing to leave some huge palace when the Cambridge marriage falls apart.
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29th March 2022, Westminster Abbey, London, UK. HRH Catherine, Duchess of Cambrige, and her eldest son, Prince George, leaving Westminster Abbey following the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who died at Windsor Castle last year. Amanda Rose/,Image: 673813075, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Supplied by AVALON – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: Amanda Rose / Avalon Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Princess Charlotte attend the Easter Mattins Service, St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, UK – 17 Apr 2022,Image: 683742403, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: James Veysey/Shutterstock / Avalon Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte attend the Easter Mattins Service, St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, UK – 17 Apr 2022,Image: 683751236, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: James Veysey/Shutterstock / Avalon
Members of the Royal Family Attend the Easter Service at St.George’s Chapel, Windsor. 17th April 2022. Duchess of Cambridge arrives at the chapel.,Image: 683762704, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Jeff Gilbert / Avalon Members of the Royal Family Attend the Easter Service at St.George’s Chapel, Windsor. 17th April 2022. Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with the children leaving the service.,Image: 683762726, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Jeff Gilbert / Avalon LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 21: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge speak to Saleh Saeed (L), CEO of DEC, and Hannah Richards (R), Director of Communications at DEC, during a visit the London headquarters of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to learn about the ongoing support for people affected by the conflict in Ukraine on April 21, 2022 in London, England.,Image: 684835345, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 21: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge talk to aid workers during a visit the London headquarters of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to learn about the ongoing support for people affected by the conflict in Ukraine on April 21, 2022 in London, England.,Image: 684836319, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon North America Rights Only – London, UK -20220425- Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving commemorating Anzac Day at Westminster Abbey. Anzac Day has been observed in London since King George V attended the first service at Westminster Abbey in 1916 to mark the anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli. -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing North America Rights Only – London, UK -20220425- Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving commemorating Anzac Day at Westminster Abbey. Anzac Day has been observed in London since King George V attended the first service at Westminster Abbey in 1916 to mark the anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli. -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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