William, Kate mull move to Windsor
CLOSER TO QUEEN
LONDON • The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are said to be considering relocating to Windsor in a move that would mean they are better able to support the Queen.
The couple, who currently split their time between Kensington Palace in London and Anmer Hall in Norfolk, are understood to be “seriously considering” moving as they take on a more senior role at the heart of the Royal family.
They are reported to be looking at various possible properties around Windsor Great Park as a long-term base for their family. Anmer Hall on the Sandringham Estate was a wedding gift from the Queen and after being extensively renovated became the family’s permanent home between 2015 and 2017.
At the time, the Norfolk property was conveniently located because Prince William was working as a helicopter pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance service.
But with their two older children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, at school in London, and the Duke and Duchess taking on more royal responsibilities, a move to Windsor is seen as more appropriate for their lifestyle.
Despite reports that the Cambridges were planning to send Prince George to a prep school in Berkshire, The Daily Telegraph understands the eight-year-old will return to Thomas’s Battersea next month. He will be joined by six-year-old Princess Charlotte, while Prince Louis, 3, will remain at Willcocks Nursery School in Kensington.
If Princes George and Louis are to follow in their father’s footsteps and attend Eton, a move to Windsor would also mean their school would be on the doorstep.
But among all the practical considerations, relocating to Windsor would allow the couple to provide much-needed support to the Queen following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh earlier this year. The 95-year-old monarch plans to base herself permanently at Windsor when she returns from her summer break at Balmoral.
One option for the Cambridges could be Frogmore House, which is unoccupied and just half a mile from Windsor Castle, within the grounds of Windsor Home Park. Its 14-hectare gardens are sometimes referred to as the Royal family’s “secret bolt-hole.” The Queen has described them as “wonderfully relaxing” and often walks her dogs there.
The Duke and Duchess of Wessex, the Duke of York and Princess Eugenie all live close to Windsor and having the Cambridges close by as well would give the Queen a boost, according to sources.
A spokesman for the Cambridges refused to comment and described the reports as “speculation.”