Prince William and Kate Middleton 'learnt lessons from Meghan and Harry' as new home Forest Lodge undergoes renovations
They're expected to move in before ChristmasPrince William and Kate Middleton have reportedly begun renovations of their new home in Windsor, Forest Lodge.
The Prince and Princess of Wales announced last month that they will soon be moving house with their three young children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven, later this year.
Since the summer of 2022, the Wales family has lived at the four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage in the grounds of Windsor Home Park. In time for Christmas 2025, they are expected to upsize to the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge, also on the Windsor Estate.
But before they do, they seem to be putting some extra privacy measures in place.
Prince William and Kate prepare for new home
According to The Mirror, renovations are underway to make the new residence extra secure.
It has been dubbed the family’s “forever home” by sources, with reports suggesting that they intend to stay living there even when Prince William becomes king.
According to the Mirror, in July, permission was granted for minor internal and external alterations to the property.
Now, in images obtained by the publication, the house is said to be surrounded by scaffolding. Meanwhile, painters and decorators are reportedly hard at work on the rooms.
Outside, new hedgerows and trees have reportedly been planted, and an extra fence added.
Former BBC royal correspondent, Jennie Bond, reportedly gave a flavour of the house.
“By ordinary standards, it is, of course, pretty grand,” she said. “With eight bedrooms, beautiful gardens, and a tennis court, it would probably be worth around £16million on the open market.”
She did not seem surprised by the new privacy features, describing William as “almost obsessive about guarding his family’s privacy”.
‘Lessons learned from Harry and Meghan’
The renovations to Forest Lodge are understood to be privately funded by the Prince and Princess of Wales. The couple will also reportedly be paying market rent on their new home.
Lessons have clearly been learned from Harry and Meghan’s extravagent, taxpayer-funded refurb
“It’s reported that, to their credit, the prince and princess intend to fund any work themselves,” Jennie reportedly explained, before adding, critically: “Lessons have clearly been learned from Harry and Meghan’s extravagant, taxpayer-funded refurbishment of the home they so briefly occupied, Frogmore Cottage – although, to be fair, after leaving the UK, they finally paid the money back.”
Royal Insider has contacted reps for the Prince and Princess of Wales for comment.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, of course, famously came under fire after reportedly using £2.4m of taxpayer money to renovate their Windsor property.
However, they are believed to have paid this sum back in full since stepping back from royal duties and moving to California.
They now live in a sprawling mansion located in Montecito, California, with their children – Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four.
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