Almost exactly 85 years ago, German bombs struck Buckingham Palace. As the Queen Mother stood among the rubble and debris, she memorably remarked that she could finally ‘look the East End in the face’.
It became a point of national pride that she and her husband, King George VI, refused to leave their London residence during the Second World War.
Yet, almost nine decades on from those devastating raids, the landmark faces an even more uncertain future – as a palace without a king.
With the news that the Prince and Princess of Wales plan to move to a new ‘forever home’ – Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park – the spotlight is being shone on the Royal Family‘s huge portfolio of properties, and the ever-dwindling number of tenants to occupy them.
The Daily Mail has been told that it is William’s ‘intention’ to remain in their new Grade II-listed property even after he accedes to the throne.
‘This is for the long term and it’s their intention to stay in Forest Lodge once he becomes king,’ a source said.
Understandably this has prompted serious questions in royal circles about the long-term viability of both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, as well as other private royal estates such as Sandringham in Norfolk and Balmoral in the Scottish Highlands, which the prince is eventually set to inherit.
Locals say the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge is a definite ‘step up’ from the family’s current four-bedroom home, Adelaide Cottage, where they have lived since 2022 (after deciding to leave London and move to Berkshire while their children were still young).
Once described as a ‘very substantial house in one of the loveliest parts of the country’, the Georgian mansion dates back to the 1770s.
Forest Lodge, where William and the family ‘will take up permanent residence’
William, Kate and their three children are set to move to the 300-year-old home later this year
The choice of Forest Lodge as their long-term family home raises questions about the future of Buckingham Palace after William becomes King
The three-storey home boasts elaborate plaster cornices and ceiling decoration, exquisite marble fireplaces and a half-barrel-vaulted ceiling. It also has six bathrooms, a long gallery and a tennis court, which will doubtless suit the sporty Princess of Wales.
Since the lodge was acquired by the Crown in 1829, a number of equerries, private secretaries and other royal staff have lived there. It underwent a £1.5 million refurbishment in 2001 so that it could be rented out commercially.
Although well beyond the means of most families, Forest Lodge is certainly not grand – particularly when it comes to an heir to the throne.
William’s decision to live there shows his determination to adopt a more ‘relatable’ way of living, in comparison with Prince Andrew’s vast 30-room Royal Lodge just a short drive away in the Great Park, or Prince Edward’s Bagshot Park, which is said to boast between 50 and 120 rooms.
The Waleses will pay a market rent for Forest Lodge, which is never publicly disclosed for commercial reasons. (The freehold is owned by the Crown Estate which also owns the freehold to Prince Andrew’s home.)
Plans have already been approved by the local council for a limited amount of internal and external renovations, which William and Catherine are funding themselves.
Building works have already begun, with the family hoping to move in by the end of the year.
Prince George, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince Louis, Prince William and Princess Charlotte arrive for a settling in afternoon at Lambrook School, near Ascot, England
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Sources close to the couple stress their initial decision to up-sticks from their apartment at Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage in 2022 was ‘designed to test a new location and see if it worked for them as a family’ – and it very much has.
Currently, all three children attend Lambrook School, a short drive away in Bracknell, and are said to be ‘thriving’ in the new environment.
William and Catherine remain determined to be as hands-on as possible with their children while continuing to work as senior members of the Royal Family. Living in Windsor, insiders say, offers them the opportunity to do just that.
‘They want to continue to do the school run, even if they are king and queen,’ adds a source.
Friends also say the move to Forest Lodge will allow the family to start a new chapter after a ‘challenging’ few years which have seen both the Princess of Wales and King Charles diagnosed with cancer.
While Catherine is now in remission, a source says of the move: ‘It’s a fresh start for them after three really tough years.
‘They are looking forward to creating many happy memories in their new home and leaving some of the unhappier ones behind.’
There will be no live-in staff, butlers or valets for the Waleses at Forest Lodge – an illustration of just how fiercely they guard their privacy. The same applies currently at Adelaide Cottage.
However, there are ‘five or six’ two- and three-bedroom cottages – currently occupied by estate staff – just a few hundred yards away from the Waleses’ new home.
Royal insiders say William and Kate are hoping for a ‘fresh start’ at Forest Lodge following a challenging period for the Royal Family
Locals understand these will be occupied by the family’s security detail, housekeeper and nanny after they move in.
Extra security will also be needed as Forest Lodge is outside Windsor Castle’s ‘ring of steel’.
One local tells me: ‘The lodge is on a private road, close to a little village with a shop, a post office and a tea shop, which is mainly used by staff.
‘It’s about as isolated as you can get there, so you can see the attraction for them.
‘It’s situated in a huge private chunk of Windsor Great Park and the children can go out cycling for miles and not come anywhere near any of the local residents.
‘There’s a nearby fishing lake that’s open only to staff, but that’s it. It’s also a lot closer – probably a 15-minute drive – to their current school.’ The only concern for locals, I am told, is what will happen to their Christmas tree shop each year.
‘It’s run by the royal estate and is hugely popular,’ says one local source. ‘Thousands of people from the area come to buy home-grown Windsor trees each year over a glass of mulled wine.
‘But it means people will be driving past their front door all day over the festive season and people think it will have to be moved. Generally, though, I think most are excited to see their new neighbours.’ Interestingly, it seems the couple will continue to work out of Kensington Palace where their Royal Foundation and Catherine’s Centre for Early Childhood are based, along with their household staff and press office.
They will also retain their existing 20-room residence, Apartment 1A, at Kensington Palace, and Anmer Hall, their Norfolk retreat.
However there are likely to be growing questions over the viability of their London base – not least because the Kensington apartment was refurbished in 2014 at a cost of £4.5 million to the public purse and is now used barely a handful of times a year.
Might the Waleses be persuaded to use a suite of rooms in Buckingham Palace instead, allowing the Kensington apartment to be rented out commercially?
It might make sense, say some.
As for Windsor Castle, which was once earmarked for William and Catherine by the late Queen, the prospect of a full or even part-time royal resident after Charles also looks unlikely.
Forest Lodge is a considerable upgrade from the cosy four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage
But that is less concerning to many than the future of Buckingham Palace, the sovereign’s official London residence, not least because £369 million of public funds is currently being invested in a top-to-toe refurbishment – including a complete redecoration of the late Queen’s suite of rooms.
At present, no members of the Royal Family reside at the Palace due to this mammoth ten-year re-servicing programme, which is required to bring the crumbling royal residence up to scratch.
There is no doubt the works were overdue and badly needed. The Palace’s pre-war electrics were verging on dangerous for such an historic building.
But, without a king in situ – or even in proximity – will people really feel this is justified?
One of the biggest attractions of Buckingham Palace, whether you are visiting it as a head of state, one of the 50,000 guests who attend garden parties, receptions and functions held there each year or even just as a paying punter in the summer months, is that it is the living, breathing heart of the institution.
Will it have the same attraction as the nation’s most-gilded museum when there is no monarch in residence?
Palace aides have always carefully insisted that Charles ‘intends’ to take up residence in ‘Monarchy HQ’, as Buckingham Palace is dubbed.
However, others think that is unlikely now he and the Queen are well established in the more private and homely surrounds of neighbouring Clarence House.
It’s worth noting that the building works are not due to be concluded until 2027, when King Charles will be 78 and William 45.
A well-placed source tells me that William will be taking an even more ‘pragmatic’ approach to Buckingham Palace in the future, stressing that Forest Lodge will be his family’s only ‘long-term’ home.
Prince William and Princess Kate are set to move their family from Adelaide Cottage to a new ‘forever home’ by the end of the year, an insider has said
To all intents and purposes, then, he will be the first monarch since medieval times not to live in a castle or a palace.
Like his father, William is keen to open Buckingham Palace to a greater number of tourists each year than at present. This would generate funds for its future upkeep while lessening pressure on the public purse.
The Prince of Wales also wants to see the amount of official entertaining that goes on at the Palace expanded, possibly even using it for government and charitable events.
While Sandringham and Balmoral are very much private royal estates with no public funding, it seems that they, too, could undergo a subtle change of status, and be opened to visitors on more days than in the past.
All of these are clearly sensible ideas. And yet concerns remain – particularly when it comes to Buckingham Palace.
Those I have spoken to are choosing their words carefully, knowing how important it has been to William to ensure that family – rightly – comes first.
As one insider says: ‘The late Queen said she had to be seen to be believed. I just hope that the Prince of Wales can find the right balance between raising his family away from the public glare at Windsor with the presence required of him as a future, and eventual, head of state.’
