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A moving truck may be in order for Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Multiple reports have said the royal couple is considering a move to Windsor, England. According to The Times, the Duchess of Cambridge has been spotted touring several prep schools in the area, causing rumors of a possible relocation to reach an all-time high since they first started this summer.
Why the potential move? The Cambridges, after all, already have two homes, Kensington Palace in London and Anmer Hall in Norfolk. Yet they’re still said to be eyeing a life in the suburban town about an hour outside of London for multiple reasons.
The first reason? Queen Elizabeth. Previously, the monarch worked out of Buckingham Palace during the week and from Windsor Castle on the weekends. But when the pandemic hit in March 2020, she moved to Windsor full time and now resides there permanently. Maintaining a base in the town would allow William and Kate to be closer to the Queen and her de facto power center, as well as expand their roles as senior royals.
Then there’s the matter of lifestyle. The couple has always enjoyed the country, and even lived at Anmer Hall for a few years before moving to London. Moving to Windsor would allow their children to grow up in a less urban environment while still being close to a city center. Plus, with a number of other royals nearby—Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank live at Frogmore Cottage, and Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex at Bagshot Park—they’ll be surrounded by family. The Duchess of Cambridge’s parents also live within driving distance.
Schooling, no doubt, also plays a factor: growing up, Prince William was a pupil at the prestigious Windsor school of Eton, while Kate Middleton attended the boarding school of Marlborough around an hour away.
That’s not to say that they’ll no longer be in London at all: the Duke and Duchess are expected to continue using their Kensington Palace home when royal duties require. But their future at Anmer Hall is less clear. “The usefulness of their country bolt hole in north Norfolk, far from royal HQ and the duchess’s close-knit family, has been called into question,” reports The Times.
As for their rumored new digs? That would be Fort Belvedere, according to The Telegraph. The royal Gothic-Revival home has quite the storied history: In the mid-and-late 1800s, Queen Victoria used it as a tea house. Decades later, it was meticulously restored by King Edward VIII, who built a swimming pool and a tennis court, and modernized the interiors. It’s also where he carried out his affair with Wallis Simpson, and eventually signed his abdication papers in 1936. While Edward wished to remain at the grand property, which is surrounded by 135 acres, his newly-crowned brother took it back as part of The Crown’s estate, and the monarchy has leased it ever since. Now, for the first time in over 85 years, future kings may reside in its historic halls.
Originally published in Vogue.com
