The Cambridges are ‘privately renting’ Adelaide Cottage at no cost to taxpayers?

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are moving to Adelaide Cottage. We’ve known that they would move to the Windsor/Berkshire area for more than a year now. They started publicly lobbying for a royal property in the early summer of 2021. It felt weird, even back then, that they suddenly hated Kensington Palace and Anmer Hall and they were just desperate for a country estate closer to Carole Middleton. Of course, when everything was said and done, I think the reason why they had to lobby so hard was because the move is for Kate and the children and NOT William. No one wanted to give Kate a fort or a palace or some grand royal estate. Thus, the move to Adelaide Cottage. Omid Scobie’s Yahoo UK column this week is about the move and what it means. Scobie is, as always, a magnificently shady B. Some highlights:

When they moved into Kensington Palace: There was understandably some controversy when it was revealed that the move would also be coming with an eye-watering renovation bill to be picked up by the British taxpayer. Neglected and run-down, Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace required a number of major changes and updates for it to be brought up to liveable standards (and allow the couple to add their own personal touches). In 2014, the Sovereign Grant confirmed that it cost over $5.4 million (£4.5m) to complete.

A necessary investment: At the time, press aides told outlets, including myself, that the costs were a necessary investment as the couple planned to use the property as a permanent base to work and raise a family. This house, they assured, would be their forever home. Though the Cambridges had another residence in Norfolk—a property on the Sandringham Estate for school holidays and escaping the city—the $1.8 million (£1.5m) renovation costs for Anmer Hall, a wedding gift from the Queen, were all paid for privately.

The new driveway: In 2019, the duke and duchess added a further $1.2 million (£1 million) to their Sovereign Grant-funded renovation costs at Kensington Palace by installing a new driveway. It was a figure that left many scratching their heads, but was mostly ignored by sections of the press who were more focused on how much Harry and Meghan would be spending on their new crib.

The move to Windsor: Despite the palace promise, the Cambridges’ time at “KP” has come to an end after nine years. Later this month they will move to a new abode in Windsor, for a life “away from the goldfish bowl” in London and what a source tells me is an effort to give their children “as normal a life as possible”. It’s a decision that has raised a few eyebrows, particularly at a time when the country is dealing with a major cost of living crisis. Picking up a third home, especially when one of them cost the public so much to renovate, is hardly the norm for regular folk.

Adelaide isn’t costing the taxpayers anything?? Still, Adelaide Cottage comes at no expense to anyone but the couple, I’m told. Rather than buy, the couple have chosen to privately rent. Any desired cosmetic work or refurbishments will be paid from their own pockets. (It remains to be seen how the duke and duchess will travel to and from London—their love for helicopter trips, which the British press prefer to turn a blind eye to, are not just an unfair cost to the public but also go completely against William’s environmental concerns).

They wanted to get the kids out of London. “They thought about moving to [their home in] Norfolk, but as active senior working royals they could never be that far away from London, so that’s where Windsor came into the picture,” says the source.

Their staff accommodations will be paid by the Cambridges?? The move to a smaller property will also see the end of live-in staff. Full-time nanny Maria Borallo, their housekeeper and chef will all receive private accommodation elsewhere on the estate—paid for by William and Kate.

So where does that leave Kensington Palace? When the Sussexes announced they would be keeping Frogmore Cottage as their British base after moving to California, the chorus of fury across the British press was loud. This time, not so much. Perhaps it helps that Apartment 1A will still play a significant role. As well as being home to their official offices, William and Kate will regularly be in and out of their London base (their diaries for the rest of the year, at least, are early proof of that). It’s also the home where the couple plan to return to when their children grow up. “Apartment 1A,” says a palace source, “will always be their official residence.”

[From Yahoo UK]

The last line of Scobie’s piece is “After all, with an increasing number of eyes on the monarchy and its future in Britain, the gaze is stronger than ever before.” As in, people have their eyes on the Cambridges’ living situation. People know that something is up. People are biding their time to speak about it publicly. Love that Scobie points out that William and Kate are trying to have it both ways – they’re so keen and frugal for not burdening the taxpayer with the cost of their third home AND don’t worry, they’ll still use KP constantly! Which is true, if our theories are correct: William will be in London most of the time, so KP will be in use and the taxpayer-funded renovation isn’t a “waste.” And Kate will have full use of her separation cottage with the children. It’s also interesting that the Cambridges are technically “renting” Adelaide Cottage, and that they’re “paying” to house their staffers within the Windsor complex too. I wonder who’s paying for all of that? Charles, most likely. Which is probably why Charles turned down their lobbying for bigger properties too.

Photos courtesy of Instar.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

184 Responses to “The Cambridges are ‘privately renting’ Adelaide Cottage at no cost to taxpayers?”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. SarahCS says:

    I’m so pleased that someone in the public sphere is bringing out the reminders of their ridiculous living situation and how much it’s cost us, the people increasingly unable to heat our homes and put food on the table.

  2. Noki says:

    I am guessing when they say the Keens will pay that means Charles!? I dont think Kate has ever had an income in her life.

    • Startup Spouse says:

      Charles is footing the bill for the separation, I see. William doesn’t have enough money to support Katie so this makes sense.

      • Julia K says:

        Bummer. Kate thought she was marrying a wealthy man. Guess not if they have to hit Charles up for living expenses, clothes and vacations.

      • swaz says:

        This is exactly why Willy Pegg is supporting his father publicly by saying Diana was paranoid and is lobbying to shot down Diana’s interview and voice🤢

      • Sunday says:

        Maybe this is why she’s worn that same tired white suit every other engagement this year – Charles cut into her wardrobe budget to pay for the separation cottage.

      • Lorelei says:

        Kate SEVERELY miscalculated. And it’s probably clear to her now that she sees Pippa’s life just how badly she miscalculated and thought the hard part was over as soon as she got Big Blue on her hand.

      • @ Lorelei, yes, Kate did miscalculate her future! She thought that marrying TOB would secure her a lifetime of royal living. Kate believing that Willy would never divorce her, since she was willing to degrade herself for a decade has been a waste. Kate is on her way out and is certainly not pleased in the least with her final residence of a meager 4 bedroom home with no live staff as well as her loss of the royal life.

        No one is to blame but KKKHate and her Mum. My how furious that CarolE must be, but especially Unscrupulous Uncle Gary.

    • Anance says:

      @Swaz

      “This is exactly why Willy Pegg is supporting his father publicly by saying Diana was paranoid and is lobbying to shot down Diana’s interview and voice”

      Exactly. Plus, William depends on Charles to appoint him Prince of Wales. He already withheld the Duke of Edinburgh title from Edward, so he is capable of doing it. If William had been more popular, he might not be able to withhold it and keep the throne.

      @Sunday

      “Maybe this is why she’s worn that same tired white suit every other engagement this year – Charles cut into her wardrobe budget to pay for the separation cottage”

      Could be a tell, something to keep an eye on.

      • Carolind says:

        Charles is not king. The Duke of Edinburgh title is not his to give out. The agreement was also that Edward would not be given it until the Queen as well as Prince Philip was dead.

  3. Becks1 says:

    LOL, paid for privately means that it’s Charles paying for it and that explains why its Adelaide and not a bigger or grander house.

    I did see this a week or so ago – about being paid for privately (I swear I’ve started getting some of the most random royal stories in my Facebook feed, from sites like Buckinghamshire Life! and the like lol) – and some of the comments were saying “oh so Charles is paying” and some of the comments were saying “well Kate’s parents are multi millionaires and William has his money from Diana so that’s who’s paying for it.”

    Well…….let’s just examine that a bit…..Carole didn’t push this marriage so she could pay for Kate’s house after 10 years, so that’s out. William does have his money from his mother, but I doubt he would use it to pay for Adelaide Cottage, he seems too cheap for that.

    UNLESS this is the precursor to a more official separation/divorce than we may have realized and William has to pay the rent on AC as part of the separation agreement and Charles is making him use the funds from Diana because he can’t or won’t use Duchy funds for their divorce. (Wasn’t he not allowed to use Duchy funds for Diana’s divorce settlement and had to borrow from the queen?)

    • sophie says:

      I must have a buzzing ‘bee in my bonnet’ as I don’t believe the Cambridges (mainly Kate + children?) will live permanently at AC…I believe she possibly has more leverage than we may assume. This may be a temporary move whilst something (?) else is at a planning stage, perhaps. Royal Lodge, a private estate or ??? Whilst a 4 bedroom house may be appropriate for her it is doubtful George would be placed at such a property for any length of time.

      • Becks1 says:

        It could be temporary, we obviously don’t know at this point, but like I said yesterday my guess is that it may be temporary for the kids but not for Kate. I think this is it for her. She tried to get a better house (remember the story started last summer with them house hunting in Berkshire) and has been repeatedly slapped down. No private estate, no Royal Lodge, no Ft Belvedere, no Windsor Castle. It’s Adelaide and I know that stings for Kate.

      • Tessa says:

        Also the other two children Charlotte and Louis would need protection Charlotte is directly after George and will be for some time

      • Duchcheese says:

        LOL, so……when the Montecito royals arrive in the UK next month, Khate-atherine duchess of Cambridge will be living in her much smaller humble abode of Adelaide Cottage, LOL. I can’t stop laughing😃😃😅😅😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😃😃😃, omigoodness, so befitting for princess William….
        Bahahahahahahahaha😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

      • Amy Too says:

        I wonder if this is partly why Kate is so insistent that her kids not board. She might be trying to use them as an excuse for why she needs a huge, Palace-like house. “You don’t expect the future future future king to live in a 4 bed!?”

      • WiththeAmerican says:

        Maybe that’s why they’re “renting.” I agree, I don’t see Kathy settling for this if they’re actually separating. No way. Gullible she is not.

      • C says:

        She may not have a choice, gullible or not.

      • Cerys says:

        Just a thought but Adelaide Cottage might be just for Kate to live in rather than a full-time home for the whole family. Many couples have shared custody of the children so perhaps the children will only spend alternate weeks there?

      • Anance says:

        @sophie – Sometimes I think like you as well. Aristo separations take place without any moves.

        However, given the hints we have received of William’s mistreatment of Kate, and his boorish, unpleasant personality, perhaps this one required a separate home. She simply needed to get away from the man. Many men resort to this behavior to get the woman to leave.

        Why is William behaving unbearably? Why now? Is there a paramour in the wings? Does he need to turn on people? He barely speaks to his father and brother, hints of his offensive behavior have arisen there, too.

        So, perhaps Adelaide is temporary lodging for Kate until the Queen passes, William is POW and Charles lets him have Windsor Castle for Kate.

        This is definitely an option. Especially if she is not being replaced and he just got bored of playing house.

      • @ Duchcheese, it is a beautiful and spectacular ending for her. KKKHate is now facing the life of being pushed out and has lost her forever lifestyle as well as her fairytale ending……

        Karma served Kate a whopping double whammy for her horrendous misdeeds. Could not have happened to a more deserving ugly, hateful, manipulative, selfish and vicious bitch.

    • Noki says:

      I find WILD when i read things like Charles had to borrow from the Queen, the Yorks never ending grifting stories. When i say that i dont believe these people are as liquid rich as some speculate ,people insist that they have billions. I think they are stuck with a bunch of assets that they stole, estates and the jewels. It makes no sense how tight fisted they are, the tax payers funding is what is keeping them afloat, other wise why would Charles have to accept bags of cash in exchange for honours. Any really billionaire would be insulted.

      • Amy Bee says:

        @Noki: If Charles didn’t accept bags of money he would have to use his own money. Charles gets millions from the Duchy of Cornwall while the Queen gets millions from the Duchy of Lancaster. That they get money from the Sovereign Grant means they don’t have to spend their own. The aim of the Royal Family is to accumulate as much wealth as possible and to spend as little of it and the Government helps them do that.

      • Becks1 says:

        I think the grifting is because they think its their due – in a ” why spend mine when I can spend yours” kind of way. If Charles can get a million for his foundation through arranging access, why not? If William can get someone else to pay for his vacation, why not?

        I do think there are a lot more liquid assets (but off shore) than people realize but I think that’s just part of the grift. “oh we are but humble public servants!”

        I also think they purposely keep their finances as secretive and muddled as possible or else people would wonder why they get so much from the public.

        But, would Peter Phillips be selling milk in China if he had plenty of money? Probably not. so I think for the younger, more distant royals, there isn’t that much cash.

        all that to say – who the eff knows, lol.

      • Snuffles says:

        The motto of rich people is “Why should I spend my money when I can spend yours.”

        I agree that living off of taxpayer money isn’t making any of them rich. It’s them grifting off of their positions that is lining their pockets. That is money they won’t touch unless they absolutely HAVE to.

    • Harper says:

      So the taxpayer won’t be paying for two wives of King William the Perpetually Pissed Off? A private payer for ex-wife number one’s home and staff sounds about right if she is being cast off and there is a second wife to onboard in the future. I think Charles is making William pay from his own pocket for now as he’ll get the POW funds in due time.

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      The more I think about it the more I think that AC is only temporary and on the condition for the duration of the marriage or while the children are under 18. If they divorce she’ll get to continue to use it until the children are 18 and then she has to find a place of her own. I don’t think she’ll get the kind of divorce money Diana did – William is too cheap, he paid for her parents home and Chuck would never allow it.

      As I said previously I think AC is a front to hide the fact that she and the kids spend a LOT of time at Middleton Manor. Which explains the change of schools – she’s basing herself there. Its only a matter of time before it all becomes public.

      Also if Chuck is paying – I’ll bet he tries to get a tax kick back stiffing the UK taxpayer with the bill in a round about way.

      • SarahCS says:

        Now that makes sense. She’s effectively be living with CarolE and the privacy aspect of AC means no-one will know.

      • Snuffles says:

        I still think the Middletons bilked William’s inheritance from him. They convinced him to pay for their property and renovations. He’s pissed about it and that’s why Kate isn’t getting anything else out of him.

        I agree that William will probably do the minimum to support her while the kids are underage. After that, Kate is on her own. She needs to start working on Plan B and find a stupid rich man. A nice 60 year old with a short shelf life.

      • The Duchess says:

        This makes the most sense. It’s why Kate has been palmed off with a servants quarters house instead of a more grandeur estate like Royal Lodge or Frogmore House. William already bought the Middleton’s mansion in Bucklebury back in 2012, so if a divorce was to happen, then he can simply tell Kate to move back there once the kids are grown up. It has security and is a very private place. It’s like he planned it in advance because he knew the marriage wasn’t going to be forever…

      • Lady D says:

        When the got that house, they were thick as thieves with William. They were the warm close loving family he didn’t have anywhere else in his life. He was welcomed into the bosom of that family and he loved it.
        All this to say, he might have willingly and generously given them the money for the home or bought it for them at the time. It’s only now that they are scraping everyone says, ‘the Middleton home is her divorce pay out.’ I’m just saying it might not be.

      • Green girl says:

        I wonder how much Kate would get in a divorce. You don’t want to cheap out too much because then she could resort to tell-alls and the like. I am sure the palace has a few choice words about the Middletons but I do think it would be better for everyone if Kate has a somewhat generous settlement.

    • Eurydice says:

      I’m wondering what the “renting” part of “privately renting” means. Is it more like Andrew’s situation or like H&M’s?

      • Jais says:

        I feel kind of silly asking this but who are they paying rent to? The queen bc it’s in Windsor? Is it just Charles’ private duchy money going back into the SG?

      • Becks1 says:

        @Jais – the Crown estates manage Adelaide I think, so the money goes back to that, and then it will trickle out into the sovereign grant in part.

      • Jais says:

        Thx becks1! It’s all so messy. Is there any way of knowing how much trickles back to the SG? Wondering about the transparency of it all feels kind of futile.

      • Eurydice says:

        @Jais – I think the SG is 15% of the net income from the Crown Estates.

    • Nic919 says:

      It’s hilarious when people say that the Middletons are very wealthy so they must be the ones paying for this. They aren’t that wealthy and certainly took advantage of all the freebies they get being royal adjacent. To pay for a fourth home for Kate when they have two other kids? Not going to happen. James is in a home worth a few million, which is pretty low end if his parents are that rich.

      Kate simply has no money of her own and never did. And William did inherit something from Diana, but it’s likely he spent some of it to help Buckleberry manor get upgraded.

      Charles has Duchy money, which isn’t his own despite what so many royalists try to say. It is not direct taxpayer money, but it passes through a few legal fictions. Anything paid privately will ultimately come from taxpayers except with more layers and detours. Looking at the recent Royal foundation numbers, there are a lot of weird charges to the various causes that aren’t explained well.

    • notasugarhere says:

      Exactly and by ‘Charles’ they mean ‘The Duchy’. They always pretend the Duchy isn’t taxpayer money when it really is as Nic919 wrote. William isn’t going to spend a penny of his own money on this. Omid misreported the KP renovations. The costs were divided in to two years to make the total look smaller, but it was 8 million pounds over two years. The driveway and yew trees came later as he wrote, also paid by taxpayers.

    • SarahFrancisco says:

      Asking those familiar with the location: is Adelaide really closer to Carole’s house than Anmer Hall? I tried to look it up on the map but it’s unclear as to where those properties are located.

      • notasugarhere says:

        Yes, much. Carol(E) lives a 45 minute-ish drive from Windsor Castle and Adelaide Cottage. All three of those properties (Midd Manor, Adelaide, Windsor Castle) are in the county of Berkshire. The other two useless Middleton adolescent adults also live in Berkshire. Anmer Hall is in Norfolk county, roughly a 3 hour drive from Midd Manor. That’s why Kate was caught so often using helicopters to fly from Norfolk to go shopping with Mummy in Berkshire, because precious wasn’t going to drive or take a train for three hours.

      • Jaded says:

        AC is about a 3 hour drive from Anmer. It’s only about a 45 minute drive to Middleton Manor.

  4. The Hench says:

    “It’s also the home where the couple plan to return to when their children grow up. “Apartment 1A,” says a palace source, “will always be their official residence.””

    Not two weeks ago we were being told that Anmer was where they would return to after the kids grew up.

    Basically the plethora of contradictory and, sometimes, straight up silly, stories about this Windsor move only signal that something is seriously afoot. They might as well hire a sky writing plane to fly around Windsor spelling out “Look! Look! Something weird going on!!”

    • Eurydice says:

      It’s funny, isn’t it? The tabloids are buzzing around like fruit flies – “we smell something rotting, not exactly sure what it is, but it’s here somewhere…”

    • Nic919 says:

      There is a tweet from a few months ago where Jobbo is outraged at this new home because he states he was told years ago that it would be KP 1A that would be the forever home and that’s why all the costly renovations happened. He hasn’t said much on this more recently, but you know he is not the only one who knows that the spin has changed.

    • Jan90067 says:

      Let’s be real, too. They were NEVER going to “retire” to Amner when “the kids are grown” like “normals” retiring to Florida! lolol At that point, they’ll either be *very* close to the throne (as P & P of Wales), or ON the throne (as K & QC). The will NEED to be in London or Windsor.

      If anything, Amner will be their Sandringham, but I doubt these two would consider it grand enough for them at that point!

  5. Miranda says:

    $1.2 million on a driveway? Who the hell installed it, an American defense contractor?

    • Harper says:

      Aren’t the KP driveways all shared by everyone who lives there? I’m thinking driveway is code for updating a separate apartment in KP that William needed for private time to meet with clients.

      • Miranda says:

        I love your phrasing there, that William needs a separate apartment to meet with clients, because it kinda makes him sound like a sex worker. Which, given what we’ve recently heard about him…

      • The Hench says:

        Yeah, this is weird. I’ve been to Kensington Palace and it’s big sprawling complex with various Royals in various wings. There’s no long, separate drive to Will and Kate’s bit – I’ve stood outside it. Even if they paid to re-tarmac the entire place, I struggle to see how you could spend £1m. And why would that be put down to W&K? Something is off.

      • The Hench says:

        This link shows an aerial photo of Kensington Palace and where the Royals live. It’s from 2018 so out of date but shows where W&K are. The longest part of the drive in isn’t even beside W&K’s apartments and is, I think, the main way in but correct me if someone knows better.

        https://www.insider.com/prince-harry-meghan-markle-prince-william-kate-and-11-other-royals-all-live-in-the-same-palace-2018-5

      • Harper says:

        If you go on youtube there is a video of when the Obamas arrive at KP for dinner. They drive into a cobblestone courtyard that looks like it might have some potholes but if KP didn’t repair that courtyard for the Obama visit I doubt they spent a million plus on it afterward. Why it ended up as a Cambridge line item is very curious.

        Also of note, you can see Kate, William and Harry come out to greet them, and William forges ahead while Kate is only looking and chatting with Harry. She really blew it by not accepting Meghan.

      • Becks1 says:

        @Harper that’s what’s weird. Why was it a line item attributed to the Cambridges? I don’t read the financial reports the way others do, but I would assume there is a budget section for general upkeep of the palaces or something. Why would a million on a driveway for a common area like the courtyard be attributed to the Cambridges?

        Love that Omid brought it up and was shady about the RRs, lol.

      • Harper says:

        @Becks1 since it’s Omid who is attributing the driveway to the Cambridges, I wonder if this is the kind of deep access info that Omid is going to spill in his next book. We all knew about the expensive hedges planted supposedly to hide their helicopter rides (which didn’t really work as they release copter footage when they want to show they are still an intact family) but was the million plus driveway ever discussed before? Omid must have known it was cover for something else and is doing a drip drip release of behind the scene tidbits that the rota know but aren’t spilling yet.

    • SarahCS says:

      Excellent comment.

    • Lorelei says:

      @Miranda, seriously, is this ‘driveway’ paved with diamonds??

      • Cairidh says:

        There was an anecdote once of Williams friends making fun of the middletons for having a tarmac driveway (rather than gravel). Maybe they changed the middletons drive way and included it in the kp budget.

      • Lorelei says:

        Omg, the snobbery of these people

  6. Amy Bee says:

    Yeah, Charles is paying for the rent. It will be interesting to find out why Harry and Meghan weren’t allowed to live in Adelaide Cottage instead of being made to renovate Frogmore Cottage. I suspect they were being set up for attacks by the press.

    • Athena says:

      The inside of Adelaide Cottage is described as been very ornate, I don’t see that as been Meghan’s style and she would be limited on what she can do to the inside. With Frogmore it was a blank canvas since the whole inside had to be gutted and redone.

      It’s also possible Andrew had it mind for one of his daughters.

  7. Scorpion says:

    Charles paying???

    And where does Charles get his money? Oh that’s right, so the UK taxpayer is paying for this then.

    • SarahCS says:

      He makes bank through the duchy of cornwall – I buy their yogurt if I’m ever in waitrose (there’s no price difference to the other regular/organic brands).

      So yes, it is us the taxpayers funding him but both directly and indirectly via his business, the duchy. But obviously the royals aren’t allowed to ‘earn’ money.

  8. Ginger says:

    I love how Omid called them out for their private helicopter use. Mr Earthshot is the definition of a hypocrite.

  9. Cex says:

    As a British taxpayer i dont understand how they are paying for this privately. They dont have a job that provides an independent income. The British taxpayer will always fund these lazy people. Remind me how do they represent vaule for money when all they do is take.

  10. Triest says:

    Not a Kate and William fan and think they spend way too much money. They might be separating…
    However, I just attended the wake of a child last night. I can imagine that Windsor might be better for the kids than London: if this is genuinely why they are moving, and they are paying for it, fine.

  11. Mslove says:

    I’m having a hard time believing the Cambridges are moving into a modest home, divorce or no divorce. No live-in help? But who will tend to the children if one gets sick in the middle of night? I’ll believe it when I see it.

    • Dee says:

      The live-in help isn’t technically “live-in” if they live a few feet away in the servant’s quarters.

  12. Eurydice says:

    I love how the Queen hands out gifts that need major renovation. It’s a handy way to shift costs from the BP budget.

    • Green girl says:

      It’s also a great way to make the recipients look ungrateful if they turn it down. “So-and-so snubs the queen’s gift of a four bedroom home” is guaranteed to get the gossip going.

    • Cairidh says:

      True, she gave delnydamph, a lodge near balmoral to Charles and Diana. It needed heavy renovation to be safe to live in. Diana wasn’t interested in restoring it, so eventually it was demolished.

  13. Ace says:

    Yeah, W&K do not have the kind of money for all that so it’s Chuck who’s gonna be paying. This only points even more clearly towards this being either a temporary arrangement that will only last until they really move into Windsor or, more likely, this being Keen’s post marriage home.

    • Anance says:

      @Ace – Yeah – those are the only options under consideration. No one – NO ONE – believes the school explanation!

    • Saucy&Sassy says:

      Ace, since we’ve heard that PC will be living at Windsor rather than BP, I can’t imagine that he would want to live with KHate.

  14. Pumpkin (Was Sofia) says:

    I always assumed “privately paid for” = Charles. I am aware William got money from Diana but if it’s to be believed, he probably spent a good amount on the Midds home renovations for their manor. And even if he didn’t, it probably still wouldn’t be enough to pay the rent for the next 14 years (till Louis is 18).

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      The renovations to Middleton Manor after they first bought it were paid for by the UK taxpayer under the guise of security ‘upgrades’ because Khate visits with the kids – they got a new drive, an outhouse was converted into flats and loads of other things.

      Rumour is that Peggy stumped up most if not all of the cash to buy Middleton Manor as they tried to get a mortgage on it (which was leaked to the press). It then came out they paid cash in full for it.

  15. Snickers says:

    I’ve always assumed that the move is being done now because George will eventually go to Eton. I think the family is moving now to position themselves to be close to G without disrupting the other children’s education (at a point when they’re older and more rooted in their school). AC does seem like an odd choice and I agree with others who think a move to the Lodge or Windsor Castle is the ultimate objective. Overall, this move makes sense to me regardless of the state of their marriage.

    • Nic919 says:

      Eton is a boarding school so if George attended there it wouldn’t disrupt the other two. And Battersea would have provided schooling up to the age where Eton would be an option. Instead they decided to interrupt both George and Charlotte’s schooling and claim they need more privacy to play in green spaces, even though they have plenty of them at KP and at Amner.

    • Beach Dreams says:

      They’re already disrupting the children’s education by making this move. They have friends, they have routines, and they’re familiar enough with their soon to be ex school. It’s increasingly obvious that the children are switching schools BECAUSE of this move, not the other way around.

  16. Debbie says:

    The Cambridges are privately renting yet another cottage at no cost to taxpayers. Hah! And not only that but I’m sure the taxpayers get a large tax refund every time a bird flies by.

  17. SURE says:

    Now that Charles no longer funds H’s household, he has more money from the Duchy that he can throw at the Cambridges. Perhaps this fact also influenced W&K’s decision to add to their property portfolio. In a way, they drove out H&M and were rewarded with a new property.

    • Julia K says:

      Charles never completely funded Harry’s household. Before the wedding he told Harry that there was no money for Meghan and she should keep working.

  18. Cathy says:

    I’m still surprised at the 4 bedroom cottage… just WHERE is Kate’s gym going to go???

    • Eurydice says:

      And what about her grand piano, which brought her so much solace during the pandemic? But mostly, I want to know if they’ll be using another building for her wardrobe.

      • Cathy says:

        All those so similar coat dresses that she may as well have gotten just one? Yes @Eurydice, just where will they go?

        Imagine Kate’s surprise once she finally gets her wardrobe all under one roof and realises it’s all the same???

      • Eurydice says:

        @Cathy – lol. And now I’m imagining the conversations with her dresser (she must have a dresser to wrangle that wardrobe) –

        “I’ll need a blue coat dress with big buttons.”
        “But ma’am, you already have 3 blue coat dresses with big buttons.”
        “No, I don’t. Don’t tell me I do when I don’t!”
        ” (big sigh)”

      • Cairidh says:

        Ah I think you solved the mystery of why they’re not repairing the adjacent building for it to be staff quarters. They need it to store Kate’s clothes.

      • Lorelei says:

        In all seriousness I am *dying* to know how and where they store and catalog Kate’s wardrobe. She must have stuff at her mom’s in addition to KP and Amner, and so much of her stuff is nearly identical. And every once in a while she’ll whip out something she hasn’t been seen in since like 2007.

        I also wonder who does it — it doesn’t seem like a task that her “stylist,” the photographer’s wife, is really equipped for. Angela Kelly, maybe? There must be almost 50 blue coatdresses alone at this point.

    • Beach Dreams says:

      Let’s be honest: Kate’s going to be spending even more time at Bucklebury Manor now. Maybe she’ll use whatever setup is already in place. Yet another question in this strange saga is whether the kids are gonna be spending the same amount of time there too. There’s already been plenty of hints that both William and Kate leave most of the parenting up to the nannies; that’s highly unlikely to change.

      • Saucy&Sassy says:

        Beach Dreams, I remember reading (not that long ago) that Carole is going to add a £5 million annex in order to house Ukrainian refugees. Does anyone else think that this is where KHate and the kids will be living and W will be at AC when he has the kids? I cannot imagine the Mids housing Ukrainian refugees. Who is the annex for?

  19. Well Wisher says:

    Irrespective of who pays the bill, it does not look good for the Cambridges. Two years after Brexit the Tories did a number on the UK citizens.
    Raw sewage is being constantly thrown into the rivers and sea. An aerial image around the UK shows the brown from the fecal matter.
    Utility companies are price gouging. One small business utility bill rose from £6,000 to £90,000 per year. The electric bill rose to £10,000 in one month.
    Pensioners are returning to work, to cover the increases in living expenses.
    The Cambridges are negotiating/getting a third home while William has to keep silent on the environmental impact of sewage. Beaches can no longer be usable for humans, in addition to effect on marine life.
    He also stated that he cares about people who cannot afford a home.
    What about transportation costs?
    The 1.2 million was spent on a driveway or a helipad or both?

    Yet the media is muted on him…….

    • Athena says:

      If William was to say anything about of the issues you mentioned wouldn’t there be cries that he’s getting involve in politics?

      • Chaine says:

        Well, he purports to be an environmentalist in a conservationist. If he really is either of those, he should certainly speak out about issues like sewage pollution!

      • Well Wisher says:

        I appreciate your comment but look at the reality.
        The Cambridges’s position works if one either ignores what they say or what they actually do.
        How can one be for the environmental and ignore the dumping of raw sewage into a sea, river, etc.?
        The introduction of untreated sewage must have a detrimental effect on that particular ecosystem?
        He has the Earth Shot prize for possible solutions concerning environmental issues, if he cannot address the problem, then maybe he should leave it to people who can?
        The planet’s future must be about more than PR.
        The housing is more obvious, one in ten university educated individuals are sleeping ‘rough’ or ‘couch surfing’ versus a family of five with three houses.
        Simple. Do not use people as PR.
        Then if it is necessary to have how many houses no one will care.
        Thanks @Chaine

  20. Lorelei says:

    I despise any of their money being called “private.” None of it was genuinely earned. None of them have worked a day in their lives, except Sophie (ages ago) and Meghan.

    Meghan is the only one who has truly private money that she earned herself. The rest of it is semantics. Sure, they “earn” money from the Duchys, but they were handed the Duchys on silver platters because of who they are.

    • C says:

      It’s the equivalent of the “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” in the Wizard of Oz. It’s not private and examining it will lead to some very questionable sources, with taxpayer money being the least distasteful of them (and that’s distasteful enough).

    • Chaine says:

      ITA, by “private money” they really mean, “our wealth that we inherited from our ancestors who invaded this land and dispossessed its people of their holdings 1,000 years ago.”

  21. Bonnie says:

    I can’t get my head around this. If they move to Adelaide Cottage there is no room for live-in staff – if she travels overseas or to a night time event in London – will the Nanny sleep in Kate’s room to look after the children? will Kate not do any events or meetings or whatever busy work she has been doing for the last 11 years as there is no room for an office? Will she use office space in Windsor castle? With the children in school nearby there isn’t much flexibility.
    It just doesn’t add up for me. Also, if this is the divorce house, I would have thought she has enough dirt on that family she could leak so it’s best to keep her happy in the grand house she would want. Something is fishy!

    • Julia K says:

      Agree. You make a good argument for “and now the rest of the story”. 2+2 does not =4 here.

    • C says:

      There are other quarters nearby where staff can be – or Carole, as others have surmised.

      I very much doubt any of her offices are used enough for that to be an issue.

      People always say Kate has dirt on them. I’m going to repeat this – look at what their character assassinations did to Diana, who was massively loved (there were SO many snide and horrible articles before her death about her skills as a mother, her intelligence, her “conniving” nature, her “unrealistic” work with things like landmines – even now they still screech about how “mentally ill” and “paranoid” and “petty” she was) and Meghan, who had a spotless reputation. Kate’s family has plenty of skeletons, like Gary’s sex and drug trafficking and the possibility of the Middletons embezzling William’s inheritance for their Bucklebury Manor. The establishment would steamroll her fast and hard. And I doubt she’s resourceful enough to know how to do anything except authorize puff pieces about how she is the asset the monarchy needs.

      • Eating Popcorn says:

        If they ever decided to turn on Kate, they would eat her up & spit her out.

      • Rea says:

        I need to look into some of the rumors you mentioned. There are so many of the K’s

      • Beach Dreams says:

        Exactly. I’d also like to add that there are now 11+ years’ worth of dirt/material on *Kate* as a royal. Just imagine the fights, the treatment of staff (because the media and royalists now like to forget just how much turnover the Cambridges have), the struggles with getting Kate to work…all of that and more can be used against her.

      • EllenOlensk says:

        I would agree that in the past, the royal family could steamroller over her….but Diana + Megan + Kate in a time where the royal fans are starting to get pretty skeptical? Well Charlotte will have to be one hell of a fabulous girl teenager to distract from that. The 24/7 everyone has a cell phone camera world we live in will not work out favorably for willian no matter how he tries to vilify her.

      • C says:

        It’s interesting that you mention the “everyone having a cell phone” concept. Because I bet there are plenty of people who could release footage on William, but just as many who could release footage of Kate treating staff badly/leaving most of the mothering to nannies/hell, even some first-hand details of that dress fitting.

        Again, look at what they did to Meghan. For a lot of people following this family, if you scream loud enough and repeat it, the sheep will follow. The royals have always counted on that. Kate won’t have any support from Sussex supporters either.

    • Lemons says:

      I think they made it very clear to Kate that she doesn’t work and hasn’t worked in the entire time she has been married to William (AND during the waity years). So her “office” per her choice are the three bedrooms where the kids will be sleeping and the kitchen where she will be preparing their meals (or someone else will).

      She doesn’t do any work, so having a laptop or a tablet in her bedroom should suffice. Since, as the stories go, she swings by KP offices once in a blue moon, the office staff can handle the “heavy-duty” stuff as usual.

      She dug herself a gigantic hole by showing that she was not a crucial part of the monarchy or William’s life by being so absent. When she’s there, her presence is inconsequential. Meghan’s arrival solidified this.

      She might still be asked to do the occasional even to keep up appearances (if that’s still expected), but they are setting this broodmare out to pasture.

      • Athena says:

        The focus seems to be on the four bedrooms but who knows how many rooms there are altogether. So it’s possible that there’s a room currently being used as something else that can be use as another bedroom. The focus on this so call four bedrooms is deceiving. There’s probably a library, a morning room, formal living room, sitting room, drawing room, dinning room, large kitchen, pantry, etc.

        I just want to know the number of bathrooms.

      • BeanieBean says:

        I agree about the four bedrooms. We never heard the square footage of the place, but it looks humongous to me. I’m sure there are plenty of rooms from which a person could choose to put an office (ha! we’re talking bout Kate here) or make into a cedar-lined coat-dress closet or something.

    • PiEatingContest says:

      What if it’s something else entirely? I remember reading in one of the articles about the Cambridge kids new school that it’s a school attended by the newly rich and upper middle class, while Battersea is for children of aristos/well-connected. Maybe Battersea parents froze Kate out too, in conjunction with the turnip toffs in the wake of the Rose affair and the Tattler article. It was probably to hard to move the kids during the pandemic but now is as good a time as any to switch schools and homes. That explains the temporary nature of the housing – they are there for the school and at some point they’ll move up to something “better”.

      I’ve always been team no divorce anyway. I don’t doubt they live separate lives and what ever romance existed is long gone but I think the current arrangement suits everyone involved.

      • C says:

        William and Kate had an arrangement at Anmer basically and she ended up alienating herself from that set, so there is precedent for their previous arrangements not suiting everyone involved.

      • Caren says:

        If George and Charlotte were really happy, and Kate was really happy with Battersea, I doubt they would be leaving. But they weren’t. We don’t know what happened. George could have been bullied. For whatever reason, they are moving to Windsor, to a new school that looks great (when I look it up). Windsor Castle is nearby. My guess, renting AC is William’s way of letting everyone know he’s planning to move into Windsor Castle, when the time is right.

      • C says:

        I’m sure if they were not happy at Battersea we would be hearing about it. As it is the press can’t make up their minds why this is happening and flip flops from one reason to another.
        The Queen is not dead yet, as much as the Cambridges like to put out PR rushing the event along. Windsor Castle is one of the residences of the monarch and that will be Charles. As others have said, KP was good enough for Charles and Diana when they were Prince and Princess of Wales – there is no reason for William to move in.

      • Nic919 says:

        There are other good schools in the city of London. So if they didn’t like Battersea they could find another one near KP and not have to get another mansion in a totally different part of the country. FFS these excuses to justify a new house are ridiculous.

  22. Neners says:

    So we’re just pretending that these two work real jobs and have an actual income? Even their “private inheritance” at some point came from taxpayer money or from not having to pay taxes on private wealth that the rest of us have to pay. It’s all spin.

    • HoneyBear says:

      William has his inheritance from Diana same as Harry. Both got about 15 million pounds and it was probably carefully invested to yield something like 20 million for each of them today. Plenty of money for now and more to come. when the queen passes both of them are likely to get more.

  23. Julia K says:

    @Bonnie still makes a good point, there is plenty of dirt to go around. How is the Royal Foundation really funded and where does the money go? I’ll bet she has overheard lots of interesting conversations and knows enough about the inner workings of the RF to cause many headaches for the firm. Sure, they’ll s!am her like they did Diana, but Kate may be in survival mode and start giving paid interviews and hire someone to ghost write a tell all. While they’re worried about Harry spilling tea, they should be watching out for Kate. She may not be as dumb as people think.

    • C says:

      The problem with that is that Kate is part and parcel of the problematic money in the Royal Foundation and other issues. Any mud she throws at William will stick to her.
      If she gives any paid interviews the gloves will absolutely come off. What she did to Meghan can be done to her and I’m sure she knows it now. I don’t know why people think there’s more to Kate than what appears because as the two decades of being with William have shown, there isn’t. She and the other Middletons have been using PR people to try to control William for years (anyone remember the Tanna days?) and he’s sick of it, and she doesn’t have anything on him he couldn’t counter even more.

      • Lady D says:

        At best, there will be no winners. It could end the House of Windsor and create a completely new one. These people are good at changing their names on a regular basis anyway.

      • C says:

        I don’t think their marriage is influential enough for that honestly.

      • Lorelei says:

        But I think Kate could definitely convince people — and it’s probably the truth— that she had zero say when it came to any accounting issues in the foundation. Do we really think she cares about anything re: how much any given initiative raised and how it was allocated? She only cares that her clothes and hair photograph well. I doubt she has (or wants) a clue.

      • Saucy&Sassy says:

        Lorelei, it won’t be reported that way. If she goes there, she will be painted with the same brush by the bm. Frankly, I think the brf has plenty on KHate and her parents that she really shouldn’t poke the bear. Nothing good will come of that.

  24. WiththeAmerican says:

    When I googled it said they also have a home in Scotland that is little discussed. Can any of you experts remind me why this isn’t counted?

    I love Omid’s references too the British press ignoring huge details they shouldn’t be. It’s just highlighting to relationship, much like Republicans have here with the very conservatively owned “mainstream” media.

    • C says:

      BM tabloids will state Tam-Na-Ghar was gifted to William by the Queen Mother but I believe it’s still the property of the Queen and both William and Harry were allowed to use it, so it’s not really a fourth home.

      • WiththeAmerican says:

        Thanks! So they have 3.25 homes lol. Like the rest of us. (Laughing about this because Dr Oz just got busted for lying about his ten mansions, claiming he only “legitimately” owns 2)

        Weird that the tabloids counted that for them when they’re so busy trying to make Kathy and Bill seem like every other parent/married.

  25. TangerineTree says:

    A bit of tinfoil hat time: I have noticed in recent years that members of the RF have divorced quietly and quickly. Examples are the queen’s nephew David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon (aka Viscount Linley) and his wife Serena; and the pair Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly. I can imagine Charles would not want a protracted hostile separation between W&K taking up oxygen in the news.. Perhaps W & K are working out their divorce details now, and it will be announced as a fait accompli – with a statement from the RF regarding how “K is a very much loved member of the family, and she and W will be co-parenting closely.” It could happen this year, and then it would tie up several loose ends before Charles takes the throne. K still has a vested interest in George’s future reign, so she will want his path to be a smooth as possible and will want to stay in Charles’ good graces. Having W open to dating and possibly marrying someone more suited to him as an adult could make W and Charles come to some sort of agreement. Anyway, this is something I have been thinking about – a separation would bring more unwanted attention than a clean break.

    • Jaded says:

      I don’t think it’s tinfoil hat at all, I think it’s obvious W&K are working out who gets what, where and how much. For now she’ll have to grit her teeth and live in a shack (sarcasm) until it’s official, then she’ll get moved into more lavish accommodations. As long as she, mummy and Uncle Blabbermouth play nice and keep their traps shut I can totally see this happening.

    • Becks1 says:

      I don’t think this is that tinfoil. IF there is a divorce (I go back and forth from day to day on whether I think one will actually happen) it will be hammered out behind the scenes and we’ll get an announcement one day like you described. Charles is going to make it clear that there cannot be a “war of the cambridges.” I think we may be seeing that happen now, and that’s why this move to Adelaide. It gets Kate closer to her parents, while still on royal property with royal protection, and the children will be close to Charles when he moves into Windsor and wherever William ends up. I disagree that its a stopgap home; this is the end of the royal housing road for Kate.

    • Sunday says:

      I would be surprised if they officially divorced, but IMO if they were going to, it would be before Will becomes Prince of Wales. The last thing the firm wants is another Princess of Wales divorcee floating around. The PR they could spin about Will “going it alone” as the Prince and then the absolute media frenzy they’d cook up about who would possibly be the next Princess or Queen would be the only halfway interesting thing they could do to (try to) raise his popularity.

      The media narrative would go: amicable split, still best of friends and co-parenting; single Dad Will is hands-on with the kids, they’re his everything; Will becomes PoW, stoic and mature despite “all he’s faced”; is Will dating? could *you* be Princess or Queen!?!?!” etc. etc.

      Of course, palace PR is incompetent so any attempts at the above will surely flop, hard, but that’s never stopped them before.

    • Beach Dreams says:

      Not tinfoil at all; in fact, it makes perfect sense knowing that the monarchy will move heaven and earth to avoid a War of the Waleses sequel. Frankly, with everything that’s happened in the past 2+ years, they can’t afford to have another major scandal/problem on their hands. IF they were to divorce, doing it under wraps and then announcing it would be one of the smartest decisions they’ve ever made. It would make even better sense for them to get it completed while Elizabeth is still alive, because I doubt the press would keep the gloves on if they divorced after she passed.

    • Nic919 says:

      The separate arrivals and kids greeting parents like they have not been seen in days strongly points to a separation already taking place. It is likely that an agreement was hammered out and will be kept private for now. I bet the media knows about it though. I also suspect this agreement has been filed in court somewhere.

      The media has a.ready started to use language about the Cambridges sharing their kids, reminiscent of language used in a custody agreement. AC was likely part of this agreement and the terms are laid out there.

  26. Jaded says:

    AC is a stopgap home for Keen. She’ll bounce into something more lavish in a few years once TQ is gone and their separation is made public. I doubt she’ll move full-time to Anmer, it’s too far away from mummy.

    • Flower says:

      I don’t see Kate EVER moving to Anmer.

      Possibly spending the odd break there with the ‘kiddies’, but I seriously doubt she wants to be amidst the very people that literally laughed her out of society.

    • AnneL says:

      And as I pointed out below, she could find someone else. She’d be happier with someone like her sister’s husband, whose wealth could get her a larger house and estate near her parents and whose position wouldn’t require her to work and make public appearances. Not that I care about her happiness, I’m just saying.

  27. AnneL says:

    Well, a lot of signs seem to point to a separation…..official or unofficial. Whether that leads to an actual divorce? I don’t know. Not while TQ is alive, is my guess.

    That said, it’s not like Kate couldn’t find someone else? I would think given Kate’s priorities, the best choice might be to divorce sooner rather than later so she is free to start looking around for a terribly moderately wealthy man like her sister has, someone who can get her a proper ten-bedroom house near Mummy.

    I’m serious. Fillers and wiglets and button obsession and laziness aside, she could still find someone. She’s fairly young, attractive, sporty, and as the future future King’s ex and the future future future king’s mother, she would still confer some status.

    • Flower says:

      She could also p*ss off Prince Peggy by having that much craved 4th baby if she gets cracking.

      Actually when I think about it, this is likely why Bill strung her along for just long enough….

  28. Murphy says:

    This adelaide cottage thing just proves no one in the RF likes Kate. I’ll remember this every time i read some fluff piece planted by Carole about how much Charles loves and appreciates Kate. No he doesn’t.

    • Anance says:

      I don’t think the BRF ever accepted Kate. During the “breakup” in 2007, there were rumors of various aristos pushing their daughters forward as candidates. We all know what William’s friends said about the Midds.

      The Queen took a long time to meet her, a distinct signal that marriage was uncertain. However, William always went back to her, there must have been something that attracted him.

      The best candidate would have been someone like Rose Hanbury – coming from an aristo background, around his age, well-versed in the intricacies of court life (an ancestor was a lady in waiting – something to the Queen), knowledgeable about art, estate maintenance, and “the correct charities.” Yet not too wealthy or grand, someone who would appreciate the marriage.

      Marrying William is different than marrying Harry, Andrew, or Edward. It’s not about the bride’s pedigree but her familiarity with the court’s way of life. Diana had this. Maybe it was just too high a leap for Kate or more likely, it was too easy to make her feel unsure of herself and avoid criticism by doing nothing.

      Eventually, there was no there there with Kate.

      • A says:

        “Diana had this.”

        Diana actually didn’t. It was commented on at the time by other aristocrats that, for someone born and bred into the aristocracy, she actually did not understand very much of the intricacies of how the aristocracy functioned at all, because Diana was upset and unhappy and attempted to change the circumstances of Charles’ adultery, rather than quietly turning a blind eye and living a separate life of her own once they’d had their children, as the aristocracy does, usually.

        The royal family were actually rather bewildered by her behaviour at numerous turns as well. How emotional she was, how openly needy she was for affection and praise and care. They were particularly appalled at how both Charles and Diana were letting stuff about their personal life come out openly into the press, when the aristocratic rule is to keep these things quiet and discreet.

        Diana also struggled to get along with the royal family, particularly when they spent time in places like Balmoral. They couldn’t understand how Diana could hate the countryside, or country pursuits like riding a horse and hunting and weekend shoots and picnics. They had assumed that, because all of these things were staple components of an aristocratic family’s country life, that Diana would have been raised in the same way, with the same interests, but she wasn’t.

        At every turn she was uncomfortable with a lot of aspects of this life. People speculated that this was because her parents were divorced, and she was in the custody of her father, who did not remarry until she was a teenager. There was no “woman” in the house to teach her these things, so she never learned them. But she didn’t come into her position in the royal family knowing any of this.

        I do think that Kate honestly did get married being instructed carefully by her mother that under no circumstances was she to ever rock the boat, lest that upset the delicate balance of her marriage. The constant emphasis on how she’s “never put a foot wrong” is a reference to this, I think. She has been clearly told that no matter what indignities she has to deal with from William and the royal family and their staffers, she is to keep quiet and keep going, and say nothing, and do nothing, least of all defend herself.

  29. BeanieBean says:

    I didn’t really understand the emphasis on renting vs buying. When has any royal’s home ever been discussed like that? We’ve been hearing a lot about lifetime leases lately, but they’re not competing with the average citizen for a home. Nobody else but a royal gets to live at KP. Would just anybody get to rent or buy Adelaide Cottage? I do recall reading that someone got kicked out of Anmer so the Cambridges could move in (although I could be misremembering & I don’t care enough to google). And what a joke to say they’re paying out of their own pockets for the rent and renovations. What is the source of their income? Did some cash fall out of Charles’ suitcases?

    • notasugarhere says:

      Members of the general public can rent an apartment at KP as long as they have the cash and the security clearance. Adelaide Cottage is part of the Crown Estate – which is owned by taxpayers not the Windsors. Anyone can purchase the lease for that property, as Andrew did with royal lodge, as one of Charles’s friends did with Belvedere, as Angus Ogilvy (late husband of Princess Alexandra) did with Thatched Cottage. ‘Crown Estate’ properties are taxpayer property, mostly leased out to members of the wealthy general public on purchased long-term leases.

  30. Linney says:

    Compare how this has been handled to when they got Anmer. The newspapers were filled with details about the move, the renovations, etc. It seemed fairly straightforward. But this “move” to AC? They want their children to “have a proper home”. They have moved. No they haven’t. Yes, they are moving. No, wait. Have they? It’s just all too fishy to think this is a regular family moving to a new home. Marital separation is all over this one, IMHO. Why else were there so many insane articles about Kate The Great, and Kate being the saviour of the monarchy, etc.? The Queen of Mumbles knew she was being cast out. That’s the only way those articles make any sense. In addition, I can not imagine how vicious the media (and others!) would be if this was Harry and Meghan. They would be accused of playing games, being greedy, etc. Such a double standard.

  31. Beach Dreams says:

    Now this is making me wonder about an earlier claim in this ongoing mystery: the prospect of getting a private property. It was one of the first rumors regarding the move but it flamed out after a couple of months, if I’m remembering correctly. I wonder if, more than getting one of the larger royal properties, Kate might’ve been truly hoping for William/the RF to pay for a nice estate like her sister’s. Yeah, it doesn’t make much sense on the surface when you consider that a royal property will already have security covered, but when has common sense and reason ever blunted her and William’s sense of entitlement? Perhaps she was hoping for a big settlement that included an estate of her own AND paid security. Perhaps she thought she was important and valued enough to warrant that cost. Maybe she’s still hoping that someone’s mind will be changed since now they’re “renting” AC.

  32. Canadian says:

    I still suspect this is a temporary location close to the schools, where they will only stay on school nights. Once the Queen passes away, Andrew’s lease will be bought out and they will go to the Royal Lodge. I am also open to the idea that it is a separation house but that is my second choice.

    • C says:

      Charles is not going to buy out his lease for William. And there was no reason to take them out of Battersea.

      • A says:

        Once the Queen dies, William will have the money to do so on his own, won’t he? Considering he will automatically inherit the Duchy of Cornwall and become the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge (until he’s invested with the title of Prince of Wales, which I can absolutely see Charles withholding from William just to be petty). That would mean inheriting the income of the duchy, so William could be able to buy out the lease on his own if he wanted to.

      • C says:

        The Duchy of Cornwall income will have to cover many things – it will depend on whether King Charles allows it – and William is notoriously cheap.

  33. MO says:

    There is no way Kate will get divorced, unless Wills has talked to his father and his father signs off and she has no choice – not particularly likely given there is no clean-cut scandal (if Kate gave a Panorama-esque interview then the gloves might come off). Remember, she was Waity Kaity for years to land him and will wait years to be Queen – it is clear this is her main goal. AC is so they can quietly (lol) be separated and come together for photo ops while Billy Bad Boy can go back to carrying on in the rose bushes. It’s more in the realm of possibility that Will waits until George is 18 to seek the divorce – that’s less than 10 years away.

    • C says:

      IF there is ever a divorce I think it will come before Charles grants him the Prince of Wales title. No need for two divorced Princesses of Wales in British royal history.

    • Lizzie says:

      She might not want a divorce but in the end if Will wants a divorce it will happen. I don’t think she’s going to consider any interviews because they’ve shown her what they did to H&M. Maybe she’ll remarry after George is off to university.

    • Feeshalori says:

      Kate has no say in the matter of a divorce. She may try to hang on for dear life, but William will get what he wants. And that will be before getting the POW title if a divorce is happening
      .

      • Deanne from Canada says:

        Kate has zero power. She has zero added value to the BRF other than her offspring. She may drag Will through the tabloids for his infidelities/ past behaviour but if he funded her parents’s reno… no dice. She has it super easy. Never works. Wears a boat load of Kiki McD earrings & button dresses. Seriously her only occupation is to scour social media to see if people like her because the aristo class sure do not! Her ONLY next move is to hide / slither in the countryside – maybe marry a 50 year old Earl and call it a day (if she is lucky and finds someone).

  34. Jean says:

    IMO I doubt if any of this really has to do with the Cambridges marriage, I think they just wanted another royal property and got shot down by Charles who calls all the shots now. Obviously a little power struggle going on in that family now that the Queen is in decline. Whatever situation with the Cambridge marriage will probably remain. Aristos are good at the separate lives, keeping up appearances stuff.

    • Flower says:

      I disagree.

      Charles would never agree to fund an additional property ‘just because’.

      Especially if said property was on the doorstep of his ailing mother, whilst he is vying to get to the throne. Too much risk of undue influence.

      It’s possible that William is funding this out of his legacy from Diana to work his brother out of his Granny’s will, but that is a high risk move given how litigious H&M have shown they can be….

      I think this is a temporary cool down property as other above have alluded to. It’s too small to house the whole Cambridge clan and a lot has been made of ‘no live in staff’ which is a press coded way of saying ‘privacy’.

      This is either Will’s shag and peg palace, where he can meet his side piece or Kate’s bolt hole.

      I am inclined towards the former given the recent leaks about Will’s predilections. I suspect those leaks were about getting him to reconsider spending time away….

      • The old chick says:

        Flower he’s not vying to get the throne. He WILL have the throne the minute his mother dies. She’s not picking. There’s no influence to be had.

        I think it’s Kate’s bolt hole to be close to her mummy. PW is likely at KP to be near his shag buddies

    • A says:

      I kinda agree with you, especially about Charles refusing any other home for the two of the except this one. And I absolutely think it’s Charles being petty, albeit for a different reason. I think that he’s petty and dislikes William as of late because Baldy has been becoming much cozier with the Tory party.

      I honestly think that William has been working with his Tory party friends on the sly to leak information about Charles that makes him look bad, in the run up to Charles inheriting the throne. They might not be able to remove him from the line of succession and go straight to William, but they can make Charles look incompetent and inept and corrupt, and thereby cast a long shadow over his reign when he does become king. I think they are aiming to make him the most unpopular monarch that they can.

      I think the Tories are doing this because this is yet another component of their larger culture war. Charles, while no bolshie leftist, has expressed sentiments that run contrary to the current Tory party’s official racist platform. He spoke out as much as he could in his position against the Rwanda thing a little while ago. He was way ahead of the curve in supporting environmental causes, and his activism in that actually has some measure of impact, as opposed to William’s environmental activism, which has way more of a whiff of racism to it (going to Africa and asking them to reduce the population so that him and his three welfare recipient kids can have more exotic animals to look at when they come on their colonial-era-esque visits for example).

      Charles has expressed certain sentiments that this alarmingly right wing Tory party would absolutely consider to be too “woke.” He’s also much less likely to go along and sign off on sh-t like giving Boris Johnson permission to prorogue parliament to avoid that Brexit vote a few years ago. William, otoh, has proven himself over the last few years to be a very amenable reactionary culture warrior. He definitely has much more support than Charles does with the current government in power. And I think Charles has taken none too kindly to William trying to throw him under the bus, and I can see him flatly refusing to even entertain the Cambs getting anything except a piddly little four bedroom, bc of it, lol.

  35. Flower says:

    I think AC is William’s Highgrove, especially as the last Highgrove (Anmer) has been compromised and is now quite literally the ‘but’ of everyone’s jokes.

    Times are very different now so you can’t slowly embezzle tax payer money or take suit cases of cash from despots for dodgy honors. Add to that the insanity of property prices and so with no real access to RF or Spencer money, this is the best that Chuck could offer or Bill could afford at even pepper corn rent.

    How utterly ironic when H&M’s property lies empty just a few minutes away. If only Bill had kept his brother on side .

  36. The Recluse says:

    Must be nice.
    Here’s hoping the monarchy ends with Elizabeth. Charles at the latest.

  37. Kyle says:

    Flower, If it’s Williams’s Highgrove, then why are the children changing school? And even if William had kept up a relationship with H&M, I seriously doubt they’d want their home used for extramarital affairs. I would think they wouldn’t want to soil their home in that way.

    • Flower says:

      I had a think about this and notice that whilst H&M were living at Frogmore, there were very few sightings of them. I wonder if potentially William is enticed by that? Not to mention William may want the kids nearby, especially George whom he will have to continually mentor as he takes on his first few engagements as a teenager.

      George is 9 years old, so only 2 years off from secondary school. Eton is literally on the doorstep of Windsor castle so the move makes sense for George (even if disruptive to Charlotte & Louis). Although I can’t remember if Eton starts at age 11 or 13? The other issue with this theory being that AC (imo) is too small for all the Cambs who, are used to the palatial luxury of KP and Anmer.

      Also back to the issue of privacy Windsor may provide a more ‘controlled environment’ once news of the separation breaks. Whatever we may think of W&K, Bill had a front row seat to the carnage of his parents divorce so may want to protect his own children from the eye of the storm. KP would literally be the worst place to be given how much RF members like to leak on each other and not to mention the long range cameras which have exposed the frequent use of helicopters.

      Another theory is that this could be a ‘nesting’ property for both W&K to co-parent from and provide a stable constant environment with the added benefit of the security that Windsor has over say a private property. But again back to the issue of size.

      ETA: The nesting property is for W or K to sleep in whilst kids are in the big house.