Seeking increased privacy for their growing family and aiming to leave behind some challenging memories, the Prince and Princess of Wales recently moved with their three children to the stately Forest Lodge, a Grade-II listed residence, in early November.
The move to this expansive eight-bedroom Georgian mansion, nestled in the idyllic Windsor Great Park, marks a significant upgrade from their previous home, Adelaide Cottage. This new residence offers more space and a fresh canvas for Kate, an avid interior designer, to infuse her personal style.
Prince William offered a glimpse into their newly styled home in a video promoting reflection on Armistice Day. The video showcased an interior adorned with grand paintings, a door accented with luxurious gold details, and elegant crimson curtains, all hinting at Kate’s signature ‘contemporary classic’ aesthetic.
In a conversation with the Daily Mail, interior design expert Benji Lewis praised the home’s décor, noting that Kate and William have cultivated a ‘tastefully discreet vibe’ that remains functional for their children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.
Lewis further described the style as embodying the essence of an English elegant grand country house. He painted a picture of airy and spacious rooms, high ceilings, and tall windows that allow natural light to flood into the living spaces, creating a bright and welcoming atmosphere.
‘We’re definitely going English, elegant grand country house in the interior style here, the rooms are likely breezy and spacious, and the ceilings lofty and high with beautiful tall windows, which afford an abundance of natural light to flood into the spaces.
‘The Perspex plates on the doors serve the brilliant purpose of preventing grubby fingers from marking the immaculate paintwork,’ he added.
Prince William released a video with the Royal British Legion urging people to reflect on Armistice Day from inside a lavishly decorated room believed to be in his new home, Forest Lodge
The couple have also hung artwork, in a way which is ‘smart and unfussy’.
‘They’ve cleverly struck a tasteful balance between calm and slightly contemporary by blending neutral tones like ivory and taupe,’ Benji said.
It is understood that the Princess of Wales has dressed up her new home with opulent décor from Marina Mill, a company that specialises in hand designing and screen printing fabrics, costing upwards of £100 a metre.
The mill, which Kate visited in September, has supplied dozens of royal homes, including Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Highgrove and is world-renowned for the quality of its fabrics, as well as the fact that they still do everything by hand.
Kate has also been seen picking out a 24-seater dining table from a warehouse that specialises in antiques, indicating that the future Queen is hoping to host dinner parties at the property.
Benji believes the Princess of Wales would’ve likely dressed up the house herself, because of her keen interest in interior design.
He said: ‘I think she does a lot of the scheming of things herself. That’s not to say that she might not seek advice for eventually pulling things together but I should imagine she enjoys doing as much of the legwork insofar as researching fabrics is concerned herself, likely as a distraction from her busy life.’
Prince Harry’s memoir Spare also commented on Kate and William’s penchant for grandeur, as seen in their previous Kensington Palace apartment.
William and Catherine, both 43, have been keen to provide a ‘fresh start’ for their three children: Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, ten, and seven-year-old Prince Louis
The Wales family recently vacated their four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage for pastures new in the Grade II-listed Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park (pictured)
The Prince and Princess of Wales’s new ‘forever home’ features a barrel-vaulted hall ceiling
The front reception room of the Grade II-listed Forest Lodge while undergoing work in 2001
In his memoir, the Duke of Sussex, 41, described their former abode as ‘magnificent’ and said their lavish home left him and his wife, Meghan, 44, feeling ’embarrassed’ by their ‘cosy’ living quarters in the two-bedroom Nottingham Cottage.
‘The wallpaper, the ceiling trim, the walnut bookshelves filled with volumes of peaceful colours, priceless works of art. Magnificent. Like a museum.
‘We congratulated them on the renovation without holding back the compliments while feeling embarrassed of our Ikea lamps and the second-hand sofa we’d recently bought on sale with Meg’s credit card on sofa.com.’
Apartment 1A in Kensington Palace, which 20 rooms, was the Waleses’ main London home up until the summer of 2022.
The property was refurbished with £4.5million of taxpayers’ money in 2016 – although the couple footed the bill for fixtures and furnishing themselves.
It is thought that Kate and William may also make structural changes to the property. They previously moved the kitchen to the centre of the property in Anmer Hall, their country residence on the Sandringham Estate.
The 328-year-old Forest Lodge – which has six bathrooms – has undergone modest internal and external renovations, including new doors and windows, the stripping out of walls, renovated ceilings and new floors. It was last renovated in 2001 at a cost of £1.5million.
The Waleses have funded their move and refurbishment themselves and will be paying market rent to the Crown Estate.
