Matt Wilkinson of the Sun got the exclusive story of the summer when he revealed that the Wales family is moving home. (His story is here).
After three years at the cozy four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage, located a stone’s throw from Windsor Castle, they are moving to Forest Lodge, which is expected to be their main home for the foreseeable future. They are taking a lease from the Crown Estate for the much larger house of 6-8 bedrooms, including some cottages and outbuildings as well as a pond and tennis court. They’ll finance the lease and minor repairs privately through their money from the the Duchy of Cornwall, the ancient estate that funds the heir to the throne.
They moved to Windsor in 2022 to be closer to the late Queen Elizabeth II and the new school of their children, Lambrook. Now, they are moving to Forest Lodge, a much larger house in Windsor Great Park, roughly a 10-minute drive to the castle. It may be at the end of a private road in a rather secluded part of the large park, but the building, which dates back to the 1700s, is public enough to be on one of the six walks in David McDowall’s Windsor Great Park: The Walker’s Guide.
As McDowall writes in his description of the 90-minute walk:
The large brick building on the skyline is Forest Lodge. (In summer its view may be obstructed by trees in leaf … Forest Lodge, once called Holly Grove Lodge, was originally designed by Thomas Sandby, c.1780, on land at that time outside the Great Park, something that would hardly surprise you since you are walking along the course of the old pale [border]. Sandby designed a small four-storey house with classical features. Unfortunately it required heavy renovation in the 1830s and again almost exactly a century later, so it is no longer recognisably Sandby’s work. Sandby worked for George II and was also Cumberland’s principal assistant in the Great Park …. His obituary described him as “one of the gentlest and best of human beings.”
According to the archive of Historic England, Forest Lodge is a Grade II listed building (as of March 1972):
Large house. Early C19 altered C20. Red brick in Flemish bond. Original slate roof behind parapet over part; later hipped tile roof over remainder. Square plan centre section with a wing on either side.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys with cellars and 2 storeys. One chimney on each wing, end chimneys on centre section; all with clay pots. Stucco band at first floor sills in centre section and at centres of wings; deep minute eaves cornice; parapet to right hand wing. Sash windows with glazing bars under gauged, brick arches. South-west (entrance) front: 9 bays. A 3-bay centre section slightly projecting; 3-bay side wings of 2 storeys only. 4 stucco pilasters, resting on first floor sillband, support corniced eaves of centre section. 3 recessed sections between, contain first and second floor windows with moulded stucco architraves. On either side of central door, and in slightly projecting centre bays of side wings, are Venetian windows, in round arched recesses, with pilaster mullions having fluting and paterae at head. 4 similar pilasters frame a double door with glazed upper half and side lights; frieze with fluting and paterae under dentil cornice. Above this is a wide radial fanlight in a round arch with moulded reveal.
INTERIOR: entrance hall: barrel vaulted ceiling with moulded ribs; six-panelled raised and fielded doors. Arched opening with pilasters leads out to drawing room.
It is outside the main security zone around Windsor and, when they move in later this year, their closest royal neighbour will be Prince Andrew at Royal Lodge. It’s unlikely they will be popping by for a cup of sugar.
Though news reports have talked about Forest Lodge as their “forever home,” I’m not so sure. While it’s unlikely that neither they nor Charles and Camilla will ever permanently move into Buckingham Palace after its renovation – it’s so institutional that no one has enjoyed it – it’s another thing to say that they won’t move into the extremely private quarters of Windsor Castle or other royal residences. Life now won’t be their life in 10 years or 20 years. Perspectives and needs shift over time, as we can see from their move from Adelaide Cottage to Forest Lodge. After all, Charles rarely spent much time at Windsor Castle while his mother was alive, but now spends considerable time there.
Kate released another of her seasonal videos, this time for summer. Suffice it to say they puzzle me.
As the Princess of Wales explained on Instagram:
MOTHER NATURE: SUMMER
Our lives flourish when we cherish the bonds of love and friendship. It has never been more important to appreciate the value of one another, and of Mother Nature. Here’s to Summer. C
On August 18, the Royal Regiment of Scotland offered an official welcome to King Charles III, as the monarch moved into Balmoral Castle for his summer holidays. He and Queen Camilla will soon be joined by other members of the royal family.
While Elizabeth II went up to Balmoral for two-plus months and would not leave unless in an emergency, that significant break away from public view is no longer the case in this era of instant communication. Last week, the King and Queen attended Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) commemorations, with both of them visibly emotional when a 105-year-old veteran veered off script to salute the King for being there while undergoing cancer treatment. (The King also taped an audio message).
Simon Vigar, the royal correspondent for Channel 5, talks to Roya Nikkah on The Royals with Roya and Kate about his career covering the royals, which started with the exhaustive inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Especially notable is that he’s pretty confident that Prince Harry is going to write a sequel to Spare. “There’s bound to be another book,” Vigar says. “Money talks.” (YouTube and Apple podcast)
When family falls out, it’s always a problem for friends who want to continue their relationships with both sides of the split. Such is the case for the royals. Two new cases raise that issue: the upcoming wedding of their cousin, Peter Phillips, and who gets to be a godparent to the beloved baby of a close friend.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source writeroyalty.substack.com ’
