It has recently been announced that Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales have officially moved from their former home, Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor Castle estate to Forest Lodge, a historic Georgian mansion tucked away in a private part of Windsor Great Park. The couple, along with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, have lived at Adelaide Cottage since September 2022, but the move marks a new chapter for the family. The news has been met with some mixed feelings from local residents, particularly in the wake of the recent instalment of a no-go zone surrounding the house, which spans 2.3 miles and 150 acres.
While initial reports suggested the relocation would be completed by Christmas, William and Catherine decided to bring their plans forward so their children could settle in before Bonfire Night on 5 November. The family completed the move during their children’s half-term break from school, giving them time to adjust to their new home before the start of term. To thank the builders and the staff who helped to accelerate the move, the royal couple hosted a gathering at The York Club, a members-only pub near their new estate, on Friday, 31 October, a local source told the Daily Mail.
The move will offer the family the chance for a fresh start in new surroundings, which, considering the fact that while living at Adelaide Cottage Catherine was diagnosed with and underwent gruelling treatment for cancer, is an understandably welcome change. It is suggested that this will become the family's new permanent home, and is expected to remain so when William becomes King.
Forest Lodge, so called for its position surrounded by woodlands in Windsor Great Park, is a fine Georgian-era mansion, built in the 1770s and sensitively enlarged and renovated over the years since. Before adopting its current moniker, the house was called ‘Holly Grove’, though was changed to Forest Lodge, considered a more refined name, by Edward VIII in 1936. Since being acquired by the Crown in 1829 it has played host to a string of impressive residents, including Sir William Fremantle, Sir John Aird, and Sir Malcom Murray.
Its red brick, perfectly symmetrical façade is suitably grand, with the running count of chimneys and bay windows being six and nine respectively. Inside offers all of the Georgian-era loveliness that you would expect of a house of this prestige, including plasterwork, cornicing, venetian windows, marble fireplaces and a vaulted ceiling in the entrance hall. Restoration works were carried out on the house in 2001, which saw many of these details painstakingly repaired.
In 1998 the house was available to rent for £60,000 a year through Knight Frank estate agents, and its newest residents will be privately paying rent on the property too. Though little has been revealed of the interiors of the house, we do know that it is currently undergoing ‘light renovations’ including new doors and windows, removal of some internal walls, ceiling repairs and new floors, which is being paid for personally by William and Catherine. The couple has also announced that – as is the case in Adelaide Cottage – they will have no live-in staff, preferring the privacy that this would offer them.
The recently-announced exclusion area cuts into land which until now has been open to the public, and enjoyed by many dog walkers, as well as those out for a country walk. The ban also includes access to Windsor Great Park via Cranbourne Gate and its adjoining car park: signs erected on Sunday September 28 read ‘Due to the pending designation of part of the Great Park as an exclusion area, access via Cranbourne Gate will permanently cease’, according to The Times. The royals are being diligent with their protection, erecting gates as well as extra trees to obscure views into Forest Lodge, as well as access to its grounds.
