Two families have been asked to leave their homes so the Prince and Princess of Wales can live in an eight-bedroom mansion, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
William, Kate and their three children are set to move to 300-year-old Forest Lodge later this year.
Nestled in a beautiful corner of Windsor Great Park, the Grade II-listed property has been described as their ‘forever home’, where William will remain even after he becomes King.
Two families have been asked to leave their homes so the Prince and Princess of Wales can live in the eight-bedroom mansion, Forest Lodge
The MoS has learnt that earlier this summer two separate families who lived in cottages next to the country mansion were asked to vacate their properties.
The cottages, converted from Forest Lodge’s stables, are understood to have been rented out by the Crown Estate, and the tenants, are said to have been ‘surprised’ at being asked to leave.
It is understood that no eviction notices were served and the tenants have moved to similar or better housing elsewhere in the 4,800-acre Great Park.
One well-connected source said: ‘They were told to move out. I guess they were given somewhere else, but they were told they had to move.
‘They were not expecting it. Those houses are very close to the lodge, so they’re not going to want any Tom, Dick or Harry living in those houses if there are going to be royals there.’
Forest Lodge is a considerable upgrade from the cosy four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage
With its chandelier-lit ballroom, tennis court, Venetian windows and extensive grounds, Forest Lodge is a considerable upgrade from the cosy four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage where the prince and princess and their young family have lived for the last three years.
Their stay at that property, around four miles from their new home, coincided with a challenging period for the Royal Family.
Queen Elizabeth died at Balmoral Castle weeks after they moved in. In 2024, both King Charles and Kate announced they had been diagnosed with cancer.
Royal insiders say William and Kate are hoping for a ‘fresh start’ at Forest Lodge and an opportunity to leave some of their more unhappy memories behind them.
Forest Lodge was last week a hive of activity, with new shrubs being planted in its grounds and builders in white vans visiting.
A metal fence with black mesh privacy screens has been erected around the front of the house.
The MoS revealed in July that the prince and princess were considering upsizing to a much grander residence.
Our scoop, however, was met with a degree of obfuscation by the Palace.
Aides initially attempted to steer this newspaper away from the story before clarifying that a move from Adelaide Cottage was not imminent.
It is understood that after publication, rival reporters were dismissively told that it was a so-called ‘silly season’ story.
In fact, plans for a move were by then well advanced.
It is understood that one of the options considered by the couple was Fort Belvedere, a magnificent gothic-revival mansion in Windsor Great Park which was the favourite home of Edward VIII.
The Grade II-listed property has been leased to the family of late Canadian retail billionaire Galen Weston since the early 1980s.
The MoS understands the family decided to renew their contract on the property earlier this year, which meant it was no longer available for the prince and princess.
Forest Lodge was last renovated in 2001 and is only a few miles from Lambrook School, which is attended by the three children.
It is understood William and Kate are paying for the move and rent at no extra cost to taxpayers.
Anmer Hall, a ten-bedroom Georgian house on the Sandringham Estate, was a wedding gift to the couple from Queen Elizabeth. It is their country residence
Early in the summer Kate was repeatedly seen at a storehouse on the Windsor Estate which houses surplus royal furniture and antiques, according to sources.
The Sun yesterday claimed she had been spotted picking out a 24-seater dining table.
‘This house is much larger than Adelaide Cottage. There is a dining room and drawing room which require substantial pieces of furniture,’ one source said.
The claim that Forest Lodge is the family’s ‘forever home’ has been met with scepticism by some royal insiders.
‘How can this be their forever home?’ asked one source. ‘It is not grand enough for a king.’
In 2013 aides suggested Kensington Palace would be William and Kate’s ‘forever home’ after they moved into the 20-room Apartment 1A, refurbished at the cost of £4.5million to the taxpayer.
The work included a new roof, electrics and a second kitchen in addition to the existing 350 sq ft kitchen.
A royal spokesman said at the time: ‘This is the duke and duchess’s only official residence. It is here that they plan to stay for many, many years to come.’
The choice of Forest Lodge as their long-term family home raises questions about the future of Buckingham Palace after William becomes King
The couple, however, moved to Adelaide Cottage in August 2022, along with George, 12, Charlotte, ten, and Louis, seven.
The couple were said to be ‘acutely conscious’ of the public money that had been spent and wanted to ensure it was still a ‘hub’ of activity.
Indeed, aides this weekend insisted that Kensington Palace will remain their ‘official London residence’ and their office staff will remain there.
It is understood, the Waleses will also keep Anmer Hall, a ten-bedroom property in Norfolk gifted as a wedding present by Queen Elizabeth.
The choice of Forest Lodge as their long-term family home raises questions about the future of Buckingham Palace after William becomes King.
The 775-room Palace, which has been home to monarchs since 1837, is undergoing a ten-year £369 million renovation.
It appears unlikely, however, that William will ever live there, raising the possibility of it being opened up to the public and used for only major royal functions.
It means William will become the first monarch not to live in a palace or castle when he succeeds Charles as King.
Built in the 1770s as a grace-and-favour property, Forest Lodge was home to Sir John Aird, Edward VIII’s equerry.
In the 1990s it was used by Lord Napier, Princess Margaret’s private secretary.
In 1998, two years after her divorce from Prince Andrew, it was reported that Sarah Ferguson wanted to move into Forest Lodge.
But the proposal is said to have been vetoed by Prince Philip.
The most recent tenants were Alex Fitzgibbons, the head of a luxury event-planning firm, and his wife, Swedish-American investor Cristina Stenbeck, who until recently was on the board of Spotify. They are understood to have moved out in the last year.
Mr Fitzgibbons, chairman of Fait Accompli, arranged the Buckingham Palace wedding after-party for William and Kate in 2011.
His firm also reportedly masterminded a reception for 200 guests at Frogmore House following Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018, and Pippa Middleton’s wedding reception in 2017, which featured a Spitfire flypast.
A high-profile former tenant of William and Kate’s ‘forever home’ was an ex-Tory donor dubbed ‘London’s most connected woman’.
Philanthropist Alisa Swidler was friends with former US President Bill Clinton and actress Charlize Theron, but died suddenly in 2019 aged 47.
The New York-born socialite lived with her husband Josh, a hedge-fund manager, and their five children at Forest Lodge for about a decade before they returned to the US.
Like Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte, the Swidler children all attended nearby Lambrook School.
Ms Swidler was known for throwing up to five parties a year, asking guests to donate to their chosen charities.
Photos seen by The Mail on Sunday show lavish banquets thrown at the Georgian manor house.
A source, who attended Ms Swidler’s parties, described the property as ‘absolutely stunning’, adding: ‘It felt very grand, it’s a very beautiful house.’
Ms Swidler was pictured with David and Samantha Cameron at the Conservative Summer Ball in 2016, and her online blog mentioned encounters with Boris Johnson and Theresa May at Tory events.
The blog also included selfies with Bill and Hillary Clinton, Paul McCartney and Stephen Fry.
Ms Swidler organised the Clinton Foundation’s ‘party of the year’ in 2013 – a fundraising event in the Old Vic Tunnels beneath London’s Waterloo Station.
As well as helping Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Unite charity, Ms Swidler was on the development board of the Royal Albert Hall and English National Ballet.
Philanthropist and ex-Tory donor Alisa Swidler was a high-profile former tenant of William and Kate’s ‘forever home’ before her death in 2019 aged 47. Pictured: Ms Swidler with David and Samantha Cameron at the Conservative Summer Ball in 2016
Princess Kate and William are moving to leave ‘unhappy memories behind’
The royals and their children will relocate to the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge in Windsor in pursuit of a “fresh start,” a royal source told NBC News.
LONDON — Britain’s Prince William and Princess Kate are preparing to move to a new home in pursuit of a “fresh start” after a challenging period for the family.
The royals, along with their children — George, Charlotte and Louis — will relocate to the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park.
The family have lived at Adelaide Cottage within the Windsor Castle grounds since August 2022, but after a tumultuous period marked by the death of Queen Elizabeth II and Kate’s cancer treatment, they felt it was the right time for a change.
“Windsor has become their home. However, over the last few years while they have lived at Adelaide Cottage there have been some really difficult times,” a royal source told NBC News.
“Moving gives them an opportunity for a fresh start and a new chapter; an opportunity to leave some of the more unhappy memories behind. This is a move for the long term. They see it as their forever home,” the source added.
The family first moved from London’s Kensington Palace to Windsor three years ago.
This latest move is being funded privately, with William and Kate paying market rent. As with Adelaide Cottage, the family will not have live-in staff.
In addition to their new Windsor home, the family maintains other residences, including Anmer Hall in Norfolk, where they spend much of the school holidays.
Their offices remain at Kensington Palace.
At the end of last year, William described the previous 12 months as “brutal” and “the hardest year in my life,” following cancer diagnoses for both his wife and his father, King Charles III.
Kate announced this January that she was in remission, months after completing her chemotherapy treatment. She spoke in July of feeling she had to put on a “brave face” but finding the period after her treatment “really … difficult.”
Kate Middleton reveals ‘life-changing’ cancer journey is a ‘rollercoaster’
The Princess of Wales openly discussed her “life-changing” cancer journey and “rollercoaster” recovery on a visit to an Essex hospital.
Speaking at Colchester Hospital, Kate Middleton revealed the toll cancer takes on family and friends.
“It is a life-changing experience both for the individual patient, but also for the families as well – and actually it sometimes goes unrecognised, you don’t necessarily, particularly when it’s the first time, you don’t appreciate how much impact it is going to have,” the princess told a group of users, volunteers and staff at the Cancer Wellbeing Centre.
The princess was diagnosed with an unknown form of cancer in March last year, in the same year as the King was also diagnosed with cancer.
After the diagnosis, she faced a nine-month battle and underwent “preventative chemotherapy”.
On 14 January, she confirmed that she is officially in remission for cancer, on the same day that she made a surprise visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital, where she was treated.
On her recent visit to the Essex hospital, the princess praised the centre’s “holistic” approach to the support it offers patients, relatives and carers, which includes counselling and dietary advice.
“There is this whole phase when you finish your treatment that you, yourself, everybody expects you, right you’ve finished your time, go, you’re better, and that’s not the case at all,” she added.
“You have to find your new normal and that takes time.”
After visiting the centre, the princess planted several coral-pink Catherine’s Rose plants in the hospital’s Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) wellbeing garden, which offers a restorative space for staff, patients and visitors.
The RHS named the flower after her to raise awareness about the importance of spending time outdoors for people’s physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.
Discussing her rollercoaster healing journey, the princess added that a support network is invaluable.
“Someone described the sort of healing, recovery journey to me as being like a sort of zig-zag,” she said.
“It’s a rollercoaster, it’s not one smooth plain, which you expect it to be, but the reality is it’s not, you go through hard times and to have a place like this, to have the support network, whether its through creativity and singing or gardening, whatever it might be, is so valuable and it’s great that this community has it.
“It would be great if lots of communities had this kind of support.”
Proceeds from the sale of Catherine’s Rose, bred by Harkness Roses, will support a national training programme for clinical teams to help patients who need intensive support live well with and after cancer.
Harkness Roses and Kensington Palace are donating 500 roses to wellbeing and community gardens across the UK this summer.
53 Times Kate Middleton Dressed Like Princess Diana
Impeccable taste seems to be a royal family trait.
In May 2025, Kate attended the naming ceremony for HMS Glasgow, wearing a navy Suzannah London coat‑dress that paid homage to the nautical Catherine Walker outfit Diana wore in Liverpool in May 1993.
At Trooping the Colour 2025, Kate’s teal Catherine Walker coatdress paid tribute to Diana’s teal ensemble during the late princess’s 1992 visit to Cairo, Egypt.
It also could have been a reference to Diana’s 1988 Trooping the Colour look.
Kate’s Royal Ascot outfit in 2022—a black-and-white polka dot dress by Alessandra Rich—nodded to the look Diana wore to the same event in 1988.
Kate took a page out of Diana’s style playbook for a February 2023 rugby match, wearing a red and white houndstooth coat that looked similar to a suit her late mother-in-law once wore in October 1991. Kate’s bespoke topper was designed by Catherine Walker, while Diana’s ensemble was designed by Moschino.
At the 2022 Earthshot Prize Awards, Kate wore Princess Diana’s emerald choker necklace with a neon green dress, just like Diana did at an event at the Dorchester Hotel in 1993.
Attending the St David’s Day Parade in March 2023, Kate chose a red coat and black hat that evoked Princess Diana’s look at a Christmas appearance.
During a royal visit to Jamaica in 2022, Kate’s dramatic green ballgown was a sartorial nod to a similar green ballgown that Diana wore in 1981.
The then-Duchess of Cambridge appeared at day 9 of the 2022 Wimbledon tennis championships wearing a prim polka-dotted Alessandra Rich dress and black and white spectator pumps, which echoed a blue and white polka dot dress by Catherine Walker, which Princess Diana wore multiple times in the mid 80s.
At James Bond premieres decades apart, both royal women chose metallic gowns. Left, Diana in at A View To A Kill premiere in 1985, and right, Kate at the No Time to Die Premiere in 2021.
Kate replicated her late-mother-in-law almost exactly with a cobalt boxy blazer and matching pleated midi skirt (from Zara and Hope respectively) by pairing it with a brown clutch from Metier for an appearance in Scotland on May 24, 2021. The only notable difference in their looks: Princess Diana wore her 1992-version of the outfit with blue pumps instead of camel suede.
A patterned dress Kate wore to a July 2020 engagement nodded to a dress that Diana was photographed in at Kensington Palace in 1985.
Skiing in Klosters, Switzerland decades apart, both Diana and Kate wore red ski jackets. (Diana in 1986 and Kate in 2005.)
Kate channeled a look that her late-mother-in law wore in 1984 for her second day of engagements on a solo trip to Denmark on February 23, 2022. The gun metal gray cashmere and wool coat has black cuffs and lapels and was designed by one of Kate’s dress go-tos: Catherine Walker. To complete the look, the she added black gloves, a black bag, and black stilettos.
The black-and-white dress Kate wore to Garter Day in 2019 echoed a similar dress Diana wore to VJ Day Commemorative events in 1995.
For her second day of the official tour of Pakistan (October 15), Kate wore a cobalt blue kurta and trousers, similar to a blue and gold kurta that Princess Diana once wore while visiting the region in the 90s.
On October 15, 2019, Middleton chose a green tunic coat designed by Catherine Walker, which she paired with Maheen Khan cream trousers, as well as a patterned green scarf from Satrangi reminiscent of a kelly green dress that Princess Diana wore on her trip to the region.
The then-Duchess of Cambridge arrived at the Pakistani Air Force Base Nur Khan on October 14, 2019 wearing a custom watercolor blue Catherine Walker dress and pants, echoing a similar teal outfit that her later mother-in-law wore on her official visit to the country.
Kate looked lovely in a pink floral frock while dropping off Princess Charlotte to her first day of school on September 5, 2019, similar to a number that Princess Diana wore to drop off Prince Harry at school in 1992.
Diana is seen here in a red tartan skirt suit by Caroline Charles in 1985; Kate appears in an A-line Emilia Wickstead skirt at a Christmas party for military families in London on December 4, 2018.
While visiting the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace in 2017—which had recently transformed into a White Garden dedicated in the memory of Princess Diana—Kate paid subtle tribute to the late royal, wearing a floral dress that evoked the dress Diana wore to her wedding rehearsal in 1981.
Diana at London’s Goldsmith’s Hall in 1981 wearing a strapless black gown with a ruffle at the bodice; Kate in a similar look in black velvet at the Sun Military Awards in 2011.
Diana in a royal blue dress with pin-tucked sleeves while visiting New Zealand in April 1983; Kate in a Jenny Packham dress while visiting the Imperial War Museum on October 31, 2018.
Diana in a Pepto-pink polka dotted dress in Perth in 1983, and Kate in a similarly hued Alexander McQueen dress coat at Trooping the Color in 2017.
Princess Diana leaving the hospital with newborn Prince Harry in 1985; Kate leaving the hospital with newborn Prince Louis in 2018.
Princess Diana in a gray coat with a velvet collar; Kate in gray glen check blazer by Smythe over a black turtleneck and jeans for an event in October 2018.
Princess Diana in a classic short sleeve pink Versace suit and pillbox hat in 1995; the then-Duchess of Cambridge in a soft pink Emilia Wickstead coat dress for a 2012 garden party at Buckingham Palace.
Diana in purple Versace at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago in June 1996; Kate wearing Issa to celebrate National Canada Day in July 2011.
Diana in a scarlet and gold flecked dress in 1981, and Kate wearing a red and gold dotted halter dress at the Chakravarty Cup in 2006.
Diana in a graphic frock and a white jacket while visiting Wales in 1993; Kate in a printed dress and an ochre coat the day before her wedding in 2011.
The late Princess of Wales in an orange suit with a black belt while visiting Liverpool in 1995, and the then-Duchess of Cambridge wearing a red suit with a black belt in 2001.
Princess Diana wearing a teal dress coat in New Zealand in 1983, and Kate Middleton wearing a teal Emilia Wickstead dresscoat on Palm Sunday in New Zealand in 2014.
Diana wearing a gray pinstriped suit dress with a pussybow blouse while visiting Italy in 1985. Kate in a similar a pussybow blouse paired with a sporty olive green outfit on a visit to Canada in 2016.
Princess Diana dressed in a lavender skirt suit while visiting Washington D.C. in 1997 and Kate wearing lavender Emilia Wickstead while attending the Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit on October 9, 2018.
Diana attending a premiere in April 1993 wearing a structured midi-length blazer dress; Kate wearing cream Alexander McQueen for Princess Charlotte’s christening in 2015.
Princess Diana in blue and green tartan with a lace collar and cuffs at the Bute Highland Games in 1987 and Kate wearing green and blue tartan Alexander McQueen in 2012.
Diana wearing a tan outfit with a matching feather plume fascinator on her first official visit to Wales in 1981 and Kate wearing a gold coat and fascinator at the wedding Laura Parker Bowles and Harry Lopes in 2006.
Diana visiting Westminster in June 1990 in a shocking pink skirt suit with black buttons, and Kate in the same color dress coat (complete with the button detailing) while pregnant with Princess Charlotte in March 2015.
Diana in an emerald Jasper Conran suit in 1983, and Kate in the same hue at a St. Patrick’s Day parade in 2014.
Princess Diana wearing a classic red suit at the launch of the HIV/AIDS Charity London Lighthouse’s New Appeal; Kate in a modern take on the look at the opening of the Global Academy in support of Heads Together in April 2017.
Princess Di wearing a royal blue admiral blazer with gold buttons while visiting Oxford in 1990, and Kate Middleton wearing an admiral-style Alexander McQueen dress coat at the Irish Guards Medal Parade in 2011.
Diana wearing a draped blue silk gown while pregnant with Prince Harry in 1984, and Kate wearing drapey Jenny Packham at the premiere of James Bond Spectre in 2015.
Diana in a blush brocade Catherine Walker look while in Indonesia in 1989, and Kate in a blush floral dress while touring Singapore in 2012.
Diana wearing a blue dress with lace overlay in Cardiff in 1995, and Kate wearing cobalt Erdem with lace detailing in Canada in 2011.
Diana in a sleek white suit with a peplum top at the Royal Ascot in June 1986; Kate wearing a peplum Alexander McQueen dress.
Princess Diana in dark velvet sailor dress with a white collar and red bow at Buckingham Palace in 1980; Kate in a cream and navy nautical-inspired Alexander McQueen sweater dress in Canada in 2011.
Diana wearing an ivory and gold Emanuels gown at a dinner at the German Embassy in London in 1986; the then-Duchess of Cambridge in white and gold at an official dinner in Kuala Lumpur during the Diamond Jubilee Tour in September 2012.
Diana in a Sandra Rhodes dress while visiting Japan in 1986; Kate wearing a sequin-covered Jenny Packham gown at the 2011 ARK Gala.
Diana wearing an Ivory gown in 1988, and Kate in her wedding reception dress in 2011.
Princess Diana in pastel blue Catherine Walker to Easter Services in April 1987; Kate wearing double-breasted Matthew Williamson while visiting Pembroke Refinery in Wales in November 2014.
Diana wearing a green polka dotted dress to present Prince William on the day after his birth in 1982; Kate wearing a blue polka dotted dress to present Prince George after his birth in 2013.
Diana in a white and gold Catherine Walker admiral dress during a visit to Surrey in 1987; Kate in nautical Alexander McQueen while visiting Bletchley in 2014.
Diana in a red coat with a whimsical black hat (dainty netting included) in Sandringham on Christmas Day in 1993; Duchess Kate at the Sovereign’s Parade at the Royal Military Academy in Berkshire in the same red-coat-black-hat combination.
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