“The King was in his counting house, counting out his money.”
Well, that’s how the song goes but it now seems very likely that our future King William’s “counting house” will be in rather more modest accommodation than a palace or castle. The word is that he and Catherine intend to put down roots in a “forever” home in Windsor, shunning the lifestyle of former monarchs.
I’ve often heard William described as decisive, focused, and indeed, stubborn. After a troubled childhood and traumatic adolescence, he has turned into a strong-willed man who intends to do things his own way. And he doesn’t much care if traditionalists object.
Not that I see any reason for objections to the suggestion that William and Catherine don’t want to live in Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle. They have made it clear time and again that they want their three children to have as normal a life as is possible when you are born into the weird world of royalty. And cycling along the maze of corridors in the Palace (as the young Charles and Anne used to) or staging plays among the ghosts and dungeons of Windsor’s ancient Castle (like the young Elizabeth and her sister) is about as far from normal as you can get.
And so, for the past three years, the Prince and Princess of Wales have been living quietly in a modest four-bedroom house in Windsor Great Park. But with three growing children, it’s hardly surprising that they are finding Adelaide Cottage a bit on the small side. And with a great deal of wealth and an embarrassingly wide choice of Crown Estate properties at their disposal, it seems they may have settled on a rather lovely house called Forest Lodge.
By ordinary standards, it is, of course, pretty grand. With eight bedrooms, beautiful gardens and a tennis court it is said to be probably be worth £16m on the open market. It apparently needs a bit of renovation, but it’s reported that, to their credit, the Prince and Princess intend to fund any work themselves. Lessons have clearly been learned the Duke and Duchess of Sussex refurbishing their home, Frogmore Cottage, with taxpayer funds. And to be fair, Harry and Meghan paid the money back after leaving the UK.
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It would be unprecedented to have a King and Queen who were never in residence at one of the palaces or castles. It’s true that King Charles dislikes the idea of moving from Clarence House to the Palace, and may never do so, but he does spent a fair bit of time at Windsor Castle.
William and Catherine, however, have already taken things one stage further. They don’t have live-in staff at the moment, and it’s understood they don’t want anyone living with them in their new home. I can’t see them ever sitting down to a family meal at some huge dining table with liveried footmen standing by, ready to serve.
All of this would inevitably cause a real conundrum about what to do about these grand old buildings. It might also raise questions about whether £369 million of taxpayers’ money has been well spent refurbishing Buckingham Palace – although it will probably remain the (expensive) headquarters of the monarchy, occupied or not.
After a childhood spent shuffling between the homes of his quarrelling parents, William is determined to give his family the stability he missed. I think it’s unlikely that – even when his children are grown up – he will want to move “the Court” around the country in the way his father and grandmother have done.
At the same time, he is almost obsessive about guarding his family’s privacy. And the fact is that they can have a great deal more privacy in a secluded house in Windsor Great Park, than they could ever enjoy if they live in the middle of a major tourist attraction like the palace or castle.
Royal with a small ‘r’ is the way William has already defined the way he wants to do things. And Forest Lodge, if it is indeed to be his new home, is in keeping with that philosophy.
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