2026 will mark a new beginning for William and Kate: Not only will Prince George be moving to high school, but the year that is about to begin it will be the Prince and Princess of Wales’s first at their new home, Forest Lodge. The future royals consider the eight-bedroom mansion in Windsor Great Park the “forever home” for the family and represents a significant step forward in terms of living space. With Kate’s health hopefully improving, this will also be an opportunity to fill her new home with happy memories, leaving the dark days of her battle with cancer behind her. “After two very difficult years, I think the whole family will be looking forward to starting a new chapter,” she told OK! Magazine royal expert Katie Nicholl. “Forest Lodge is a new beginning. It is an opportunity to put that difficult period behind us and look to the future with confidence.”
News of the Wales family’s move came in August, when there was talk of plans to move from Adelaide Cottage, a four-bedroom house, to Forest Lodge. The Georgian villa is about 5 kilometers away, but is a much larger and more impressive building, with original parts dating back to 1770. Surrounded by woods, it boasts a large driveway, a tennis court and even a ballroom. Photos taken during the 2001 renovation also reveal an impressive array of period features, including a marble fireplace, a hallway with vaulted ceilings and ornate stucco work. Forest Lodge belongs to the Crown Estate and, although it is said to be worth around €18 million, William and Kate will rent it out. An exact figure has not been announced, but it is estimated that the couple’s monthly expenditure could exceed 17 thousand euros.
The Kate and William’s new home is hidden in a private area of Windsor Great Parkwith new gates to protect the family from prying eyes. Other recently added security measures include high-tech CCTV cameras, large wooden fences and even additional trees to protect their privacy. An “exclusion zone” of around 60 hectares has also been created, into which entry is prohibited. Yet despite its isolation and rural location, Forest Lodge is less than an hour from Bucklebury Manor, where Kate’s parents live, and six kilometers from the children’s school, Lambrook. Kensington Palace in London, where their offices are based, is also relatively easy to get to.
Understandably, William and Kate were keen to leave their mark on Forest Lodge, so the property has been renovated in preparation for their arrival. The privately funded works included new doors and windows and the removal of some walls internal. privately financed. But while it’s an impressive home, Katie Nicholl says Kate’s taste in interiors is anything but flashy. “Kate has a clear sense of style.” It is contemporary and classic, with neutral tones. If you look at his wardrobe, you notice a sense of timeless elegance, which is very much reflected in the choice of interiors.”
While we’re unlikely to get a glimpse inside the finished family home, celebrity interior designer Ben Pentreath is understood to be a favorite of the princess and could be in charge of the decor. Counting Liv Tyler and Sarah Jessica Parker among her clients, she helped renovate Anmer Hall on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk and also helped furnish the Kensington Palace apartment that Kate shares with William when he is in London on official engagements. “Kate was very involved with both Kensington Palace and Anmer Hall“, says Nicholl. “You won’t just go shopping in the most exclusive interior design shops on King’s Road. When it comes to her wardrobe, she pairs McQueen with a touch of street style, and I think she’ll do the same when it comes to her home interior design. You’re just as likely to see her browsing the shelves at Peter Jones.”
Kate and William have already revealed that their children’s bedrooms contain Ikea furniture, but the princess also likes to promote local brands. And given how much George, Charlotte and Louis love cooking, crafting and playing in the garden, Forest Lodge definitely puts family first. “It will be a concrete home, there will have to be a practical element to everything,” adds Nicholl. “There are three little kids running around, and we know how much they love arts and crafts and being outdoors.”
The family is passionate about gardening and cooking, so they will probably appreciate their new vegetable garden and their new kitchen. “We grow our own vegetables,” Kate said. “We have carrots, beans, beets, one of our favorites.” And, given that the princess is a talented pianist, perhaps a piano will soon take pride of place in the living room. Kate has been playing since she was a child and surprised fans at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023 when she joined singers Sam Ryder and Joss Stone to play on the contest’s opening theme.
Whatever the family’s finished home looks like, they are said to be looking forward to creating many fond memories there. Without a doubt, board game sessions will be a regular event. Monopoly and Risk are apparently the family’s favorite games and William admitted: “Usually everyone gets very angry… because they lose.” “Perhaps the Prince and Princess of Wales will become our first kings and queens not to live in a castle or a palace,” adds Nicholl. “We’ve heard William talk about how he envisions change when it comes to his time on the throne, and we wonder if this move to Forest Lodge is perhaps one of the nods to royalty with a small ‘r’, rather than a big ‘R’, that we might see from both of them. After all, they have always had the ability to surprise us and do things their own way.”
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