With move to ‘forever home,’ Prince and Princess of Wales could offer hint of ‘more egalitarian’ monarchy
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The Prince and Princess of Wales returned to official duties on Thursday after their summer break, not letting a torrential downpour get in the way of focusing on issues they regularly highlight these days, such as connecting young people to nature.
But while Prince William and Catherine were out of the public spotlight over the past few weeks, a broader hint also emerged of what the monarchy may look like down the road.
Word spread that the heir to the throne, his wife and their three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — are moving house by the end of the year.
They will leave the four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage, near Windsor Castle, and settle into the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge, a property in Windsor Great Park that will reportedly be their home for the long term, even after William becomes King. It’s understood they will pay market rent and continue not to have any live-in help at Forest Lodge, a Georgian red brick mansion owned by the Crown Estate that was built in the 1770s.
“They’ve had quite a few homes, but … the messaging seems to be very clear that this is the last stop. This is the forever home,” Justin Vovk, a royal historian and member of the advisory board of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada, said in an interview.
Beyond the specifics of where the Waleses — who have other homes at Kensington Palace in central London and Anmer Hall in Norfolk — are living for much of the time, the move to Forest Lodge could have larger implications.
“It is providing us with more insight into the kind of future we can expect with the monarchy under William,” said Vovk.
William himself has suggested he doesn’t necessarily want to follow all the royal patterns of the past.
“I can only describe what I’m trying to do, and … I’m trying to do it differently and I’m trying to do it for my generation,” he told journalists during a visit to South Africa last November.
“And to give you more of an understanding around it, I’m doing it with maybe a smaller ‘r’ in the Royal, if you like — that’s maybe a better way of saying it.”
The move to Forest Lodge could relate to that smaller “r” idea, said Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert and lecturer in law at Royal Holloway, University of London.
“In a sense, William does not seem to be interested in all of the trappings of monarchy,” Prescott said in an interview. “At the very least, he’s … sort of always talking about bringing the scale of the monarchy down and in a sense maybe that’s reflected in his thinking here.”
Vovk sees the move to Forest Lodge as “part of a broader program by the Waleses to establish … a more egalitarian” monarchy.
“The move to Forest Lodge, the lack of live-in help, the fact that the kids are going to learn to do chores … I think (it) is all designed … to make the monarchy more accessible, create a future King who has as much of a foot in the world outside of the palace as possible, which in turn then makes them more relatable and makes them more accessible,” Vovk said.
Word of the move attracted scrutiny in the U.K. media, with observers noting the Waleses have several homes, and have moved several times.
“Whenever any issue of housing comes along, I think this is one of those soft areas for the monarchy, because it’s attached to cost and privilege in a way,” said Prescott.
Some sensitivity to that may have accompanied the public acknowledgement of the move, with reports that the cost of any renovation at Forest Lodge will be borne privately and not by the U.K. taxpayer.
“They were very keen to say that they’re paying for the repairs or refurbishments, so that they have not fallen into the Harry and Meghan trap with Frogmore,” said Prescott.
Controversy arose after William’s younger brother, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, moved into Frogmore Cottage, near Windsor Castle. They later refunded British taxpayers 2.4 million pounds ($4.2 million Cdn) for renovations.
Still, the anti-monarchy group Republic is vowing to challenge the assertion that the move to Forest Lodge will not cost the taxpayer, and is also raising questions about the relationship between the Crown Estate and the Royals.
“Why does the Crown Estate allow the Royals to pick and choose which properties they can use, and where is the evidence that they are paying market rates for Forest Lodge?” Republic CEO Graham Smith said in a release.
“These are public properties. The public has a right to know what is paid for their use.”
The monarch’s official residence since 1837 has been Buckingham Palace, but from a practical standpoint, the iconic central London landmark hasn’t been the actual residence for a few years.
For much of her reign, Queen Elizabeth lived there, but it was known that she preferred Windsor Castle, and she spent more time there in her last few years.
King Charles lives down the street from the palace, at Clarence House, and seems unlikely to move to Buckingham Palace, where extensive renovations are ongoing.
Still, Buckingham Palace is a vivid public representation of the monarchy.
“Ever since the palace was opened up for public tours back in the ’90s, Buckingham Palace has become and remained this symbol of the monarchy, whether or not the monarch is present,” said Vovk. “There is always activity. It is this bustling hub of tourism, of conservation, of research.”
While the palace may not be the monarch’s actual residence, its symbolism could continue.
“That balcony is … probably the most iconic part of the palace,” said Vovk.
“Even though Charles is living at Clarence House… he still showed up on the balcony at the coronation. So the Royal Family can start to have more of a private space, while at the same time not diminishing the cultural and historic significance of Buckingham Palace.”
Back from the summer break
The royal calendar generally goes quiet in August. But with the page flipped to September, there are considerably more public events and visits on the agenda — and some will garner extra attention and scrutiny.
“In terms of the level of activity … I think it’s a sense of trying to show everyone back at full strength,” said Prescott.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, is in Calgary this weekend for her first visit as patron of the Spruce Meadows show jumping venue.
She and her husband, Prince Edward, will travel to Japan later in the month. Edward will precede that tour with a three-day visit in Papua New Guinea.
King Charles and Queen Camilla returned to their more regular schedules with separate visits to Cornwall and Birmingham this week.
But much attention will inevitably focus on two upcoming visits to the U.K.: one by Prince Harry and one by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Harry, who lives in California with his family, is due to be in London for a charitable event on Monday. Much curiosity will focus on whether there will be any kind of reconciliation with his father, King Charles.
“There will be speculation from everybody and unless one of them releases a formal statement claiming that a conversation happened, it’s pure speculation,” said Vovk.
Significant media attention will focus later in the month on the second state visit by Trump, who will be hosted by King Charles at Windsor Castle from Sept. 14 to 17.
“The interesting thing will be the speeches at the state banquet and what Charles says,” said Prescott.
How the King navigates the politics swirling around the visit — the invitation was issued as the U.K. was seeking a trade deal with the U.S. — will also be very interesting, Prescott suggested.
“Will there be anything about the environment? Maybe not. Maybe…. And what will the King say privately that he won’t say publicly? And then no doubt Trump will (mention that publicly) at some point. So, you know, Charles will have to be very careful.”
Trump’s visit, Vovk noted, is at the request of the U.K. government, and that means it’s the Crown’s responsibility to put the best foot forward and rise above partisan politics or personal opinions.
“This will be a moment in which some people will sing the monarchy’s praises for its ability to remain neutral and diplomatic. There will be others who will criticize it for not using it as an opportunity to push back against Trump, to publicly call him out,” said Vovk.
“But that’s not what the monarchy does.”
More controversy for Prince Andrew
The scandal and the embarrassment just keep coming for Prince Andrew.
The Duke of York stepped back from official royal duties after his disastrous BBC interview in 2019 regarding his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew also agreed to settle a lawsuit in which he was accused of sexually abusing a 17-year-old girl supplied to him by Epstein.
His reputation sank like a stone. Public appearances were generally limited to family occasions.
That reputation arguably fell lower still in recent days with publication of a biography that, in the words of the BBC, is an “unrelentingly unflattering” portrait of Andrew that “crackles with scandals about sex and money on almost every page.”
Andrew Lownie’s Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York clocks in at more than 450 pages and raises questions about the character of King Charles’s younger brother.
“I think it largely confirms in more detail broadly what we suspected. There are some specific, new things and allegations in it,” said Prescott.
The book claims that Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, had known Epstein for almost a decade before Andrew claimed to have met the disgraced U.S. financier.
“It basically demolishes the timeline that Prince Andrew set up for his involvement in interactions with Epstein,” said Vovk.
As much as Andrew, 65, might want to see some kind of public restoration of his royal role, that seems unlikely.
“There’s occasionally an idea that gets brought up of him wanting to make a comeback,” said Prescott.
“And then something happens that means that that’s impossible…. I think we’re in the third iteration of that.”
With Andrew no longer a working royal, Buckingham Palace has made no comment on the book. His office did not respond to queries from various media outlets.
Prince Andrew has been stripped of his military affiliations, royal patronages and the title ‘His Royal Highness’ a day after a New York judge rejected his bid to throw out a sexual abuse lawsuit against him.
Royally quotable
“I’m not too bad.”
— King Charles, when asked about his recovery as he undergoes treatment for cancer, during a visit Wednesday to a hospital in Birmingham, England. Charles also joked with patients about the challenges of getting older, saying “bits don’t work so well when you get past 70.”
Royal reads
The Duchess of Kent, who died Thursday at the age of 92, carried out her royal duties with the minimum of fuss. (BBC)
A new behind-the-scenes book about the Royals has been making headlines, including how Queen Camilla fended off a sexual assault when she was a teenager. (BBC)
Princess Anne’s 75th birthday was marked by the release of a new photograph of the King’s sister with her husband. (ITV)
Prince William made a surprise cameo with Canadian actor and comedian Eugene Levy in a trailer for the new series of Levy’s travel show. (Daily Mail)
Prince Harry is considering establishing a new charity after a dispute that led to him leaving Sentebale, a spokesperson has said. A U.K. charity regulator found there was no evidence of widespread bullying, harassment or misogyny at the charity he founded, but the commission criticized “all parties” for allowing a “damaging” dispute to play out publicly. (The Guardian, BBC)
Prince Harry and Meghan have signed a fresh multi-year film and television deal with Netflix, contradicting reports this year that the streaming company would not renew its contract with them. (The Guardian)
The government and opposition in the Caribbean island of Grenada have joined forces to drop the oath of allegiance to the British Crown amid growing calls to remove King Charles as the country’s head of state. (The Guardian)
Queen Camilla showed her playful side when she got into an original red phone box with eight schoolchildren as she visited England’s oldest picture gallery. (The Independent)
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