I got something wrong in last week’s story about Princess Eugenie. I really thought she lived The Royal Lodge Windsor, her father’s official residence. But she does not! Her official residence is/was a smallish “apartment” at St. James’s Palace, an apartment she shares with her sister Beatrice. Come to think of it, it sort of makes sense – both Beatrice and Eugenie have been jet-setting for years now, and Eugenie was living full-time in New York up until last summer. The St. James apartment was probably a temporary solution for the princesses while they figured out where they were going to call homebase. Now that they’re both permanently back in London, that smallish apartment must be getting sort of crowded, so Eugenie is moving… to Kensington Palace. Or rather, a cottage within Kensington Palace.
Welcome to the palace, Eugenie! Prince William, Princess Kate and Prince Harry are likely to have their cousin for a neighbor. PEOPLE confirms that plans are underway for Princess Eugenie, 26, to move into a cottage in the Kensington Palace compound that houses William and Kate, their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte, along with Harry.
Under the plan, Harry – whom Eugenie introduced to his last serious girlfriend Cressida Bonas – would live just yards away from his first cousin. He is in the two-bedroom Nottingham Cottage, while nearby the three-bedroom Ivy Cottage is being earmarked for her, says a source. The “rent” for apartments in Kensington Palace is private, but a comparable apartment in London might run as high as $4,500 per week. The palace does not disclose who pays the rent.
Eugenie currently lives in an apartment at St. James’s Palace that she shares with her older sister, Princess Beatrice, 28. A Buckingham Palace spokesman declined to comment on the potential move. But a friend tells PEOPLE that it is “under discussion.” There are still some things to iron out and nothing has been agreed yet, says the friend.
If she does relocate, it would continue a trend among the younger royals living relatively close together. Eugenie, who last week gave an insight into her royal and non-royal life, has been dating boyfriend Jack Brooksbank for several years now and there has been speculation that they are set to wed. A spokesman for her mother, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, tells PEOPLE, “They are not engaged and there are no plans to get engaged. But they are very much a couple.”
According to the Daily Mail, Eugenie and Beatrice weren’t paying any kind of rent for their SJP apartment, and I find it hard to believe that Eugenie would have to pay rent for a KP cottage either. The DM’s source reiterates People’s source though, claiming that Eugenie will pay “market rent.” I have a solution for everybody: just let Eugenie live in Apartment 1, the mansion-within-the-palace that underwent extensive and costly renovations and redecorating at the Cambridges’ behest, only for the apartment to stand completely empty for what amounts to 11 months a year. The Cambridges are too busy doing their Normal Middle Class Blokes cosplay in Norfolk. So let Eugenie have the apartment.
Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News, Fame/Flynet and WENN.
If there is rent it will be minimal but at least she is prepared to, unlike the other tennants of KP. Princess Alexandra who also lives there pays rent I believe.
The papers have been researching and releasing the rental information for years now. That is why Prince and Princess Michael of Kent ended up selling their beautiful country manor, because now they have to pay much more for their KP rent. The investigation also showed HM was housing a Bowes Lyon cousin in KP.
Does anyone know where Harry will live once he gets married and has children? Will The Queen provide him homes like she did with William?
He will be taken care of. He is a prince fourth to the throne. Trust me he will never hurt for anything in life. I only hope, for his sake he finds someone to fill his life with everything he wants for
@Egla, I truly think he will be King!
I feel mean pointing a finger at a young girl, but this particular young girl was born on home plate, and will never pay real money for anything, EVER! If she does it will be a peppercorn consideration, and will not come out of her own pocket, I daresay her grifter father, Airmiles Andy, will make some contribution towards the housing of his entitled offspring. Perhaps her mother will also move in as a flatmate, and they can run rampant in the royal environs together. I bet her Madge is thrilled.
We have to consider the role model of her parents, both grifters. Why should the apple fall far from the tree?
Diana and Charles were hard workers. Now explain William’s work-only-when-he-feels-like-it attitude.
Carole, as twisted as I find her in other ways, built a mail-order business. Her husband worked for an airline. Explain their three useless, work-shy adult children.
@notasugarhere, I am telling you I do not think WIlliam will be King and Harry will!
LOLOLOL if ya’ll Think she is actually “going to pay rent” to live in one of her grandma’s Palaces I have a BEAUTIFUL State of the Art bridge to sell you, In London, It’s Fantastic I tell you and only 9 Easy Payments!!
“The Cambridges are too busy doing their Normal Middle Class Blokes cosplay in Norfolk”
Bwahahahahahhaa. Oh Kaiser, that’s pure gold!!!
I don’t see why she should have to pay rent,
she and her sister are just as royal as William.
They are the only ‘blood’ royal princesses.
It seems like Will and Kate were gifted their so called apt (lol) and Anmer by Granny. I get that she’s not the heir but jeeez. Bad enough Charles trying to push everyone out but his kids.
Yeah, I don’t get it either.
Look at it this way. Beatrice and Eugenie are not classed as employees of the family firm, the family firm that is paid for by the taxpayers. Only designated employees are allowed to have taxpayer funded security and real estate.
I doubt she can afford market rate rent in the neighborhood. I wonder if the cottage is already rented. If not, it seems whatever rent she pays is a plus.
Nota, maybe she’s not classified as an employee, but I think she does more for the country and her grandparents than that consummate grifter, William.
I have to give them a pass on this one for security reasons. If someone kidnaps the Queen’s granddaughters, there’s a problem. Princess Anne’s daughter Zara lives at a house on the Gatcombe Park estate with her, because it is secure. Edward, Sophie & Andrew have houses on the Windsor Park estate, because it is secure. Kensington Palace has been set up as a secure outpost to house minor royals for decades. If she had decided that she wanted to buy a property in Chelsea, the cost to make it secure would be astronomical and paid for entirely by the British taxpayer.
Why is there a problem if ‘she’ is kidnapped? Isn’t it a problem if anyone is kidnapped? What exactly makes her special? I get that she may be more of a target, but no more so than anyone known to the public. We don’t pay for Idris Elba’s security; not sure why we should pay for this chick’s.
Are you seriosuly comparing the kidnapping of the granddaughter of a head of state to an actor? Of course it’s bad enough when any one gets kidnapped, but this is a Royal – the daughter of a Royal Duke and the granddaughter of a Queen R.
I went to school with children of CEOs and they had more security and safe cars than anyone I’ve ever met.
Yes I am. Granddaughter of ceremonial head of state is at the same level of importance as a celebrity. And I have no problem with getting security like your CEO friends. The royals can have that as well – they just need to pay for it themselves.
Because grace-and-favour rentals are a way of getting around the Sovereign Grant, which is intended to be the public contribution to the monarchy in full, except for security and local government expenses.
This is why the papers go to lengths to find out who is paying how much rent for which grace-and-favour apartments.
Peter and Zara don’t live at Gatcombe because someone requires them to. There were reports at the time Zara moved out that she was surprised she wasn’t going to get taxpayer-funded protection. That was when the budget cutting started, but it was a surprise to Anne, Peter, and Zara.
Zara and Mike lived off-Gatcombe for a year or two, but moved back before having Mia. They moved into the house formerly occupied by Mark Phillips. Peter and Zara choose to live there because Anne’s taxpayer funding extends to the entire estate. Convenient and often forgotten in the race to attack the Yorks for their living arrangements. Whenever they’re in London, Anne’s family probably stay at her place in KP. I doubt they pay for it. Once Anne passes away, security and all costs at the estate will be the responsibility of Peter and Zara.
There has been increasing pushback about who pays for security. In 2014 the Metropolitan Police refused to keep providing all the security at certain royal properties in London.
Edward, Sophie, and Andrew are working royals, that’s why they have those homes. If you’re not a working royal, you’re not supposed to have taxpayer-funded security or real estate. That doesn’t make you any less a target, but that is another issue.
I think that’s a good point. The security is already in place, so why not just have the members of the royal family move in?
I’m just curious – how many apartments are there at KP? Could they ever make members of royalty move in together? (Now that is a sitcom I want to see – assorted members of royalty under one roof!)
David used to call it the aunt heap due to the many (minor) royals living there.
When George V reduced the number of royals by dint of narrowing the definition of who could be one, they let the older set die out whilst encouraging only the narrowly defined set to keep living there.
It’s been gradual, but the royals have already been whittled down. You rarely see the children/grandchildren of the Kents or Gloucesters except at family events and Trooping the colour. It’s incredible to think that at some point the Kents and Gloucesters (with status of HRH Princ(ess) ) were as close to the throne as the Yorkies or Wessex kids.
That is a good point, LAK. As usual, you bring so much intelligence and information to the conversation!
I was thinking of something else. Someone could move in to an apartment at KP while in their 50s, for example, and live well into their 80s or 90s, and maybe even longer. That would affect the turnover in the cottages, too; if some of the members wind up living there for decades, then it’s harder to make room for the younger generations. I wonder what the plan will be down the road.
The Palace is also grace and favour for army personnel and royal staff, usually the top brass or as a special favour to an important senior royal.
When they leave or are sacked, their apartments become available. These can be used for royals so they don’t have to wait too long for apartments to become free eg Harry used to live in a 1BRM apartment that was previoisly used by royal staff and now lives in WK’s former home at KP.
But will this People magazine plant deflect the negative attention W&K received for the France jaunt? Or wash away the negative response to their upcoming Canada taxpayer-funded holiday?
I hope not. W&K are mooching, lazy people. They should be raked over the coals for what they are doing. Whether or not, Eugenie pays downmarket rent for living at KP is a separate issue between her grandmother and the Sovereign Grant. W&K are a different kettle of fish all together. They do nothing in comparable to all that they are given.
Market rent for the tiniest, pokiest 2-bed apartment in that area is about £3k per month. Jus’ sayin’.
Yeah, I have a friend looking to move in with her boyfriend and 1 bedrooms are going for 1000-1500 a month.
Tell me about it – i live in a pokey 1 bed place in a not so great area and pay £1,200 per month w/o bills on top. 🙁 Don’t get me wrong its a nice enough flat…
London rent is ridiculous now. In the late 90s, my friends and I were paying under £500 a month for a 3-bed house in a nice part of Chiswick. Same place today is about £3,000 a month. In comparison, average national wage has gone from £16,000 to £26,000. I honestly don’t know how people live!
It’s smart for Eugenie (and her parents) to get this all tidied up before the Queen passes on. Somehow I think – for better or worse- King Charles would be giving a much more jaundiced eye to Andrew’s children being set up for life in cottages at KP.
I believe royal reporter Camilla Tominey’s scoop (denied by Fergie) that Eugenie and her boyfriend are getting engaged in a matter of months and this is going to be their married home in London.
But I don’t think her digs at St James Palace were cramped or smallish–she was in a 4 bedroom apartment. The cottage is only 3 bedrooms but must be more desirable from other angles, paying market rent of course bwah ha ha.
Why? If Her Maj wants Eugenie taken care of after Her Maj dies, Her Maj can leave her some of her PRIVATE money in her will. Why should she ensconce herself when she is not a working royal? Why should she be upkept by anyone but herself?
Oh I agree Sixer. I just think some of the maneuvering behind the scenes which I trace to Andrew and Fergie is getting these two girls (women actually) set up pretty before Her Maj dies. Maybe they feel that after the Queen is gone, they can’t count on a generous bequest or even on getting permission to live on properties such as KP.
If Andrew/Fergie can afford a 13 million pounds chalet in Switzerland, they can afford to pay for their daughters’ housing.
Speaking of which the the DM article containing the denials about the Eugenie/Jack engagement, a source was quoted as saying that Jack can’t afford to support her yet, so that’s why they are delaying marriage. Retro anyone?
Devil’s advocate here, but what difference would it make if she paid for the apartment? Surely the rent money would go into the ‘royal family property income’ bucket, from which it would be re-spent on things like useless renovations and parties. It’s not like her rent would be sent to the NHS or something.
I don’t understand why this is a big deal.
If they have an empty apartment it’s not like some regular person can rent it. Might as well rent it (at whatever they want to charge) to a royal.
The value of rents is subjective, supply and demand. As the royal apartments are outside the normal whatever they decide to charge is fine (normally it would have to be enough to cover property taxes, upkeep and mortgage but as there isn’t likely a mortgage on 300 year old building and I have no idea how the taxes are handled, regular people can’t apply to rent so no demand)
I get the security issue so it makes sense for her to be in an already guarded property. I do have an issue with it if the taxpayer is subsidising a peppercorn rent. If she is paying full market value (which I doubt) fair enough.
Love the idea of her using the Dolittles empty place. Lol
The apt in SJP the sisters shared is the same apt shared by William and Harry after they moved out of Clarence House. The apt was constructed for the boys to share, and Harry stayed there after William got married and moved out. When William moved out of the cottage and into 1A, Harry moved into the cottage, and the girls moved into the apt at SJP. Google it.
Those girls get a lot of shade thrown at them and I don’t know why. Of course they’re well off and privileged but they are princesses of the blood and prepared to do their bit. And they always turn up reasonably appropriately dressed and polite. Charles is hellbent on slimming down the monarchy – remember the disgraceful balcony apprearance when Charles made sure only the Queen, Phil, Chaz, Cam, Bill and Kate appeared? And he is going to be SO SORRY because there won’t be enough Royals to take up all the Queens and Phils charities and do all the work. Especially if Bill and Kate keep acting like hermits and having a ‘normal’ life. I think it’s perfectly ok if they both end up in KP – much better security for them and they can have a bit more privacy.