This week, we learned something most of us knew months ago, which is that Prince Andrew will not be evicted from Royal Lodge. Andrew has lived in Royal Lodge since the Queen Mum passed away and QEII agreed to give Andrew a sweetheart deal on the lease. Royal Lodge is a 30-room mansion with extensive grounds within the larger Royal Windsor Estate. Hilariously, Prince William wanted Royal Lodge for himself and William has been trying to get his uncle evicted for the past two years. King Charles finally gave in and announced the evictions of both Andrew and Prince Harry, and Charles planned to “give” Frogmore Cottage to Andrew. Andrew refused to budge, meanwhile the Sussexes packed their things and left Frogmore. No one knows who is living in Frogmore now. Well, now Buckingham Palace and the Duke of York are trying to put a bow on it and act like “well, it’s not like William needed another home, after all.” LOL.
There is little sign that Prince William will move into Royal Lodge, the 30-room mansion in Windsor Great Park, any time soon. And there is every sign, says Richard Eden, that Prince Andrew will continue living his home of three decades, even though his older brother, King Charles, wants to move him out – and move the Waleses in!
But writing in the latest edition of his Palace Confidential newsletter, Eden says this could be good news for William, who already lives in three homes at once, including Kensington Palace and ten-bedroom Anmer Hall.
‘In my opinion, Andrew may have done his nephew, Prince William, a favour with his stubbornness,’ he writes. ‘A friend of the Yorks tells me: “I don’t know why the King thought it would look better for William and Catherine to have Royal Lodge in addition to all their other properties than for the Duke and Duchess to remain there.”‘
The Prince and Princess of Wales had been expected to move their growing family into Royal Lodge in the coming months, after expensive renovations had been carried out. But as Eden explains, ‘when King Charles demanded earlier this year that his brother Prince Andrew move out , it was never going to end well.’
After all, the Duke of York had paid £1million for a 75-year lease on the Queen Mother’s sprawling Grade II-listed mansion in 2003 and has since spent more than £7.5million on extensive renovation work. It is also home to his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York.
‘The suggestion that the pair could move into somewhere smaller on the Windsor estate, such as the home from which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had been evicted, Frogmore Cottage, rubbed salt into their wounds,’ he writes. ‘Now, however, Andrew appears to have won his power struggle with his elder brother.’
William and Kate certainly aren’t short of homes. Currently, they live in the four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage at Windsor. They also own Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace, a 20-room property that was renovated using £4.5million of taxpayers’ money in 2013. In addition, they own Anmer Hall, a ten-bedroom country house on the Sandringham Estate.
The thing I don’t want people to forget is that no one – not QEII, not Charles, not Camilla, not Andrew – no one wanted William and Kate to move to Windsor. “They” suddenly “decided” that they needed to move in 2021 because their big, fancy Kensington Palace apartment wasn’t good enough and Kate wanted to be closer to mummy. Kate wanted the kids to go to school outside of London and William used that opportunity to talk his father into setting Kate up in a separation home. Kate had such plans, she wanted a palace or a fort or some kind of estate with extensive grounds. Instead, she got a four-bedroom cottage with no space for live-in staff and a closet full of discount wigs.
So… yes, William did want Royal Lodge and yes, it would have looked bad if he had gotten it. The thing is, if they had gotten Royal Lodge, they would have “moved out” of Adelaide Cottage, right? So they would have one mansion in Windsor, one mansion in London and one mansion in Norfolk. See, they’re practically peasants! I also love how no one is talking about what is currently happening with Frogmore. The whole point of evicting the Sussexes was that it “looked bad” for such a great property to be sitting vacant for a large part of the year, right?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales (L) and Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales leave in a horse-drawn carriage from St George’s Chapel after attending the Most Noble Order of the Garter Ceremony in Windsor Castle in Windsor, on June 19, 2023. The Order of the Garter is the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain, established by King Edward III nearly 700 years ago.,Image: 784252412, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: HENRY NICHOLLS / Avalon
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- Camera Press Rota 04465561. The Prince and Princess of Wales attend the Royal Order Of The Garter Installation Service at Windsor Castle.,Image: 784267831, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Camera Press Rota, Model Release: no, Credit line: David Dyson / Avalon
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- King Charles, Camilla, Queen Consort, Prince William, Catherine Princess of Wales, Prince Harry and Meghan Duchess of Sussex on a walkabout to meet members of the public at Windsor Castle in Berkshire following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday. Featuring: Prince Harry, Meghan Duchess of Sussex Where: Windsor, England, United Kingdom When: 10 Sep 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales meet volunteers and operational staff at Windsor Guildhall, Berkshire, who were involved in facilitating the Committal Service for Queen Elizabeth II at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on Monday and supporting the crowds that gathered to commemorate her passing. Featuring: Prince William and Catherine Princess of Wales Where: Berkshire, England, United Kingdom When: 22 Sep 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- Royals head to Easter Mattins Service at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Featuring: Prince William, Catherine, Princess Of Wales, Prince Louis, Prince George, Princess Charlotte Where: Windsor, Berkshire, United Kingdom When: 09 Apr 2023 Credit: Yui Mok/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Prince William The Prince of Wales during a visit to Maindee Primary School in Newport, Monmouthshire, as part of his tour of the UK to launch a project aimed at ending homelessness. Featuring: Prince William Where: Newport, United Kingdom When: 26 Jun 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Prince William The Prince of Wales during a visit to Maindee Primary School in Newport, Monmouthshire, as part of his tour of the UK to launch a project aimed at ending homelessness. Featuring: Prince William Where: Newport, United Kingdom When: 26 Jun 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales during the Out-Sourcing Inc Royal Charity Polo Cup 2023 at Guards Polo Club, Windsor, which raises funds and awareness for eleven charities supported by the Prince and Princess of Wales. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William Where: Windsor, United Kingdom When: 06 Jul 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince of Wales during a visit to a Pret A Manger store in Bournemouth, Dorset, to meet with national and local businesses pledging their support to the Prince’s Homewards project in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Featuring: Prince William Where: Bournemouth, United Kingdom When: 07 Sep 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
I can’t believe I rooted for Prince Andrew to win this battle.
LOL! So did I. Yikes.
Same but even a broken clock is right twice a day. I hate typing these words but Andrew is right to fight this.
I know! I think it’s the one and only time I’ve ever been on Andrew’s side. 😆
Right. Me too.
Something tells me that William doesn’t even live anywhere in the Windsor estate, just Kate in Adelaide Cottage.
My guess is that William lives in London full time and just travels to Windsor for the kids, or whenever is convenient for him.
If William got Frogmore Cottage, we would be hearing about it.
But we wouldn’t be hearing about William using FC bc that would confirm the separation.
I suspect William is in Kensington 1A as well. Last week I was in London and walking by KP, and watched a helicopter take off from there. I was thinking that surely there aren’t any individuals, aside from Will, who uses helicopter to get around.
I know that Anne and Sophie and Edward do use the helicopters, but I think mainly for work purposes. William uses it like a taxi so i’m going to assume that’s who you saw using it.
Plus Edward/Sophie’s London living space is at BP, Anne and Alexandra’s are at SJP. A helicopter for any of them would land at BP or St James Park, not at KP.
Peg and Can’t don’t live together so this they wanted royal lodge are bull💩 stories to make people believe they are still together.
Royal Lodge is the prototype for living together but not together, it has worked for Andrew and Fergie for so many years🙄 so I can see that setup appealing to William😏
Is the tide slowly turning a bit due to the drought provided by the Sussexes? The BM always like to bludgeon the Sussexes over using “tax payer money” to renovate Frogmore Cottage. Now it’s being slipped into a generally favorable commentary on the WanKs. They’re so thirsty for anything.
At times the BM doesn’t make it clear that the Sussexes were evicted from Frogmore. But I see that is clearly stated here.
Am wondering if a path is being smoothed to offer Frogmore back to H&M as a conciliatory gesture? Now that they are publicizing that Andrew will not be moving there it could be the opening KFC needs to reverse some of his bad press around H&M.
I cannot imagine they’ll offer FC back. It’s really a mystery though. Such a big deal was made that FC couldn’t just sit empty all year. A well-renovated house in Windsor. Something’s going to happen with it. If William’s not secretly using it, then would they offer it up as a rental and make money off it? Either the crown estates is losing money as we speak or Charles is paying the rent to the crown estate, essentially paying for Harry and Meghan not to live there.
They will probably move the Wales’ staff there – remember that Adelaide is so small they can’t accommodate live in staff?
Rent is paid by occupants, since no one lives there, no rent is due. I wouldn’t be surprised if they turn it back into apartments for staff.
So who’s going to pay the money to revert it back? It would cost money to turn it back into staff apartments. That feels like a waste.
They shot themselves in the foot when they evicted the Sussexes because regardless of what they do it makes the royals look bad. Putting it up for rent doesn’t make any sense because it was already being rented by the Sussexes. Letting it sit dormant doesn’t make sense because they complained incessantly about it not being used year round. Letting William or another royal move into it means that the eviction was petty and only done to hurt the Sussexes. Any royal moving into it is now leaving another royal home vacant. The allowing Andrew to stay in Royal Lodge was going to happen anyway. Their only goal was to remove the Sussexes and probably force them to move into a royal home that they would have more awareness of when they are there. They want access to the Sussexes so they can abuse them to make themselves happy and to give the media more material to write about them.
Agree @nerd, that nothing makes sense about FC.
@megan, you’re absolutely right. If there is no occupant at FC then no rent is paid. Thus, the crown estates will show a loss in regards to FC as the Sussexes are no longer paying their lease and neither is anyone else. When does that report come out?
Cowmilla will tell Chuck to give FC to one of her spawn, and he will. It won’t be long before they are given titles and called working royals. One of them will get Frogmore & Cowmilla will think she was so clever giving the house Meghan made beautiful to one of her brats
They wouldnt take it. It messes with their independence. Neither of them are having that, risking toxic environments, interactions, opportunity for more trash stories about how they ‘crawled back’ to FC. Nope, they are done. They will get their own place in the UK if they need one.
@Dianna I can see Charles thinking he could offer Frogmore back to Harry but I can’t see Harry accepting a royal home. Harry sees his bio family for the nest of vipers that they are and while he may want a familial relationship with his father I doubt Harry trusts Charles enough to live on royal property (too many nosy staff, listening bugs) and Harry definitely would not ask Meghan to live on royal property.
Part of the issue too is that royal lodge had a valid lease that couldn’t be broken as easily as frogmore cottage, since the latter was a “royal peculiar” meaning the monarch can do what they want. Harry won’t get into another building like that because even if Charles is fine, it means William can do what he wants if he becomes monarch.
Love how it’s a friend of the Yorks that Eden cites as pointing out how bad it would have looked for the wales to have yet another house, what with all there other properties. In some ways, if Kate really wanted to have the kids move schools to Windsor, it’s better to have them to do it when the kids are still young? I just don’t think that was necessarily the reason for the move.
Right, first off, Paedrew has a bigger property than working royals, Prince Edward and wife. He does not need that.
Next, Eden KING CHARLES is right there! As former Prince of Wales the man had more real estate than the current Prince of Wales. Transylvania, Birkhall, property in Cornwall, Clarence House, property in Wales, Highgrove, ???. Now as monarch, KC also has way too, too much real estate. A ridiculous 10 estates or more. I despise PW, don’t believe he needs more property per se, but I definitely believe that his father and uncle need (much) less.
Property in Cornwall would belong to PW now since he is the current Duke of Cornwall. For some reason the media likes to ignore that fact. Andrew’s property has more acreage than Bagshot, but Bagshot is 120 rooms to Royal Lodge’s 30.
Is Royal Lodge bigger with 30 rooms? Bagshot Park, where the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh live, has 120 rooms. It has 51 acres.
🤦♀️Instead of “30 rooms” I read “30 bedrooms”… sorry. RL comes with several extra buildings and lots of land that I believe only the Yorks make use of?
I can’t find this anywhere anymore, but I had thought Edward and Sophie rented part of their property?
1) Andrew was a working royal at the time the lease for the Royal Lodge deal happened.
2) The lease on Royal Lodge isn’t tied to Andrew being a working royal or him being convicted of any crime. Just as the Weston family lease on Belvedere isn’t. Or Edward and Sophie’s on Bagshot. Or Princess Alexandra’s lease on Thatched House (her husband bought the sublease).
3) Andrew (or mummy using his future inheritance) paid for the lease and paid for the restoration. Twice. It is his for 70+ more years *as long as he finds the money for general upkeep*.
4) Fergie, Beatrice, and Eugenie will inherit the lease. As long as they and their husbands can keep up the maintenance, they get to live out the 70 years on the lease.
5) The lease cannot be revoked/cancelled unless the lease holder doesn’t do the required upkeep. That’s the carrot Charles in dangling in front of William’s nose. I won’t evict Andrew now, but if you want RL as the home for Wife #2 in a few years? I’ll see what I can do to get him out later.
6) If Charles pushes Andrew on this, Andrew turns to an oligarch friend who pays for the upkeep.
NotASugarHere, PA is “good things happen to bad people” in triplicate. At one point the press was clamoring about the £250 that PA pays per week to rent, which they seemed to indicate was illegal since it was so far under market value. Edward increased the amount he pays per year for Bagshot Park. As to #5 on your list, you’re correct: https://www.freeths.co.uk/2023/07/05/the-king-the-duke-and-the-affair-of-the-royal-lodge/
Probably if PA realizes that he can’t pay for upkeep he’ll implement #6 on your list anyway if he hasn’t already.
The lease for Royal Lodge has been reviewed and found legal and sufficient, no matter what lies the press want to manufacture about it for clicks.
Most of the Windsors are ‘good things happening to bad people’. Andrew isn’t the exception here.
Ye gods and little fishes, it just gets worse and worse! So Prince and princess pathetic spent 4 5 million renovating a flat that they don’t live in!! And it was TAX PAYERS MONEY. Harry and Megan spent 2.5 on renovating a property they LIVED IN and they were pilloried for it!! They moved out, but STILL paid the lease till daddy dearest evicted them! There is no way in hell it’s standing empty let’s see what the next lot of Royal accounts show, (after they have been massaged a La trump 🙄), now let’s ask the question that’s on all our lips, HEY prince pathetic, how many toilets do you have 😂😂
Right @mary pester? Won’t this show up in the accounting somehow? But yes imagine it will be finessed in some way.
Mary Pester, KP1a is potentially not empty at the moment, because the helicopter is regularly in use there. Kind of PW and K to get as much use out of two places at once. 😛
Kate renovated the kitchens multiple times with taxpayer money and the criticism for that was so minor especially compared to what Meghan faced for far far less.
I think Kate was just preparing well in advance for George’s most important school transition in a few years time. Eton College is at the top end of Eton High Street, on the other side of the river from Windsor. Just a fifteen minute stroll from Windsor Castle.
my guess is William is living in Frogmore Cottage
after everything william has done, with and without his wife, i totally believe he is nutty enough to move into harry and meghan’s old home with his side piece. probably to stage another photoshoot roleplaying that he and his mistress is harry and meghan like he has done with kate numerous times now. i would bet william watched the documentary, and watched it A LOT. we don’t emphasize enough how odd and inappropriate this behavior truly is. it is gross and disturbing. they are doing a mental health summit, while their whole family needs help the most.
@anamaria me to
I doubt it. Frogmore Cottage is too publicly-accessible. Anyone walking the public paths at Windsor could see him and squeal to the press. He may be in a small apartment at Windsor Castle or in Garden House (QEII’s cousin Margaret Rhodes’ old home). Both of those would enable him to hide his movements from the public and press.
Hmm. Part of my reasoning for William using FC was that it was more private than WC and recently renovated. But if it’s not that private? Idk, I’m just curious about FC. Bc if I’m curious then surely the rota is asking the palace about it too. And getting no answer. Maybe they will just let a recently renovated piece of property on Windsor sit their empty.
FC isn’t that private. That was proved by one of the most violent Meghan haters. The one who flew all the way to NYC, stood outside the hotel, and was threatening online to stab Meghan in the stomach as she exited the baby shower ‘to prove the pregnancy was false’. Wore a kerchief over her face to hide her identity. That same person was at Frogmore Cottage the day Archie was born, photographing just how close she could get to FC on the public paths.
If William is living separate from Keen at Windsor? He’s in Windsor Castle itself or in another property that is MUCH more hidden than FC.
Well that’s scary af. Idk why but whatever happens with FC is my bone to pick over.
You underestimate William’s racism. He’s not going to move into a house that was previously occupied by a black woman
I sort of disagree with Eden: Prince Andrew does NOT need Royal Lodge full stop. Technically it’s not a question of William not getting Royal Lodge, but Paedrew retaining it. Eff him! This guy can definitely downsize.
Want and need are definitely different things, but Andrew holds a legally binding lease on the royal lodge and there isn’t anything Charles can do about it.
Oh think of the teddy bears! They need plenty of room
LOL, this article is kind of shady. Reminding people of all W&K’s properties, reminding people that public money was spent to renovate KP1A, and just putting out there what we have been saying – why would W&K need Royal Lodge given all their other properties??
No, Andrew does not need Royal Lodge. Neither do W&K. So here I’m laughing that Andrew won the battle because we all know the Waleses absolutely wanted it and probably thought with QEII gone that Charles would make it happen.
I think both William and Kate wanted RL but for different reasons.
William wants it for his second family. He can wait a few years and work to get Andrew moved out later.
Kate wanted it as her separation home. She lost and ended up with Adelaide.
Notice the focus on William – HE doesn’t need royal lodge in addition to the other properties. And it doesn’t say that William agrees that his uncle has done him a “favour” in saving himself from his most selfish impulses. I think we can conclude that The Other Brother is still salty!
I also noticed in this part that they explicitly say Will (not Kate and Will) and then don’t mention Adelaide Cottage.
“But writing in the latest edition of his Palace Confidential newsletter, Eden says this could be good news for William, who already lives in three homes at once, including Kensington Palace and ten-bedroom Anmer Hall.”
👀 oh wow, good catch, @Tina E! That’s interesting. William should live in 4 places if he’s actually living at Adelaide cottage, not 3.
The last paragraph does mention them both currently living at Adelaide. But you’re right, the opening paragraph refers to William alone living in 3 places. Curious.
Willy doesn’t get RL and pa won’t agree to him divorcing. The Incredible Sulk isn’t going to like being thwarted twice in quick succession, is he?
“ The Incredible Sulk”
😂😂😂
😂😂😂That’s my new favourite name for Willy.
Ok, the part I don’t get is how they expected to move their “growing family.” What does that mean – that the kids are growing taller, growing older? Who says that? Usually, you say that when there will be an addition to the family – the family itself is growing.
Growing a side piece? Yeah it’s weird.
Maybe the intention back then was to have a fourth child? Certainly, that isn’t the case now – another reason they don’t need Royal Lodge – and with the kids getting older and eventually going off to school, the family will be diminishing rather than growing.
Hmm. I’m trying to think back to when talk of moving to Windsor happened. Wasn’t it after the separate zoom rooms during Covid? I can’t imagine them thinking about a 4th child at that point.
Once Louis hit 2 years, that would have been the time for a fourth child, but that was 2020 and the rose affair was well exposed by then. Plus William had moved out of Anmer during the lockdown. Let’s not forget how he got Covid and zero mention was ever made or kate or the kids getting it.
Exactly. IMO he was in Wood Farm from spring 2020, with a brief period when he moved to the main house when Philip moved back to WF for a few weeks in the fall. Long before the changeover in zoom rooms; Wm didn’t spent lockdown 2020 at Anmer with Kate and kids.
Kate was trying to compete with Rose. It was after the news broke to the general public. Reporters were going on and on about how glamorous Rose’s lifestyle is and the shocking comparison made Kate not only cheated on but not the one living the high life. She had to leave Norfolk out of humiliation and they don’t and didn’t want to go back to London because of the expectancy of them to work and how much more you can tell that they don’t work. I was taken back to when they had all the pictures of Rose’s grand estate, that she has a contract with a modeling agency and how pretty she is. William was pist also that Harry was living in a mansion and I think that made him wonder why he wasn’t. I think that is where the whole “evict Harry” and give it to Andrew then give me the Royal Lodge. This pist of Camilla because Mr. Tantrum and Mrs Button kept hounding Charles. See how Cam asked Charles to make up with Andrew and give W&K nothing. Not palace, no jewels, no support to the point they are living apart and stories are leaking left and right about their fights. Both overplayed their hand.
“A closet full of discount wigs” made me think of kim zolciak and her giant wigs in the first seasons of the real housewives of Atlanta lol.
The will he, won’t he vacate Royal Lodge saga comes off manufactured. I feel like the palace staff are just feeding the tabloids with manufactured internal conflict.
Poor royals. The empty mansions, the confusion over who lives where. The fact that Keen had to lower herself by living in Adelaide Cottage. And what about Camilla’s spawn? Do they get to live at Windsor too? Jeez.
Wait, why didn’t any of the royals want W and K moving to Windsor?
Divert and deflect from the real issue which is the Wales are living separate lives. Mrs. Wales is stuffed into Adelaide Cott with the kids, no live-in help (that must grind her gears) and Mr. Wales is likely spending most of his time at KP, hence the constant coming and going of helicopters. I’m sure he also has a comfortable suite of rooms in Windsor Castle but the constant reference to them moving into Royal Lodge is just to sidetrack from the very real fact that William does NOT live with Kate. I’m living for the day when the paparazzi and tabloids have the balls to reveal William’s sidepiece.
Can we call the Rota out on the lie that they have been perpetuating for years now about the size of apartment 1A? 1A is not a 20 room apartment. It has 20 BEDROOMS. The Rota “downsized” apartment 1A when it was being floated around that Harry and Meghan might get Apt 1, which is a 21 ROOM apartment. Well, it worked – there was much commentary about How Dare Harry and Meghan Get A Bigger Apartment than the then Cambridges! This has even been changed on wikipedia! They are continuing this myth because, I think, it would look bad if William wanted Royal Lodge when he already has a much bigger place in London. Well, it already looks bad but it would look worse if people realized just how large apartment 1A is.
@May, I’m not sure where you heard that KP’s Apt #1A has 20 bedrooms! That is simply NOT true. Kensington Palace is an historic edifice, designed by Sir Christopher Wren. Thus, the layout of Apt #1A is a matter of public record. Tabloids can certainly lie about the number of rooms, but it’s easy to confirm the truth. I found an interesting article with photos (some I haven’t previously seen), which I will link below.
https://scenetherapy.com/inside-apartment-1a/
Facts: Apt #1A is not actually an apartment in the sense the larger public would see it as. It is more accurately, “a 4-story, eleven bay townhouse.” It has 20 rooms, but that figure DOES NOT include the BATHROOMS! LOL! 😜 That figure also does not include ensuite dressing rooms, storage rooms, basement, and attic. In the basement, there is a gym and a laundry room. In the attic, there are nine staff bedrooms. The 20 rooms includes three master bedrooms (with individual bath and dressing rooms counted as part of each suite, so not counted separately); *five reception rooms (*two of which are drawing rooms); a day nursery, and a night nursery; a luggage room; linen room; pantry; kitchen; dining room.
With this list, I count about 15 of the designated 20 rooms, minus the accommodations not included in this number. Accordingly, there may be five more bedrooms, for a total of eight bedrooms when added to the three masters. But since the article doesn’t spell out the total number of bedrooms, I am speculating. It’s possible there is at least one other kitchen, and a television room, which would reduce the total number of family and guest bedrooms to six. I really want to know about the number of actual bathrooms!!!! 🤣🤣😂😆🤪 Are there any guesses?? ROFL! 🤡🙈🙊
On second thought @May, wherever you got your info, they might have been including the nine staff bedrooms in the attic, and perhaps also the day and night nurseries might be included by the source you are referencing, in the total number of bedrooms, along with the three master ensuite dressing rooms. But that’s not how the official breakdown of rooms is counted, as explained in my previous post.
Below is another interesting KP article, this one is about Apts 8 & 9, formerly where Diana resided, and where W & H grew up. Currently, Peg & Buttons use Apts 8 & 9 for their staffing offices and accommodations, which adds even further to the Wails’ real estate cache overload! SMH! 🙄
https://cotedetexas.blogspot.com/?m=1
Sorry, the link in my previous post is incorrect. This is the correct link to the article about KP Apts 8&9:
https://cotedetexas.blogspot.com/2017/12/what-dianas-apartment-looks-like-today.html?m=1
@aftershocks, I think what probably happened is that when they moved in, or prior to their renovation, there were 20 bedrooms. And yes, I am counting the nine staff bedrooms in that figure. Also, remember that Ma Middleton lived there for a while too. She probably had a whole suite of rooms! There are also other rooms that were referenced in some articles but not in others. For example, an office is listed in one article but not another. Also one article said there were two master suites and another said three master suites. If they moved in and there were 20 bedrooms prior to the renovation and they’re using them as something else, like a luggage room, it is misleading if they cite a reduced number of bedrooms but don’t mention how many actual rooms there are in the apartment.. They want people to believe that there are an average five rooms per floor in the entirety of apartment 1a. And that is simply incorrect. It was widely reported prior to them moving in and shortly thereafter that there were 20 bedrooms. I will try to add a link in another reply to your post. However, as I indicated, it is now difficult to find articles indicating the actual size of apartment 1A. I think they have scrubbed the internet! The total number of actual rooms is massive.
Also, regarding their staff, they are not just using apartments 8 and 9. Remember when the basement under the orangery was built to house yet more of their staff?!
The article I linked earlier on KP Apt #1A provides some details, which makes it obvious that quite a lot of rooms in the entire 4-story townhouse are not being included in the official count. The staff bedrooms in the attic are clearly not considered part of the main living spaces for the former Cambridge family.
It should not be too difficult to determine what Apt #1A was like when Margaret lived there. Maybe there were a lot more designated bedrooms back then, but once again, I seriously doubt staff bedrooms in the attic would be counted in the number of bedrooms that existed as part of the main living quarters, in Princess Margaret’s time.
@aftershocks, I have tried to add a comment with links but it just wasn’t getting posted so I will briefly state a couple things. First it IS usual to list the number of staff bedrooms in a Royal lodging when citing the total number of bedrooms. For example, at the Royal family website it does specifically list the number of staff bedrooms along with the family and guest bedrooms in Buckingham Palace. Also, each of the five, at least, family bedrooms in apartment 1A has an ensuite dressing room. I’m thinking they took bedrooms and converted them to dressing rooms. The only recent article I found that states Apt 1A has 20 bedrooms was in Harper’s Bazaar. That article, however, also incorrectly lists the number of bedrooms in Apt 1 as 21. Another article had the total number of rooms in apartment 1A listed as “over” 20. Just because the now Waleses have converted some of the old bedrooms and other rooms into extra kitchens, luggage rooms, dressing rooms, staff offices, etc., does not mean that they are not a part of apartment 1A – and they should be listed as such. Otherwise, the information about the size of apartment 1A given is misleading.
He didn’t NEED it. Like he doesn’t need his 4 other houses but he WANTED it like a toddler that sees a toy someone else has.
This is a clarification of a he said/he said; William does not want to look at the bad person, it is either him or his father.
How they missed Harry?
No one else to blame…..
It was either Royal Lodge or Windsor Castle..
It didn’t work, even with Harry and Meghan evicted…
Now it will be the eternal whinge or not…..
Why did they move to Windsor before making sure that Andrew was out of Royal Lodge? It makes no sense. This is more proof that Adelaide Cottage was really for Kate.
KC utilise les logements et allocations royales comme moyen de rétorsion contre ceux qu’il est sensé aimer. C’est à dire sa famille.
C’est une famille vraiment bizarre
Exactement, @Lissane. However, Charles’ actions confirm that the Royals are really not a family but just a toxic firm. His use of the royal properties as a stick differs from the Queen’s use of them as a carrot. She controlled her relatives by giving them a home with a few fancy morsels (like balcony appearances, church walks, etc.). Yes, there was always the threat that you would lose your privileges if you displeased the Queen but it was not so overt as Charles’ use of the properties. But even she caved to William’s desires by kicking out the Gloucesters from Apt 1. I do wonder, however, how much of that was the Queen and how much Charles and Edward Young. Word was at the time that Harry and Megan would move into Apt 1 but the Irish press (I think I only saw it reported there) reported that the Gloucestors were made to move from Apt 1 because William wanted to use it for “functions.”. Hmmm, who is living in Apt 1 now?
Eden; “9 Lies and 1 Truth”
Truth; Frogmore Cottage is empty and it’s status remains unclear.
I believe this whole circus about house shuffling, which ends with both parties starting where they finished, is to quell the curiosity about why Frogmoor is empty.
Bonus: it also helps the king keep the appearance of punishing bother. His brother has never been more prominent since the Epstein’s death bc that is how Charles wants it.
Pt. 2
Will never know why Frogmoor is empty, and there will never be a publicly disclosed physical record of the reality and details of the so-called “eviction”.
Frogmoor cottage falls into a very gray area in which it’s seemingly in the CE portfolio but is actually not managed by the Crown Estate. It can be funded with the sovereign fund (so we related expenses are public record )but it’s not managed by the CE and therefore no records of Frogmoor cottage, including any leases have to be disclosed under FOIA.
Personally, I find it fascinating that the queen gifted Harry property not managed by the crown estate. I’ve read all of Harry and Megan’s flowery language around why iFC was such a beautiful choice; but I’d like to believe that the cover and protection and privacy of the legal status of Frogmoor cottage was “a feature, not a bug” when the queen made this decision.
^^ Interesting. Yet, I doubt that it was QE-II herself who was thinking in terms of Frogmore Cottage’s legal status when she offered the already under renovation property to H&M. It pays to keep in mind that, as she aged, QE-II was in even less control, than she had been in her youth and in her middle age years. Charles had his man, Edward Young, essentially controlling things at BP.
A nice home should have been offered to H&M much sooner, but we know how badly Harry had always been treated, especially in terms of living accommodations. So, it was down to the wire, as H&M had lost their rental in the Cotswolds when its location was leaked. Plus, they needed to be settled prior to Meghan’s delivery due date.
These are all undeniable factors related to the Queen’s gift of Frogmore Cottage. Plus, it was Harry who finally had to speak to his grandmother directly in order to get a resolution to the dilemma of where they could move. Apt #1 (vacated by the Gloucesters) was not really a viable alternative, no matter how much it was gossiped about in the tabloids. The expensive renovations and updates that were required for Apt #1, were greater than those for FC, plus the length of time for work to be completed was going to be well past Meghan’s pregnancy due date.
Moreover, we should also understand that Frogmore was likely never considered an exclusively separate property to Frogmore House. This is because historically it was considered to be an extension of Frogmore House, since the popular Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, had FC built as a leisurely getaway garden retreat. It was not looked upon as a grand property, which is why extended relatives, royal guests, and royal staff lived there over the years (including Queen Victoria’s beloved Indian assistant, Abdul Karim).
Just to add: H&M were not interested in spending the majority of their time living in London anyway, which added to the downsides connected with KP’s Apt#1 — Harry confirms in ‘Spare’ that Apt#1 had been offered to them. It just didn’t make any logistical or economic sense, so the offer was likely part of the clusterf*ck perpetrated BTS against H&M’s happy union.
Furthermore, H&M were seriously very happy with FC as the 11th hour alternative. It was in Windsor, where they had spent many happy moments during their courtship. They weren’t looking for a grand abode, so FC fit the bill, particularly since they were able to request the interior finishes, fixtures, and specifications that suited their personal needs. They made FC a charming, comfortable home, added to the fact that it is surrounded by lovely gardens. With their marriage at St. George’s Chapel, and moving to FC in 2019, H&M raised Windsor Castle’s and Windsor Great Park’s profile and appeal as a place to live and to visit.
Of course, once H&M made the difficult choice to leave the toxic firm, and especially after they were harshly evicted from FC, Windsor as an appealing royal asset, went down the drain. Just like everything else involving the mismanaged House of Windsor ‘clown show.’
This is all so gross. They all have too many houses and too much unearned property and why? What essential services do they provide in exchange for their unearned wealth?
Abolish the monarchy.
I honestly believe they wanted to move to Windsor because Megan and Harry had moved there. Peg wanted to stake his claim. Just my opinion.
I think that motive makes a lot of sense.
I agree, William wanted to be somewhere in Windsor to interfere between Harry and QEII.
But Kate has always wanted to be near mummy, wanted to lord it over all the former neighbors that she had Made It. Before Anmer happened, William and Kate were caught looking at estates in the Windsor/Berkshire area. Royals said no, we’re not buying a massive private estate for you and your unwanted wife. W&K were offered freebie leases for 1) the Duchy property in Herefordshire that William had already rejected (Harewood) and 2) Anmer.
If William used his Diana inheritance to fund a big part of Midd Manor 2.0 after the wedding? That’s the only kind of payout Kate is getting, other than 10 years in Adelaide until the youngest has moved out.
In more Where’s Willy speculation could it be that the reason Harry was not able to stay at Windsor Castle for the night was because it’s TOBs Windsor hangout?
The only thing that makes sense to me is the move to Windsor was always a separation house for Kate with the school change used as a cover story. That is why the talk of the move lingered for a long time, the queen was not on board with a separation or moving anyone out to move Kate and kids in. William has never been called generous so I don’t think he would want to pay the upkeep on RL if i would be just for Kate.
That’s exactly it.
And given the marriage was over for good, KM wanted out of London and near to her mother.
It also explains the unenthusiastic wan look on her face, when she’s not grinning maniacally: she’s had to accept Adelaide which isn’t the desres she’d envisaged at all, while W (and her parents and her sister) continue to live in some style.
What’s the betting she spends most weekends at her parents?
I don’t understand the move to small Adelaide Cottage. Surely they do need a spare bedroom, at times, for a nanny? Surely William has a dressing room or alternatively she has another room? They might be able to hire/borrow rooms at Sandringham or Windsor Castle for business but when they have homes of their own right beside them they will not be able to live in the main houses. The only logical explanation is that they did think they could get Royal Lodge and that as a non-working royal, they could easily force Andrew out.
@CarolinD there is a whole separate decent size house next to Adelaide Cottage which is connected by an enclosed brick walled courtyard yard and presumably where the staff and the wigs are housed. Don’t know how many bedrooms etc it has but I’d guess at least 3-4. Plus a guard house at the entrance to the drive.
We dont know how genuinely ‘small’ Adelaide is. Or how the rooms are configured ie there are probably former dressing rooms and box rooms that are serviceable bedrooms and are now in use as such.
Or how much taxpayers money was spent updating its kitchen etc before KM moved in.
KM is a very jealous woman with a massive inferiority complex, so however pleasant AC is it won’t measure up to her parents’ or her sister’s or W’s homes. I’ve no doubt she actually wanted Royal Lodge, who knows what will happen ultimately. There was that strange sighting of W&K driving P Andrew to church back in the summer- perhaps some deal has been struck
Of course nobody needs 3 homes. Royals have been using homes to establish pecking order well before Charles and William showed up. Why else would an old widowed woman have 4? ( I loved the Queen Mum but damn that girl could spend money! )
I think the whole Royal Lodge threat was Charles’ response to Prince Pedo’s shenanigans earlier in the year, when he was making noises that he was going to sue Virginia Giuffre now that his mother wasn’t around to make him act like a decent human being. I think that was Andrew’s ham-fisted way of reminding Charles he knows all the royal dirty laundry. So Charles naturally reminded him in return who actually owns Royal Lodge. Sweetheart leases can be broken!
Detente has been reached. No one was ever going to move anywhere.