It is understood the move provided them with greater privacy. According to Royal author Richard Kay, Kate will have access to an enormous warehouse known as California to help furnish her new residence.
Speaking on the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential podcast, he explained: “The Waleses are on the move yet again and to the surprise of many they have selected another home within Windsor Great Park, they’re not coming back to their fabulous Kensington Palace apartment, but they’re upscaling from little Adelaide Cottage to the much more impressive Forest Lodge.
“[It has] Eight bedrooms, tennis courts, barrel dancefloor, all sorts of things. And she, the princess, has indeed been looking for the appropriate furniture.
“She hasn’t got to buy anything, of course she hasn’t, because the royals have, at Windsor Castle, an enormous storage unit known as California stores. It’s called California because it’s vast, like the state of California.
“I’m told it’s the most amazing place, bigger than any museum’s overspill space, and from that, she is always said to choose a large dining table for the new home.”
Kay reveals that numerous items housed in California are believed to be “surplus furniture” alongside presents and artworks deemed “not valuable enough” for the Royal Collection.
In 2019, the late Queen Elizabeth II sought permission for a massive storage facility equivalent to eight tennis courts to be constructed at Windsor Castle.
The building was intended to accommodate the Royal Collection during Buckingham Palace’s £369 million restoration programme. The site it now covers had previously been a collection of abandoned walled gardens situated near Frogmore Cottage.
Buckingham Palace is presently experiencing extensive renovation work to guarantee the electrical systems, plumbing and heating meet modern standards. The project commenced in 2017 and is anticipated to conclude by 2027.
Meanwhile, Kensington Palace announced this week that the Prince and Princess of Wales would be relocating to Forest Lodge alongside George, Charlotte and Louis. They will cover market rent for the residence.
The property was listed on the rental market in 2001 for £15,000 monthly after a £1.5 million renovation. It is believed the family will settle into the home before Christmas.