It’s worth noting that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge laid the groundwork for their “move to Adelaide Cottage” for more than a year. It was surprising last summer when they started talking about it and began house-hunting and publicly lobbying for a fancy house on the Royal Windsor estate, but most of us royal-watchers have known for months now that the move was happening and the kids would change schools. The thing about all of that careful groundwork was that… I’m not sure many people were paying attention. So when the Cambridges formally announced their big “move to Adelaide,” most British sites and casual British gossipers were like “wait, what, don’t you already have several homes?” The Independent and other British outlets all ran stories about how Adelaide Cottage is the Cambridges’ fourth home, after Kensington Palace Apt. 1A, Anmer Hall in Norfolk and Tam-Na-Ghar on the Balmoral estate. Even the Daily Mail included some critical comments by Peter Hunt in their running coverage:
Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, said: ‘Relocating to Adelaide Cottage in the ultra-private Home Park at Windsor takes away the ‘goldfish-bowl’ aspect of the Cambridge family’s life. Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace is perfect in so many ways but the Duke and Duchess and their children are unable to come and go as they might like or take advantage of the nearby London parks because of the ever-present privacy issues.
‘Logistically, having all three children in the same school makes perfect sense because it means just one school run. With the family in Berkshire the journey will be considerably shorter and easier than the nightmare that was Kensington Palace to Battersea twice a day. It also means that the cost of security, always a contentious topic, is much lower than if Louis was at a different school to his siblings.’
Royal commentator and former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt added: ‘A fourth home for the Cambridges is a reminder the royals don’t suffer from the cost-of-living crisis and a looming recession in the same way as the rest of us. When taxpayers’ money was spent on refurbishing their apartment at Kensington Palace, Prince William, who campaigns for the homeless, insisted his family planned to stay there for many years to come.’
A royal source said the duke and duchess were very conscious of how their move stands in contrast to the cost-of-living crisis impacting the nation. Asked whether the couple was mindful of the economic difficulties facing many who would not be able to afford such opportunities, the source said: ‘They absolutely are. It’s something they have thought long and hard about and this is a decision they have not taken lightly. It would have been extremely difficult for them to continue on as senior working royals if they were based in Norfolk. What they have basically done allows them to put the kids first, but also to continue on doing what they do all day, every day.’
William and Kate will pay market value on the property from their own private funds, not from taxpayers’ money via the Sovereign Grant, and will foot their own moving costs.
William and Kate will also give up their live-in Norland nanny, Maria Borrallo, for the first time when they move to Adelaide Cottage. The couple hired her in 2014 to help look after George when he was aged just eight months – and she has lived with the family for almost nine years. She will however be kept on full-time by the family.
[From The Daily Mail]
“With the family in Berkshire the journey will be considerably shorter and easier than the nightmare that was Kensington Palace to Battersea twice a day…” Like, when the Cambridges picked Thomas’s Battersea, everyone was like “wow, that’s a hellish daily commute.” The Cambridges did it anyway – they weren’t forced into choosing a school with a terrible commute. What goes unsaid by nearly every commentator is that Kate can’t function without her mother and that’s why the move is important too. Lambrook isn’t just an easier commute, it’s close to Middleton Manor, so that Kate can spend even more time with mummy.
As for the whole “but they have four homes now” issue – that’s been an issue the whole time but y’all were too busy throwing tantrums over Harry buying his own 78-bathroomed mansion in Montecito. Yes, the Cambridges have four homes – two of them on “private” royal land (Anmer and Tam-Na-Ghar), two of them on taxpayer-funded property (Adelaide and KP). All of the security for these homes is being paid for by taxpayers. All of the helicopters back and forth from these homes are paid by taxpayers.
“It would have been extremely difficult for them to continue on as senior working royals if they were based in Norfolk…” Or they could have just… stayed in London, which is what they swore they would do in the first place?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid and Avalon Red.
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