Princess Kate and Prince William’s planned move to their family "forever home" has led to neighbours of the Windsor property being “told to move out”.
It was confirmed yesterday that the Prince and Princess of Wales, with their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, would leave Adelaide Cottage behind in favour of the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge.
The 328-year-old Grade II-listed mansion can be found a short distance from their current home in Windsor Great Park.
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It has now emerged that two families who lived in cottages near the Forest Lodge were left "surprised" after being asked to vacate earlier this summer.
Two families who lived nearby Forest Lodge were asked to vacate the property ahead of the Waleses moving in
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The properties, understood to have been rented out by the Crown Estate, had been converted from the Lodge’s stables.
No eviction notices are believed to have been issued to the tenants who have now found similar or better accommodation within the vast Great Park.
A source revealed: “They were told to move out. I guess they were given somewhere else, but they were told they had to move.”
“They were not expecting it.
The families lived in converted stables nearby the Windsor property set to become the Waleses 'forever home'
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“Those houses are very close to the lodge, so they're not going to want any Tom, Dick or Harry living in those houses if there are going to be royals there,” the insider told the Mail on Sunday.
A Kensington Palace spokesman told GB News: "The Wales family will move house later this year."
The Prince and Princess of Wales see Forest Lodge as their “forever home”, which they and their children will inhabit even after William ascends to the throne.
Valued at approximately £16million, the palatial Georgian lodge underwent a lavish £1.5million restoration in 2001.
William, Kate and their children will move into the Windsor property 'later this year'
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William and Kate are renovating further, with a planning application lodged in June revealing that both internal and external work is already underway.
The Prince and Princess are understood to be funding the move and rent out of their own pocket at no extra cost to the taxpayer, The Sun reported.
They will also maintain their preference for having no live-in staff.
Forest Lodge features many of its original period details, including Venetian windows and a half-barrel vaulted hallway ceiling.
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The Waleses are leaving Adelaide Cottage, which they moved in to in 2022, behind
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An insider revealed the family's motivation for the move, stating: "Windsor has become their home. However, over the last few years while they have lived at Adelaide Cottage there have been some really difficult times."
The source explained that the relocation offers the royals "an opportunity for a fresh start and a new chapter; an opportunity to leave some of the more unhappy memories behind."
“This is a move for the long-term. They see it as their forever home,” they told The Sun.