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Kate Middleton and Prince William are putting down roots in Windsor, with Forest Lodge said to be their forever home
The couple moved from London to Windsor with their children three years ago, and their latest home signifies a long-term stay
“They like it around Windsor, and they’ve established themselves there,” author Ingrid Seward says.
Kate Middleton and Prince William are signaling a different kind of life in their move to Windsor.
As they prepare to settle into their new eight-bedroom home at Forest Lodge with their children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, it is clearly the leafy, country surroundings that they want for their family rather than city life.
Forest Lodge is being called the family’s “forever home,” and they are set to live there even when William accedes to the throne.
There is a sense that the family’s three-year stay at Adelaide Cottage enabled them to test the waters and see if they could envisage living in the area for longer. That is certainly the case, palace insiders have told PEOPLE. Forest Lodge is a distinct upgrade from Adelaide and shows they are really putting down roots in the estate and parklands close to Windsor Castle.
“They like it around Windsor, and they’ve established themselves there,” Ingrid Seward, author of My Mother & I, says.
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Princess Kate and Prince William in Northern Ireland in Oct. 2025
In a break from the practice of senior royals in the past, they don’t have live-in staff (it’s believed that the children’s nanny, Maria Turrion Borrallo, who has been with the family since George was a baby, and the housekeeper live at other smaller properties on the estate). They will also be paying the market rent for the property.
As well as renovations in the magnificent home, new trees have been planted and a security cordon has been created surrounding the house with about 150 acres.
Kate, 43, has stressed how important being out in nature has been for her recovery from cancer treatment – and the well-being it brings for young and old alike.
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Princess Kate and First Lady Melania Trump, with chief scout Dwayne Fields at Windsor in Sept. 2025
Seward believes that the royals have felt they were “prisoners” in Kensington Palace.
The author, who is editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, points to the fact that Kate used to like the walk the dogs in the park that bounded the palace. However, in practice, there was only the field where the helicopters landed behind the palace to do so, which is backed up to embassies.
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Prince William and Princess Kate’s home at Windsor, Forest Lodge
“In London, there was a lack of the kind of life that Kate has decided she wants and needs. She wants a country life,” Seward says.
Now, as they look towards the end of the year, Princess Kate is planning her annual Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey, where they will celebrate some of the people, causes and charities that they have encountered during the last 12 months.
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Adelaide Cottage, which has been Prince William and Princess Kate’s home for the last three years
Before then, William heads off solo to Brazil for a week around his innovative environmental awards, the Earthshot Prize. There, he will be supported by celebrities Kylie Minogue and Shawn Mendes in a star-studded show.
“They seem to have their lives very well under control, more than organized,” Seward adds.
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Prince William with actor Eugene Levy, walking in Windsor, with the Wales family dog Orla, in February 2025
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“It feels to me that they’re they themselves are holding the reins of their life and not letting anyone else do it. But I feel that William and Kate really are holding their own reins which is great.”
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