‘I think it would surprise people to see how ordinary things are at home,’ an insider told MailOnline, noting that the young Princes and Princess are expected to chip in with chores and help around the house. It’s understood that this regime has continued, even since the family moved from Adelaide Cottage to their larger, ‘forever home’ on the Windsor Estate, Forest Lodge. The Grade II-listed, eight-bedroom Georgian home may boast marble fireplaces, plaster cornices and a half-barrel-vaulted ceiling, but the Waleses have no plans to install any airs and graces.
One local explained to MailOnline that the family’s new home is perfectly suited to avoid prying eyes as the royal children grow up. ‘The lodge is on a private road, close to a little village with a shop, a post office and a tea shop, which is mainly used by staff,’ they explained. ‘It’s about as isolated as you can get there, so you can see the attraction for them. It’s situated in a huge private chunk of Windsor Great Park, and the children can go out cycling for miles and not come anywhere near any of the local residents.’
Earlier this year, the Waleses decamped to their ‘forever home’, Forest Lodge on the Windsor Estate
Heritage Images/Getty Images
One of the reasons why Prince William and Kate Middleton wanted to move was, it’s said, a desire to move on from a testing few years, which saw the death of Queen Elizabeth as well as Catherine’s cancer diagnosis and treatment. ‘There have been some really difficult times,’ one source told the BBC. ‘Moving gives them an opportunity for a fresh start and a new chapter; an opportunity to leave some of the more unhappy memories behind.’