Prince William and Kate 'eyeing up move' to huge castle with dark past
Rumours are swirling that Prince William and Princess Kate might be looking to move out of their family home Adelaide Cottage after three years. And the colourful history of their portential new royal residence has now been revealed.
Adelaide Cottage is a fraction of the size of the Wales family's former full-time - a palatial apartment in Kensington Palace and it has been reported they want a bigger place for kids Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
And an insider has claimed that the royals could be looking to relocate to Fort Belvedere, a stunning gothic revival mansion in Windsor Great Park.
Built in the 18th century, Fort Belvedere became the favourite royal residence of Edward VIII, who lived there before he became monarch and after he abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson. The grand castle was where the former monarch signed the papers which sealed his infamous abdication in 1936.
The sprawling, grade II-listed property is set across 59 acres of grounds and has an outdoor swimming pool and tennis court, which sources say is particularly appealing for Kate and Charlotte, who both share a passion for sport.
Commonly referred to as The Fort, the country house also boasts a rose garden, walled garden, separate kitchen garden, large greenhouse, stables, two lakes, paddocks and three cottages for staff. The home has a long path running to the entrance, and even has a moat surrounding it.
The stately home used to be home to several cannons used in the Jacobite rising of 1745, which were long positioned along the home's battlements.
Edward VIII rescued the building, which was used as a summer tea house by Queen Victoria, from falling into decay and installed the luxurious facilities. In the two decades after he left, the property remained largely empty until 1956, when Queen Elizabeth's cousin Gerald Lascelles moved in.
Originally a mansion with 30 to 40 rooms, he is believed to have reduced it to an eight-bedroom house. It was then leased to Canadian retail billionaire Galen Weston and his wife Hilary in the early 1980s.
The Westons built a polo stud in the grounds and hosted Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and Princess Caroline of Monaco for Hilary's 60th birthday party in a huge marquee next the house. Mr Weston, who was said to be worth £5.2 billion, died at 80 in 2021, but his family continued to live at the property, which is owned by the Crown Estate.
One well-connected source told the Mail on Sunday: '[The Waleses] feel they have outgrown Adelaide Cottage and need somewhere more substantial. This is the perfect new home for them. It has a swimming pool and tennis court, and Charlotte loves playing tennis.'
William and Kate are understood to have considered the vacant Fort Belvedere previously before deciding on Adelaide Cottage. At that point they are believed to have thought Adelaide Cottage was more suitable as it was closer to Queen Elizabeth and they also wanted to give their children a more down to earth start.
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