As Kate and William settle into their ‘forever home’ at Forest Lodge with their three children, there will be much for them to admire in their new surroundings, including Venetian windows, marble fireplaces and a barrel-vaulted hall ceiling.
No wonder that Kate, a keen interior designer, is said to have ‘thoroughly enjoyed’ renovating the property, picking up much of the furnishings from high-end British brands.
The eight-bedroom home is twice the size of Adelaide Cottage, where the family lived most recently, giving the royal plenty of space to put her personal touch on.
And if their previous residences are anything to go by, the home will likely be kitted out in Kate’s signature ‘contemporary classic’ look – which has previously been described as ‘lovely’ and yet ‘completely inoffensive’.
It is understood that the Princess of Wales has dressed up her new home with opulent décor from Marina Mill, a company that specialises in hand designing and screen printing fabrics, costing upwards of £100 a metre.
The mill, which Kate visited in September, has supplied dozens of royal homes, including Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Highgrove and is world-renowned for the quality of its fabrics, as well as the fact that they still do everything by hand.
Kate has also been seen picking out a 24-seater dining table from a warehouse that specialises in antiques, indicating that the future Queen is hoping to host dinner parties at the property.
However, if Prince Harry‘s memoir Spare is anything to go by, Kate and William will ensure that their dream home also encompasses all the grandeur seen in their former residences.
The Princess of Wales is pictured in 2020 in her stylishly decorated office in Kensington Palace – complete with piles of classic books in the background
The Wales family recently vacated their four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage for pastures new in the Grade II-listed Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park (pictured)
The Prince and Princess of Wales are pictured in 2021 from one of their living rooms in their Kensington Palace apartment. Their home featured many family photos
It is thought that Kate and William may also make structural changes to the property. They previously moved the kitchen to the centre of the property in Anmer Hall, their country residence on the Sandringham Estate.
The 328-year-old Forest Lodge – which has six bathrooms – has undergone modest internal and external renovations, including new doors and windows, the stripping out of walls, renovated ceilings and new floors. It was last renovated in 2001 at a cost of £1.5million.
The Waleses have funded their move and refurbishment themselves and will be paying market rent to the Crown Estate.
And if their previous renovation of their apartment in Kensington Palace is anything to go by, their new surroundings will be furnished to the very highest standard.
In Spare, Harry, 41, described their Wiliam and Kate’s abode as ‘magnificent’ and said their lavish home left him and his wife, Meghan, 44, feeling ’embarrassed’ by their ‘cosy’ living quarters in the two-bedroom Nottingham Cottage.
‘The wallpaper, the ceiling trim, the walnut bookshelves filled with volumes of peaceful colours, priceless works of art. Magnificent. Like a museum.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have been keen to provide a ‘fresh start’ for their three children: Prince George, 12, who will start senior school next autumn, Princess Charlotte, ten, and seven-year-old Prince Louis
The wall of Apartment 1A featured a historic 1655 oil piece, A Page with Two Horses by Aelbert Cuyp
‘We congratulated them on the renovation without holding back the compliments while feeling embarrassed of our Ikea lamps and the second-hand sofa we’d recently bought on sale with Meg’s credit card on sofa.com.’
Apartment 1A in Kensington Palace, which 20 rooms, was the Waleses’ main London home up until the summer of 2022.
The property was refurbished with £4.5million of taxpayers’ money in 2016 – although the couple footed the bill for fixtures and furnishing themselves.
Perhaps the Duke of Sussex’s museum comparison came from Kate and William’s love of paintings, which were scattered across their reception room walls back in 2016.
Pictures of their reception room were published when the Prince and Princess of Wales hosted former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle almost a decade ago.
On the wall, eagle-eyed fans spotted the 1655 piece, A Page with Two Horses by Aelbert Cuyp, raising the question of whether this historic canvas will follow them to their new home.
The Mail on Sunday art critic Philip Hensher said the painting, which is from the Golden Age of Dutch design, would particularly appeal to a History of Art graduate such as Kate.
There was also an unidentified landscape piece hung on the adjoining white wall, again, showing the Princess’s appreciation for creative skills.
The home last underwent work in 2001 (pictured), in refurbishments that cost £1.5million
The living room design of Apartment 1A was more reminiscent of a comfortable country home than a grand, palatial lounge, with floral cushions adorning comfortable-looking cream sofas, giving an insight into her preferred aesthetic.
Continuing her love of quintessential British decor, Kate’s previous London home also featured a velvet cushion by Kelly Hoppen, a candle by Jo Malone and a bouquet of flowers by royal florist Simon Lycett – suggesting she perhaps reused these two designers for her new place.
However, she might’ve also kept her Persian rug from the Royal Collection, believed to be worth about £30,000, in a bid to show off her creative flair and appreciation for international furnishings.
The Waleses are also partial to a coffee table book, a large, often expensive hardcover, which is meant to be browsed and used as a conversation topic rather than for in-depth reading.
In 2016, they displayed the £95 wildlife book On This Earth, A Shadow Falls by Nick Brandt, paying homage to William’s love of the natural world.
Their artsy books may sit on a humble bar, as a 70cl bottle of Smirnoff ice worth £12 and a bottle of £14 Gordon’s gin were pictured sitting on a corner table in their previous residence – suggesting that they enjoy a tipple or two when hosting guests.
As Forest Lodge has an impressive eight bedrooms, William and Kate will have enough room to have their own offices.
In March 2020, the then Duchess of Cambridge released a photo of herself dressed in a pink suit while on the phone from her desk and royal fans were given an insight into Kate’s interior design tastes.
The mother-of-three had 12 cloth-bound Penguin Classics books on display on her desk – including Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen and Middlemarch by George Eliot.
The home features a barrel-vaulted hall ceiling (pictured)
The front reception room of the Grade II-listed Forest Lodge while undergoing work in 2001
In the background of the photo, eagle-eyed lovers of the Firm could make out an inviting white plush sofa scattered with printed cushions.
In contrast, a glimpse of Prince William’s office showed the royal had placed his desk in front of a stunning marble fireplace.
Beside his desk chair, the father-of-three has a photo frame facing him as he works, which is sitting on top of a filing cabinet next to a printer.
One of the only touches of grandeur in the room is an antique ceramic lamp with a white shade – perhaps indicating that the future King will design a more practical workspace.
During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, William and Kate took part in video calls and sent recorded messages from their then home at Kensington Palace and the late Queen’s residence of Sandringham, in Norfolk, where they set up a temporary office while living at nearby Anmer Hall over lockdown.
Interior design experts analysed images of the two offices and acknowledged that the Princess favoured the ‘contemporary classic’ style, adding that she injects it into ‘every space she inhabits’.
Examining another of the 20 rooms at Kensington Palace, Deirdre McGettrick, Founder and CEO of ufurnish.com, previously told the Daily Mail that the couple had opted for ‘muted neutral tone of earthy cream to keep their rooms fresh, calm and modern.’
Interior design expert Benji Lewis agreed that the tone that Kate has struck with the interiors at both Sandringham and Kensington Palace is ‘neutral contemporary classic.’
‘Clearly there’s an enjoyment of timeless chalky – almost ballet pink – with her choice of wall colour, which has been interjected with accent colours that are distinctly harmonious and calm,’ he explained.
While his wife goes for a more classic and grand interior, Prince William (pictured in his Kensington Palace office in 2020) appears to prefer a more practical style
‘Absolutely no colour clashes here, it’s actually a very well executed, absolutely inoffensive, colour scheme because whilst it’s clearly lovely taste, it also works brilliantly with her wardrobe choices and sets her up very well backdrop-wise for her virtual appointments.’
Deirdre pointed out that the royal couple have incorporated a trend which has proven popular during lockdown – by bringing plants and greenery into their decor.
‘This use of a nature-inspired trend is known to improve our wellbeing and bring harmony into our homes,’ she explained.
Deirdre said that although dark furniture would have also been used previously to accessorise a royal office space, William and Kate had opted for natural wooden materials to continue the ‘heritage feel’ of the royal residences.
Benji said that while it would be easy to assume the budget for decoration would likely have been generous, the manner in which the upholstered pieces have been handled ‘isn’t overly elaborate’ – despite Harry’s comments in Spare.
‘The tailoring on the sofas is great, nothing loose, covered, or baggy – and yet a possible little contrast piping aside, added embellishment like nailhead detail has been left out, so it really is contemporary classic,’ he previously explained.
He added that the artwork on the walls suggests grandeur, but it’s not being ‘shoved in our faces’ – indicating that the Prince and Princess of Wales will perhaps take this modest approach when decorating their new home.
‘Likewise, the antique furniture indicates that there’s a kind of make-do with what we have approach rather than ‘blank canvas/blank cheque – let’s go shopping,’ he continued.
‘Considering the home to which this belongs, it’s clever because it’s absolutely not flashy, but it’s unquestionably got gloss, and it’s smart and considered.’
The couple, who have previously spoken about how important nature has been to their everyday lives, seem to be particular fans of floral design, as it is seen on their soft furnishings.
Benji added: ‘Dipping into pattern is a decorative detail that has been embraced via the inclusion of the multiple cushions – embroidered in a kind of Ottoman fashion with scrolling foliage – but this could be off-the-peg shopping rather than bespoke.’
