Inside Prince William and Kate's four residences as they prepare for 'fresh start' in their 'forever home'

By the end of the year, the Prince and Princess of Wales will be living in a sprawling new home in Windsor, seeking a "fresh start" after a turbulent few years.

Prince William and his wife Catherine and their three children will move to Forest Lodge, not too far from their current abode, the four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage.

Confirmation of the move by Kensington Palace followed much speculation about a relocation, as the Wales family prepare for eventual life on the throne.

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They are said to have chosen Forest Lodge as their "forever home" and plan to stay there even when William becomes King. Much like King Charles, William is expected to shun Buckingham Palace as an official residence when he is monarch, instead using it for ceremonial duties and opening it up further to the public.

However, Forest Lodge won't be the Wales' sole residence.

The historic property is set to become the fourth home under Prince William and Kate's portfolio.

Here's a look at the four homes the Wales family use throughout the year.

Forest Lodge, Windsor Great Park

Prince William, Catherine and their children Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven, are moving to Forest Lodge in Windsor.

Forest Lodge is located in the heart of the 1942-hectare Windsor Great Park, about a 40-minute drive from London.

Windsor Great Park is adjacent to the smaller Windsor Home Park, which houses Windsor Castle and Adelaide Cottage – where the Waleses currently live. Home Park is also the location of Frogmore Cottage, where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex lived before moving to the US and later being evicted.

Windsor Great Park is part of The Crown Estate in Windsor which covers approximately 6,400 hectares.

Prince Andrew's home, the Royal Lodge, is also within the Great Park.

Forest Lodge is an eight-bedroom Grade II-listed building and is believed to be nearly 330 years old.

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In news that will be welcomed by the British taxpayer, the Waleses are funding the move privately.

They are also paying for upgrades to Forest Lodge themselves instead of using money from the Sovereign Grant, which provides state funding for the monarchy.

The changes include modest internal and external renovations, believed to be new doors and windows, the removal of internal walls and new ceilings and new floors, according to a planning application lodged with Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead council in June.

They will also pay market rent on the property. The freehold is owned by the King in care of The Crown Estate.

In 2001, the property underwent a £1.5m restoration (approx. $3m) and was put on the rental market for £15,000 (approx. $31k) a month.

Photos taken during that time showed original stonework, elaborate plaster cornices and ceiling decoration, plus a half-barrel vaulted hallway ceiling.

It is now valued at around £16 million (approx. $33m).

The vast property also includes several cottages, a large pond and a tennis court.

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Forest Lodge received Grade II status in 1972 (the UK's equivalent of heritage listing) and the official record shows the mansion has a cellar, an original slate roof, six chimneys, nine bay windows and entrance hall that leads into a central drawing room.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are focused on making Forest Lodge a private family home as is possible.

The family moved from Kensington Palace in London to Windsor in August 2022.

They settled at Adelaide Cottage but the small home was never meant to be permanent, instead it was seen as more of a trial.

The Wales' are said to love living in Windsor and aim to make the move to Forest Lodge long-term.

But the past few years at Adelaide Cottage has been one of upheaval for the family, beginning with the death of Queen Elizabeth II just weeks after their move.

Then came the diagnosis of cancer for the Princess of Wales, with King Charles also fighting a cancer battle at the same time.

"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," a royal source told the BBC.

"Moving gives them an opportunity for a fresh start and a new chapter.

"It's an opportunity to leave some of the more unhappy memories behind," the source said.

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Moving to Windsor has afforded the Prince and Princess of Wales, and their young children, the privacy and freedom that was more difficult to find in London.

The children are also happy at Lambrook School although Prince George will be moving to on to another school next year following his 13th birthday.

Anmer Hall, Sandringham estate Norfolk

In 2015, Prince William and Kate moved into their country retreat Anmer Hall, which was a wedding present from Queen Elizabeth II in 2011.

Anmer Hall, in Norfolk, is where they spend much of the school holidays and occasional weekends.

It is also where they spend the Christmas holidays.

Anmer Hall is on the Sandringham estate, near Sandringham House where the royal family have Christmas lunch after attending church nearby.

Sandringham House is one of two personal and private residences owned by the royal family, including Balmoral Castle in Scotland, unlike the other palaces that belong to the Crown.

Anmer Hall, a 10-bedroom Georgian manor, was originally constructed in 1802 and underwent major renovations both inside and outside when it came into the ownership of Prince William and Kate.

The interior design overseen by Ben Pentreath, who also worked with Kate to remodel Apartment 1A inside Kensington Palace, making the large family kitchen one of the home's features.

Architect Charles Morris was responsible for the overall structure and surrounding grounds, notably designing a new glass-lined "garden room".

The property's tennis court was ripped up and re-done and changes were also made to its swimming pool.

Gardeners also increased the bushes and shrubs along the perimeter to keep out prying eyes. A no-fly zone is also in place above the estate.

Prince William and Kate have given glimpses of Anmer Hall and its grounds over the years, in family videos taken on the estate and photos marking the children's birthdays.

Most notably, the country retreat was the setting for a video in which Kate announced she had finished chemotherapy and was now focused on staying cancer free.

The clip showed Kate and her family in a way they'd never been seen before while the natural world featured prominently, pointing to the princess' love of the outdoors.

The princess has previously detailed how she found solace when spending time outside during her cancer journey.

And to celebrate William and Kate's 10-year wedding anniversary in 2021, the family shared a video featuring the children around a campfire on the property and at Holkham Beach nearby, a place that has long been a favourite for the royals.

The Wales' lived at Anmer Hall full-time soon after Princess Charlotte's birth when Prince William was working as a a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance, in 2015.

As children, Prince William and Prince Harry would have visited the property because King Charles' friend, Hugh Van Custem Sr, lived at Anmer Hall with his family for 10 years. His son William Van Custem is Prince George's godfather while his other son, Nicholas, is godfather to Prince Louis.

The Duke and Duchess of Kent also lived on the property between 1972 to 1990 before moving into Wren House at Kensington Palace.

Apartment 1A, Kensington Palace London

The Wales' still own Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace, in London.

The apartment contains their offices with Prince William and Kate commuting there for in-person meetings and official engagements in the capital.

The sprawling apartment features 20 rooms over four floors and was refurbished at huge public expense in 2013.

It is within the main building of the palace but is far from what many people think of when they hear the word "apartment".

"All of these royal residences at Kensington Palace are called apartments, which of course makes people immediately think they are flats like the American term for an apartment. They are not," author Christopher Warwick once said.

"It's enormous... and it's like a piece of countryside in London," another royal author, Ingrid Seward, added.

It was claimed at the time that Kate did much of the decorating for Apartment 1A herself.

In Prince Harry's memoir Spare, Meghan was said to have been in awe of the apartment when they visited together in June, 2018.

Harry wrote: "I saw Meg's eyes widen as we entered their front door, walked past their front sitting room, down their hallway, into their study. 'Wow,' Meg said several times. The wallpaper, the crown molding, the walnut bookshelves lined with color-coordinated volumes, the priceless art. Gorgeous. Like a museum.

"And we both told them so. We complimented them lavishly on their renovation."

William and Kate's lavish accommodation was said to be a sore point for Meghan, who lived in the more modest Nottingham Cottage – on the grounds of the palace – with Harry until they moved to Frogmore Cottage.

But William and Kate previously lived at Nottingham Cottage, too, using it as their London residence after their marriage from 2011 to 2013. They lived there for a few months with Prince George after his birth before moving into the newly-renovated Apartment 1A.

The public has had glimpses inside Apartment 1A over the years, including in 2016 when then-US President Barack Obama, and his wife Michelle, visited.

Photos taken inside one of the reception rooms showed cream lounges, floral pillows, dark wooden furnishings and floors with gilded side tables, patterned rugs and several lamps.

Family photos featured throughout, the walls included paintings from the Royal Collection and large vases contained elaborate floral displays.

According to one report, the apartment contains "generous living space, including five reception rooms, three main bedrooms, dressing rooms and bathrooms, a night and day nursery, staff bedrooms and 'ancillary' rooms".

In addition to the main building, there are staff quarters and a large walled-in garden.

Kensington Palace has been a royal residence for more than 300 years and was the birthplace of Queen Victoria.

More recently, the palace has been home to Diana, Princess of Wales, and Princess Margaret and the aforementioned Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who lived in Nottingham Cottage.

It also contains the offices and residences of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.

Tam-Na-Ghar, Balmoral estate, Scotland

Prince William inherited this cottage, called Tam-Na-Ghar, from his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 2002.

The cottage is located on the grounds of the Balmoral Estate, which is home to Balmoral Castle, in Scotland, in a region known as Royal Deeside in Aberdeenshire, west of Aberdeen, in the Highlands.

Tam-Na-Ghar is shrouded in secrecy, with no photos of its exterior or interior widely available.

The home was reportedly used as a romantic getaway by Prince William when he began dating Kate Middleton in 2001.

When the royals holiday at Balmoral each summer, the Wales' stay at Tam-Na-Ghar, which is not not far from Birkhall (King Charles' home of choice on the estate) which is about a 15 minute drive from Balmoral Castle

The 50,000-acre Balmoral estate is surrounded by rolling hills and features more than 150 buildings.

Balmoral Castle has been privately owned by the royal family since 1852, when Prince Albert bought Balmoral Castle outright for his wife, Queen Victoria, with renovations completed in 1853.

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