PRINCE William is moving his family to a four-bed home on the Windsor estate.
Adelaide Cottage needs no extra taxpayer-funded security or costly refurb.
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William and Kate hope to move in this summer as the home needs no costly renovations, unlike the £2.4million splurged by Prince Harry and Meghan on nearby Frogmore Cottage.
It means their kids George, eight, Charlotte, seven, and four-year-old Louis can start school together locally in the autumn.
The Sun also understands there will be no live-in staff, with any aides commuting to Windsor.
Meanwhile, Anmer Hall in Norfolk is to be kept on as a family country retreat and they will use their apartments at Kensington Palace as staff offices.
A source said: “Kate and William were very keen for a modest home to start their new lives in Windsor.
“Adelaide Cottage fits the bill because it is a four-bedroom home and they do not need any more as they have no live-in staff.
“They were adamant they didn’t want anything too showy or anything that needed renovating or extra security so as not to be a burden on the taxpayer.
“The added bonus is they can send George, Charlotte and Louis to school together locally. The three children will enjoy running around and playing in the gardens, which is the kind of life they enjoy so much when at Anmer Hall.
“They had no other demands than a pleasant family home close to schools and the Queen.
“They will pay rent from their private account. All they need to do is move in some of their treasured furniture and possessions. The whole family is looking forward to moving in this summer and starting a new chapter in their lives together in Windsor.”
QUEEN’S MOBILITY ISSUES
William, 39, and Kate, 40, were keen to live closer to the Queen, 96, who has been struggling with mobility problems.
The Cambridges have already spent happy weekends playing in the grounds at nearby Frogmore House with their dog Orla.
And royal experts say Her Majesty will be delighted to have them around on a permanent basis.
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Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said: “It’s nice for both his family and the Queen that they will be living so closely. William has always been close to his grandmother and when he was a boy at Eton he would have weekly tea with the Queen.
“The Queen needs more people like William around her. She is very often on her own apart from staff and so will be delighted William, Kate and her three great-grandchildren will be ten minutes away.
“If she wants to go to church or needs help one morning then she has the whole family there.
“The family were very restricted in what they could do during the week at Kensington Palace. At Windsor they will have plenty of space for the children to play and walk their dog.
“They will thrive in the privacy at Windsor and be close to schools. This cottage is a stark difference to Harry and Meghan who spent a fortune on Frogmore Cottage and shows William and Kate are happy to live a frugal life.”
‘FRUGAL LIFE’
Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, came under fire after spending £2.4million of taxpayers’ money on nearby Frogmore Cottage before quitting royal duty to live in California.
The couple enlisted Soho House designer Vicky Charles to get the home up to their tastes.
Work included underfloor heating, a copper bath, garden BBQ and vegan paint.
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They barely spent six months there before handing the keys to Princess Eugenie and her hubby Jack Brooksbank in October 2020.
But they decided to extend their lease in April for another 12 months, giving them a foothold in Windsor. They held a party there with friends when they were back for the Queen’s Jubilee.
By contrast, Adelaide Cottage was modernised as recently as 2015.
It is said to retain golden dolphins and ceiling rope decorations in the master bedroom, recycled from a 19th-century royal yacht.
It boasts a marble Greco-Egyptian fireplace but is largely relatively modest and low-key.
A Kensington Palace spokesman declined to comment.
STEEPED IN SCANDAL
THE Cambridges’ new home was built in 1831 for Queen Adelaide, wife of King William IV.
The couple never produced an heir — so when William died in 1837 the throne went to his niece, Victoria.
Victoria would often visit the cottage for tea and cake.
A century later the property became the grace-and-favour home of Group Captain Peter Townsend who had an affair with the current Queen’s sister Margaret.
The pair would often ride horses in Windsor Great Park but were not allowed to marry because he was a divorcé.
Adelaide Cottage was designed by Sir Jeffry Wyatville and incorporated building materials from nearby Royal Lodge, where Andy and Sarah Ferguson now live.
Descriptions of the Cambridges’ new home in 1831 describe it as “chastely elegant” and say “its locale affords a delightful shade at all hours of the day”.
George, Charlotte and Louis will enjoy the manicured gardens, said to be little changed in 200 years.
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