It’s quite commonplace for people to hand their property down to their children one day, but Prince William and Princess Kate will not be doing so with their “forever home” Forest Lodge, which they’ve just moved into. The Prince and Princess of Wales now reside there with their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, but there’s a big reason why they won’t be eligible to claim the residence one day, and that’s because their royal parents don’t even own it themselves. The eight-bedroom home is part of the Crown Estate, so it’s owned by the monarchy and simply leased out to the family.
It has been reported that their lease agreement requires them to pay “market rate” for the home, which is noteworthy considering Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has been in hot water recently over the “peppercorn rent” he was paying at his own royal home, Royal Lodge.
Personal funds
As well as paying rent for the impressive house, William and Kate have put their hands in their pockets for the extensive renovations that took place in and out of the building ahead of their arrival. In June, planning applications were lodged with the local council documenting a proposal for minor external renovations, as well as minor internal alterations.
The family are looking forward to a fresh start after leaving behind bad memories at Adelaide Cottage, located just a few miles down the road. Why were they keen to stay in Windsor? Well, Windsor is a desirable place to live and it has a great reputation. It has been crowned the UK’s top-ranked place in the 2025 Vitality Index, which rates key factors such as health, economy and living standards. But there is also a more personal reason…
Danielle Stacey, HELLO!’s Online Royal Correspondent, has explained the family’s attachment to the area. She said: “The Prince and Princess of Wales clearly love living in Windsor, the children are settled at Lambrook School nearby, and they will still be close to Windsor Castle for royal functions and engagements. Upsizing to Forest Lodge allows the family more space and has already been viewed as their ‘forever home,’ rather than having the children growing up within the walls of a palace.”
What Prince George will inherit one day
While the royal children aren’t in line to call Forest Lodge theirs one day, technically, Prince George is set to be entrusted with a huge property portfolio, in the form of the Duchy of Cornwall. The organisation includes farms, holiday lets, retail parks, offices, heritage sites, and large-scale housing developments. Developments like Poundbury in Dorset and Nansledan in Cornwall have seen the Duchy acting as both landowner and developer, creating entire communities from scratch! William is currently in charge, as the Duke of Cornwall, and the impressive collection currently makes him the biggest private landowner in Britain.
