Kate Middleton and Prince William Won’t Change This At-Home Rule Even After They Move to Their “Forever Home”

Many changes are happening, but this will stay decidedly the same.

The Gist

• Prince William and Kate Middleton are set to double in home size by the end of the year.
• The couple and their three kids are upsizing and moving from the four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage to the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge by Christmas, reports say.
• That said, though there will certainly be more room, one aspect of life at the Wales home won’t change: they won’t have any staff living in.

Much is changing in the lives of Prince William and Kate Middleton by the end of the year—along with their three kids, the Prince and Princess of Wales are moving into the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge, nearby the four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage, where they have lived since 2022.

Whereas at Adelaide Cottage there wasn’t really room for the couple to have staff—like a nanny or a housekeeper—live in, they will have that space at Forest Lodge. But, according to royal biographer Ingrid Seward, even though there will be plenty of rooms in the $21 million Forest Lodge, William and Kate will stay true to the rule that, in order for Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis to have as normal a childhood as possible, they will not have live-in staff.

“William and Kate have never wanted live-in staff,” Seward told Hello!. “I think that’s the modern way.”

“Since William was a little boy, he’s seen all the staff at the late Queen’s homes, and he never wanted that,” Seward added. “It’s not something Kate grew up with, either.”

In fact, Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, are parenting role models for the Prince and Princess of Wales: “Kate’s family has set the pace, and William has been very happy to take the lead from them,” royal historian Robert Lacey told People. “Many decisions they’ve made echo Middleton decisions.”

Before moving to Adelaide Cottage, the family of five lived at Kensington Palace in Apartment 1A, where they had staff on hand at any moment to meet their needs. When they relocated to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, they eschewed any staff living in.

“They had a housekeeper and a nanny at Kensington Palace, but at Windsor, they have all these little cottages around the big house, which is nicer for the staff, too,” Seward continued.

Stirring up a little controversy, William apparently intends to remain at Forest Lodge even after becoming king someday—breaking tradition and becoming the first monarch to not live in a royal castle or palace since medieval times. Though he will likely use the iconic Buckingham Palace—long a symbol of the monarchy—for official meetings, he will not reside there, as Forest Lodge is being billed as the family’s “forever home.”

“William was never going to move into Buckingham Palace,” Seward said. “He has never had any fondness for it, and he probably hasn’t spent much time there.”

According to Hello!, when Queen Elizabeth took the throne unexpectedly in 1952, she, too, hoped to remain living at Clarence House, where she lived with her young family. (As Buckingham Palace continues renovations, King Charles and Queen Camilla reside there now.) She apparently didn’t want to move into Buckingham Palace, but that she did, remaining there for the vast majority of her royal life—but oftentimes escaping the palace for other more private royal residences she cherished, like Balmoral Castle, where she died three years ago at 96 years old.