William and Kate ‘seriously considering’ move to Windsor

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are said to be considering relocating to Windsor in a move that would mean they are better able to support the Queen as they take on a more senior role at the heart of the Royal Family.

The couple, who currently split their time between Kensington Palace in London and Anmer Hall in Norfolk, are understood to be "seriously considering" moving as they take on a more senior role at the heart of the Royal Family.

They are reported to be looking at various possible properties around Windsor Great Park as a long term base for their family.

Anmer Hall on the Sandringham Estate was a wedding gift from the Queen and after being extensively renovated became the family's permanent home between 2015 and 2017.

At the time the Norfolk property was conveniently located because Prince William was working as a helicopter pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

But with their two older children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, at school in London, and the Duke and Duchess taking on more royal responsibilities, a move to Windsor is seen as more appropriate for their lifestyle.

Despite reports that the Cambridge's were planning to send Prince George to a new prep school in Berkshire, the Telegraph understands the eight-year-old will return to Thomas's Battersea next month for the start of the new school year.
He will be joined by six-year-old Princess Charlotte, who goes into Year Two, while their younger brother Prince Louis, three, will remain at Willcocks Nursery School in Kensington.

If Princes George and Louis are to follow in their father's footsteps and attend Eton, a move to Windsor would also mean their school would be on the doorstep.

Relocating to Windsor would also mean they were less than an hour's drive from Bucklebury in Berkshire where Kate's parents, Michael and Carole Middleton live.

One option could be Frogmore House, which is currently unoccupied and just half a mile from Windsor Castle, within the grounds of Windsor Home Park

Its 35 acre gardens are sometimes referred to as the Royal Family’s "secret bolt-hole".

The Queen has described them as "wonderfully relaxing" and often drives there to walk her dogs.

The house, which is open to the public on certain days of the year, was the chosen venue for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding reception in May 2018.

Bought by Queen Charlotte in 1792, who employed the architect James Wyatt to transform the house and grounds, it has remained a special place for the Royal Family.

The future George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, loved it so much that they even spent part of their honeymoon there in 1923.

It is also the burial place of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, with the former praising its tranquility as “you only hear the hum of bees, the singing of the birds”.

But among all the practical considerations, relocating to Windsor would allow the couple to provide much needed support to the Queen following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh earlier this year.

The 95-year-old monarch plans to base herself permanently at Windsor when she returns from her summer break at Balmoral.

The Duke and Duchess of Wessex, the Duke of York and Princess Eugenie all live close to Windsor and having the Cambridges close by as well, would give the Queen a boost, according to royal sources.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex lived in Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor estate until they relocated to the United States, but that property is now being used by Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, who have a six-month old son.
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A spokesman for the Cambridges refused to comment and described the reports as "speculation".

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